Day 2 in Luxor

Waiting for our balloon

Our balloon over Habu Temple

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

All of us in front of the Queen's tomb

We got up really early this morning to go on a hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings. It was fantastic! So peaceful and beautiful. It was just amazing to see all of those temples and tombs from up above. There were about 20 people in our balloon basket and the ride was about 35 minutes long. After that we went to the Valley of the Kings and went into 4 of the tombs including King Tut's. That was definitely the most impressive for the kids as his mummy was there and sarcophagus. We just can't get enough of seeing those 4000 year old mummies! Some of the tombs were so intricate it is just unbelievable to think about how they could build them all so deep underground too. After that we went to one last temple of Queen Hatshepsut and then called it a day in Luxor and headed back to the Villa in El Gouna.

Luxor and the Valley of the Kings

Temple of Habu

Colossi of Memnon

Temple of Karnak

Luxor Temple

Karnak Temple

Early yesterday morning we headed out from El Gouna to Luxor by car. The drive took 4 hours. We had a really great guide with us named Mohammed that told us so much information about Luxor and the people and all of the ruins and mummies that have been found. We started out at the Temple of Karnak which was just a huge temple built for the Kings. There were lots of columns filled with ancient hieroglyphics. From there we saw Luxor Temple with its two huge statues of Ramses the King in front. We continued on to the Colossi of Memnon and then ended the day at the Temple of Habu. They have so many stories written all over the temples, depicting different acts of war, how they mummified the bodies, etc. But the story I guarantee you that Collin and Olivia will remember is the one written in pictures that says the King of Egypt heard that some armies in Syria killed women and children, which was a cardinal sin in battle, so he sent 10,000 men to march to Syria and found those responsible and cut of their hands and thier penises. This was clearly shown by the piles of hands and penises carved in stone. I guess he got the job done!!

After the temples we checked into our hotel, let the kids swim and had a cocktail while we watched the boats sailing on the Nile River. Fantastic! Then we prepared ourselves for Luxor's shopping bazaar, and took a carriage ride to it...haggled for scarves and souveniers and then had a great dinner at an Egyptian restaurant looking down on the Bazaar. The power went out in the city during dinner so we had dinner by candlelit--a lot of fun!

Bedouin woman making bread

This part of the Sahara Desert used to be completely covered by the Nile river. There are thousands of fossils you can find in the rocks and sand.

Olivia in the burning heart

Collin looks like he is about to go up in flames!

Santa found the kids in Egypt

Our Christmas Day Desert Safari

El Gouna Marina-there are some incredible boats here

Decorating the Villa for Christmas

Olivia mudding up before going into the Dead Sea

You float in the Dead Sea-without even trying!!

All of the salt crystals lining the sea

Doug and Collin on Carriage ride

Standing in Petra tombs

Parasailing over the Red Sea.jpg

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Christmas Greetings

Petra Ampitheatre

Tombs of Petra

In front of the Treasury

Petra at night

After a whirlwind last few days we finally arrived in El Gouna, Egypt and were able to unpack our suitcases. We are set to stay here for 9 nights and are staying in a villa we rented on the red sea. The weather is much warmer here and we can get our bathing suits out. After we left Cairo we took a short hour flight to another Continent and got to Jordan. We were there to see the lost city of Petra. We got there in the afternoon and found out that 3 times a week they have a night walk to Petra and we got there on one of the nights. I was thrilled! We set out at 8:30 at night and we hiked the mile down the canyon, they had lit it up with at least 1000 candles down the way until you reached the Treasury--the most fantastic carving out of sandstone that still remains for over 2000 years. There were probably 200 people that came out for the hike and for some reason the guide picked Doug out of the crowd and whispered to him to follow him and we were the leaders for the hike. It was amazing--all of the stars in the sky and the canyon walls illuminated by all of the thousands of candles was awe-inspiring. When we got to the treasury we listened to some local musicians play and drank hot tea. Now the walk back wasn't so easy...it was uphill another mile and the kids had fallen asleep to the music so lugging an extra 40 pounds of Olivia and listening to Collin complain sorta took away from it...but we made it, and got our exercise in for the day for sure.
The next morning we had to see all of Petra again, it just goes on forever into all of the villages and tombs the Nabotaen people carved out of this rock. It is no wonder that this place made the new 7 wonders of the world list. This morning instead of hiking down again we got 2 horse drawn carriages to take us down and then got to explore the rest by foot. Climbing all the rocks and seeing it all was great.
We left Petra and headed to the coast of Jordan to stay on the Dead Sea. We got to our hotel just before sundown so got in our swimsuits quick and headed down the the Sea. It is crazy to see this water with these huge crystals of salt all along it. We got mud on our bodies and then got in the water--it was crazy, you just floated because of all of the salt in the water. But it really was so salty it started to burn your legs so we got out and then enjoyed the warm water of the heated pool for the rest of the evening.
The next morning we headed out right away to fly back to Cairo and then to El Gouna. We were so happy to finally get to our villa and see our friends Jeff and Tami who met us here. We had a great Christmas Eve...Thai takeout...doesn't really scream Christmas but that's okay. We hung stockings by the patio and decorated the house with some Santa cutouts and streamers. Santa found us too!!! The kids had their stockings filled and Santa left Collin a watch and some magic tricks, and Olivia some magic tricks and a necklace. It was a fun morning. This afternoon we met up with Santa in the town square and got a picture with him and listened to the school choir of El Gouna sing Christmas Carols in the square. Then we went on a really fun desert safari in the Sahara. We rode on 4 wheelers through the desert and canyons and watched the sunset. It was really spectacular. That desert is so enormous and vast, unbelievable. There was a village of Bedouin People that live out there and we stopped to look around there also.
Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!! We miss being home for the Holidays..maybe not with ALL of that snow though!

