Hey there!
Yesterday and today have been filled with temples and tombs GALORE. Yesterday we toured for about 6 or 7 hours total, going to the Colossi of Memnon, the Temple of Hatshepsut, the Valley of the Kings and the Ramesseum in the morning from 5 am to 12. These were all great places and I especially loved the Valley of the Kings where we saw King Ramses IV's tomb, among other great kings. They were built into the sides of the mountain and were pretty much out in the desert. During this sometime we stopped at a stoneware shop and learned how the craftsmen made alabster jars. There were all sorts of things handmade there and I think the owners bribe our tour guide regularly to take his tours there, but people bought some nice things made out of basalt, phosphorus, alabaster, soapstone, and others. It was SO hot and afterwards we had lunch back at the hotel and collapsed into our beds to nap for 3 hours. We met up again at 5 and went to yet another temple, the Temple of Luxor, which was actually very beautiful. It was getting dark so they had the temple all lit up and the moon was out and we took some gorgeous pictures! Last night there was a disco at the hotel which we went to for a little while, but we WERE the disco party because we were the only people there. It was pretty funny. I went to bed early because today we woke up at 5 am again. We went to the Artisans Village where we saw a servants' tomb and a temple, and then to the Valley of the Nobles where we saw another tomb and another temple. Then we went to Habu Temple, another of Ramses II's buildings. We were glad it was our last day of touring because after a while all of the temples start to look the same! Yet again, we stopped at a store that sold papyrus and I was skeptical at first (I'd read in Lonely Planet guidebook that most people selling papyrus are actually selling you banana leaves) but then the owner showed us the actual papyrus reeds and the whole process of how he made the scrolls. It was cool! And legitimate as well; the owner had pictures of himself with Jimmy Carter and the State Fair of Colorado had given them a certificate of being the best papyrus sellers in Egypt. So I felt a little better about buying papyrus. We came back and had falafel down the road from our hotel. It was hilarious because the actual felafel place was closed but a nearby coffee shop owner called to us and said they served falafel. We were unsure but we went in and he ended up going and finding a falafel place and just bringing back the falafel to us. It was a little shady but he only charged us 2 pounds per falafel (which is about 30 cents) and it was delicious! Now we're about to go swimming after such a hot day and probably head off to bed early tonight, because we have a special outing planned for tomorrow at 5 am... more details on that to come :)