Better than ciaro at first

7am - wake up and turn off alarm clock.
8am - get up and go downstairs for breakfast buffet.  I have to skip the first half of options since I can't tell what they are or even pronounce the name.  Did you know they make chicken sausage, it isn't bad.
8:45am - go up to room and decide sleeping a little more is a good option.
noon - wake up and go outside to find a taxi.

After rejecting 5 guys cause i didn't want to pay 500 egyptian pounds for a two way trip, I start walking down the sidewalk to check out some nearby stores.  One guy kept asking to drive me and almost covered an entire block, lowering the price every couple of steps.  I decided that the Vally of the Kings was the one thing i wanted to see so I had him drive me there for well under the 500 the other guys offered.  I feel good about the haggling process for the first time.  Its only about 5 miles away as the crow flies, but since we had to drive down to a bridge, it took 20 miles to get there.  We stopped at the Colossi on the way which are two giant statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III.  There are monuments everywhere and throughout the day people were pointing out Pharaoh this and Queen that.  I can't say I care much about any of them and don't remember a single name I was told.  In fact, while going into a tomb in the Valley of the Kings, I asked the door guard/ticket collector guy to let me view it in silence after he started pointing out people.  Otherwise he would have kept talking the entire time like the guy in another tomb I visited.  There are a crap load of tombs in the Valley of Kings, only a few of which are open to the public right now.  It was very cool at the heart of the tomb, very quite.  Once I got to the burial chamber of the first tomb I visited, someone else showed up and the door guy took off to check their tickets.  It was about 40 or so yards walking at a downward slope and after the chatty cathy took off, it was incredibly silent.  It was also nice because I was able to take a few pictures.  Technically no one is allowed to take any pictures within the whole valley.  Its a stupid rule, so I broke it.


After I walked around a bit and was satisfied, I found my driver waiting outside and we stopped by an alabaster artist shop.  They still make a lot by hand and I was given a demonstration.  While I doubt it took seven days to carve the glass that I bought like they said, it was a very time consuming process.  It was all done by hand with some pretty basic tools.  I got a whiskey sipping glass, gonna have a varied collection when I get home.


I then had my driver take me to a market near my hotel where I got some gifts for family and friends.   Back at the hotel I transitioned into relax mode.  I got some nice evening pics of the Nile and enjoyed some drinks on the balcony while reading.  Finishing my blog