Luxor and the Valley of the Kings

I'm now in Luxor.

This morning I woke up at 3:30am to go hot air ballooning.. it was fantastic. Floating through the air as the sun rose, looking out over the Valley of the Kings. A couple of us got a guide for the day to show us around the Valley of the Kings and to tell us about the pictures on the walls of the tombs. I'm so glad that we did as she was fantastic and it was great to go into a temple and look at a picture and hear that the lotus represents love, life and happiness - so these two people must be getting married if they're giving each other a lotus flower. Things like that are so much fun to know, even a little bit, being able to understand and figure out the meaning of things increases your appreciation of what's around you.

The colours are amazing as well. To think that they have survived so many years - all the tombs date from BC so they are far over 2000 years old.
It's crazy here - money seems to slip through your fingers and everything sounds outrageously expensive until you convert it back to Australian currency. For instance I spent 100 le (local Egyptian pounds) on tomb entrance fees today which feels like a lot but is only $A 20and that was to go into 5 tombs.


We have spent the last couple of days sailing down the Nile on a felucca which was so much fun! Just sitting and lazing around. I SWUM IN THE NILE!! it was freezing but so nice. As always I was the first one in and the last one out - are you sure I'm not a Pisces? I just love rivers. Swimming in them, living by them, floating down them.
The best bit was that in our first night we made anchor near a Nubian village and all the little children came out to sell us things. I had so much energy left over (all I had done all day was sit on a boat) I asked if they had a foot ball. They did and so we played football (soccer) until there was no more light to see by. Then the girls taught me how to play hand games like clapping and I taught the little girls to play "Ring a Ring a Rosies" (which they loved) and the game where you put one hand over the other and make a big tower of hands. That is the best part of travelling meeting people and just talking and playing with them. I have met a lot of people and so many of then are lovely. It is great to find out things about their family and the education system - just anything.

Got to go.... ran out of time.... love you all loads and really, extremely love hearing from you all.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE send me some emails I never find them boring and even though I don't get to respond to them all I appreciate all the kind words and love to know that people are thinking of me. For i think of you all.
All my love as ever, Acushla