Merry Christmas from Egypt

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Greetings from Jordan

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Dead Sea Video

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Sunset over Jereusalem.jpg

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Petra Treasury.jpg

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Egyptians LOVE Obama.JPG

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Family photo at Giza.JPG

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Loving the perfumeria.JPG

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

THE Bazaar.JPG

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The Sphinx.JPG

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

IMG00124-20091220-0208.jpg

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Cairo

This city has been surprisingly pleasing for us. I had so many preconceived ideas about what tis city, the most densly populated in the world, would be. But it is so modern, and amazingly clean. We have had a great time these last two days. Our hotel is just outside the hotel, and we have a view of the pyramids form our balcony. The first night we went to the sound and light show at the pyramids-we really liked it, there were some parts that slightly corny but just to see them at night was incredible. We went to the Egyptian Museum the next day--there is just too many incredible things to see there- we spent over 2 hours there--with kids mind you--and they thought it was neat too. The mummy room was crazy-preserved bodies 4ooo years old, the hair is even intact on some of them. And all of King Tuts stuff, his Death Mask, and his tombs. Then we took a Falucca ride down the Nile River. It was a sailboat and a great way to see the beautiful Mosques around the city. Then we went to the biggest bazaar in the Middle East, and we actually enjoyed shopping and haggling!! Collin got a pyramid and Olivia a camel. They really love President Obama here--they have lots of tshirts with his name on them in the market. And finally today we spent the morning at the Pyramids. Even with the throngs of tourists coming through it doesn't distract from how majestic they are. You can walk anywhere you want around the and we even went into 2 of them to see the tombs.
We are flying to Jordan tomorrow for 2 nights to see Petra.

Papryus Paper.jpg

Watching Papyrus paper being made in Cairo
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Falucca Ride on the Nile.jpg

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

IMG00096-20091218-0658.jpg

At the pyramids of Giza
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

IMG00091-20091218-0541.jpg

We just landed! Looking good so far.. Amazingly we were out of the airport and on to our hotel in less than 20 minutes. That included filling out 4 forms sprung on us in line and having to get our visas. Money well spent to have someone waiting at airport to pick you up!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

IMG00086-20091218-0438.jpg

Egypt here we come!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

IMG00082-20091218-0436.jpg

Egypt here we come
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

IMG00070-20091217-0629.jpg

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

IMG00078-20091218-0037.jpg

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Goodbye India

We left Mumbai early this morning on our way to Cairo. India was exciting and exhausting. We saw some incredible things. All of the palaces and forts,it is fun to imagine what it would have been like to see in their prime. And the Taj Mahal is just beyond words, I would never tire of looking at that. But the population and poverty can really get to you. As another couple we met were saying, traveling to. India isn't a vacation-it is work. And it did feel like that at times. And if you ever begin to complain about the US, just take a flight to India and you will for sure be silenced. Doug says he is never going to complain about paying taxes again--(I think that might be short lived though :))

We are laying over in Bahrain right now about to board our Cairo flight. There were Santa displays and salespeople wearing Santa hats, the first sign of Christmas we have seen since Lincoln. The kids loved looking at all the decorated trees. Makes me a bit homesick.

More to come from Cairo...hope to get a glimpse of the pyramids tonight!

The Dancing Horse at Udaipur Hotel

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

In Udaipur

This is the toilet we had to use today at the city palace--seriously??!!

Udaipur City Palace

Views of Udaipur

The Taj Hotel Palace on the lake

We flew from Jaipur to Udaipur yesterday, about an hour flight. This city is called The City of the Lakes and is surrounded by 2 different lakes. There are far less people here, which is a welcome change. We were greeted at the hotel by a band playing music and a dancing horse! Doug is still trying to get our laundry done, which for some reason is proving difficult. But I think we have it figured out and we should be in clean clothes by the morning :)
We took a city tour this morning and saw the city palace, gardens, and a tour around town. Doug isn't feeling well-not sure if it is the Delhi belly or something else coming on. He is taking a nap and I think the kids and I will take a boat ride around the lake. The kids are getting templed and palaced out, and frankly so am I--missing the good old American cineplex! The pools are just a tad too cold, but the temp is to get to 75 today so we might try it after lunch.