The bus departed at 4pm. An Egyptian police came to register our passports before we got on the bus. We arrived back in Aswan at nearly 9pm.

I took the train at 8am and arrived in Luxor at around 11am. After exiting the train station, I resisted a bunch of touts and walked north for more than 100 meters along Shariaramses Road in front of the station. Then I turned into Endrawasaasha Alley and walked south for less than 100 meters to Stminahotal, a small family-run hotel in a residential area.

The double room is only 50 Egyptian pounds. The room is very clean. It would be perfect if there is a private bathroom.

After putting down their luggage, they headed south to the west bank. Nalan Shiqi and Yunluo planned to go from far to near, first to the valley of the kings on the west bank, and find some food on the way. Luxor was the capital of the former prosperous empire, with a population of more than one million. After the Islamic looting in the seventh century.

Eventually it declined and became a large fortress. In the last century, it finally developed a bit with the support of tourism, and now it is just a small city of 200,000 or 300,000 people. It is a small place that can be found by following the map from the residence through the dirty and messy city and around the majestic Luxor Temple.

It only took about 20 minutes to get to the East Coast Pier. To get from the East Coast to the West Coast by charter, one had to go through the Luxor Bridge, eight kilometers upstream, which was a waste of time and money. Nalan Shiqi and Yunluo decided to take the ferry, a white motor boat with a canopy. The ticket cost one Egyptian pound per person, which was cheap, convenient and fast.

We went to the West Bank parking lot and wanted to hire a bike. After half a day of negotiation, it still cost 120 Egyptian pounds. We walked west from the parking lot to the end of the square. There was a roadside shop that rented bicycles for 25 Egyptian pounds. Nalan Shiqi and Yunluo negotiated for 40 Egyptian pounds for two bikes. We left our passports as collateral and picked two slightly better shabby bikes. We rode them and walked.

Nalan Shiqi and Yunluo, wearing Arabic-style headscarves, rode very coolly on the country road, along Al-Qarna Road, passed Newguma Village next to the canal, and headed west along Al-Tmaslyn Road. There were farmlands on both sides of the road, and farmers were still hoeing their fields under the huge sun.

After riding for about ten minutes, we arrived at the Colossi of Memnon. On a small flat ground under the roadbed, there are two 18-meter-high statues, which are in a dilapidated state. The upper body of the one on the right looks more like pieces of stone spliced ​​together. No one knows which pharaoh these two stone statues belong to.

They are just the last traces of the largest temple of Amenhotep III in Egyptian history, and the former glory has finally turned to dust. Later Greek rulers mischievously called the stone statues Memnon. What is Memnon? In Homer's epic, he was the king of the Ethiopians.

Paris lived on the easternmost coast of the Great Ocean. In the Trojan War in 1250 BC, he helped abduct other people's wives and was eventually killed by the spear of the Greek Achilles. He died more than a hundred years later than Amenhotep III. So the Greeks named this statue after such a stupid enemy. They were just trying to disgust the Egyptians.

This small flat land, with no admission fee, has become a favorite spot for tour groups. From time to time, buses come and tourists swarm in, snapping photos and then leaving. A donkey sticks its head out from behind a low wall, staring blankly at the people coming and going.

Ride west to the ticket office at the foot of the mountain. Except for the Temple of the Queen, the Valley of the Kings, and the Valley of the Queens, tickets for other west bank attractions are sold here. Turn right here and continue north. Pass the Temple of Ramses.

On the road side are the remains of the temple's back hall, which is simply surrounded by wire fences, with the criss-crossing foundations of the temple walls inside, and several temples built in the front hall. The Egyptians are still simple and honest, and they will not remove the wall bricks and sell them to tourists.

We rode a short distance north along the mountain, turned left around the old Gurna village and rode on the straight road leading to the Temple of Hatshepsut, also known as the Deir al-Bahari Monastery. This distance took about 20 minutes to ride. There were many cars and people in the parking lot.

