Up at 5:30 to the tune of my alarm. We had breakfast downstairs, and were out the door by 6:45. We had rented bikes from the hotel, so we pedaled down to the Nile to catch the tourist ferry to the West Bank. It was an enjoyable bike ride through the villages.

 After getting busted for an outdated and tampered-with student card, we proceeded to Hatshepsut’s Temple. We were not impressed. The better part of it is closed for renovation, and what we could see was the same old thing. There were several tour groups milling about.

 We had an interesting hike over the ridge to the Valley of the Kings. Pushing the bikes up the rocky trail in the heat, we were sweating long before we finished our 1K stroll. We took a break outside in the shade of the rest house.

 Energy restored, we methodically ventured into each of the tombs beyond the rest house. These were impressive works, tunneled into the mountains as they were. Many of the decorations were different from what we’ve seen elsewhere, and the change was refreshing. Most remarkable, I think, for its isolation, inaccessibility, and depth, was the tomb of Tutmosis III.

 We took another break, then fought with the tour groups for the tombs of Ramses VI and Tutankhamen. After reaching saturation point, we mounted our bikes and coasted down the road.