Nalan Shiqi and Yunluo rode all the way to the ticket office. All the tourists looked at Nalan Shiqi and Yunluo with envy and jealousy. The ticket here is 30 Egyptian pounds. After entering the gate, transfer to the shuttle battery sightseeing car inside the scenic area until the big square under the temple. The temple is divided into three levels and is built on the mountain using local materials.

The steep and huge mountain half surrounds the temple. In fact, the temple itself is not big, but it is integrated with the mountain, and the mountains on the south and water on the north are in line with Feng Shui. It is very imperial.

In November 1997, six crooked-mouthed and squinting-eyed inbred bastards from the Islamic group ran down the hillside south of the temple, shouting slogans of overthrowing the Qing dynasty and restoring the Ming dynasty, lifted up their robes to reveal their weapons, and opened fire, killing 58 foreign tourists and 4 Egyptians on the spot. Nalan Shiqi and Yunluo walked around the square, avoiding the dead souls.

Step onto the middle stage. Hatshepsut was the wife and sister of Thutmose II, and the stepmother and mother-in-law of Thutmose III. Her husband had been weak and sick since childhood, so Hatshepsut had been participating in politics behind the scenes. After becoming a widow, she was still not satisfied and found a little dragon son as a puppet, that is, Thutmose III.

When she had nothing to do, she would dress up as a man and put on a fake beard to give orders in the palace. Seeing that the emperor had grown up and was getting in the way, she took advantage of the fact that he was still a weakling and exiled him to the frontier. She also brought in a group of monks to help her ascend the throne to show off her power. During his reign, he made no achievements in the country. As a leader, sometimes not making trouble is the greatest political achievement.

The common people were able to farm and do business, and the country was still rich. The old widow built temples everywhere to express her gratitude for the support of the monks. Externally, she lost a large area of ​​fertile land in the northern border due to the loss of sovereignty. So don't compare her with Wu Zetian of the Yunluo Dynasty. Wu Zetian ruled for more than 40 years, and was officially in office for only 20 years. During her reign, she knew how to use people well, maintained a harmonious government, stabilized the border and pacified the disasters, and made great contributions.

Fifteen years later, Thutmose III led his army back and killed the old widow, and removed all the marks associated with the old woman. Later, Christians also removed the marks of pagans.

So many things in the hall are not very real. The highest level is an open-air temple, and the Temple of Amun in the innermost cave is rarely surrounded by wooden fences.

On the contrary, Yunluo was a little uncomfortable. In the south colonnade of the central platform, he took a photo with the Egyptian policeman holding a gun when no one was around. To the south of the temple is the Temple of Montuhotep. Montuhotep II was the founding pharaoh of the 11th Dynasty. It was also because of his move of the capital to Thebes that Luxor became so glorious. However, his temple is in ruins.

When they were leaving the scenic area, they met a beautiful Egyptian female tour guide who asked Nalan Shiqi and Yunluo where they were from. She spoke standard Chinese, which made Nalan Shiqi and Yunluo feel that she was as beautiful as a fairy.

He quickly replied "I'm from China". He had wanted to take a photo with the Egyptian girl for a long time, but was afraid that religious etiquette would make it inconvenient, so he took the opportunity to take a photo with the beauty. The beauty readily agreed, and Nalan Shiqi and Yunluo were both as happy as flowers.

Exit the Queen's Temple, turn left and follow the road along the valley, winding up from slow to steep. Riding this flat road is like strolling in a garden. Besides, Nalan Shiqi and Yunluo rode along the Qinghai-Tibet Line and the Yunnan-Tibet Line when they were young. It takes half an hour to reach the Valley of the Kings, which is actually to go around the mountain behind the Queen's Temple.

The ticket is 80 Egyptian pounds, and you can only see three tombs. If you want to see more, you need to pay extra. The Tomb of Ai and the Tomb of Tutankhamun are charged separately. Since the capital was moved to Thebes, the emperors seem to have changed their hobbies. They think the valley on the west bank has good feng shui, so they can dig a hole in the cliff and crawl into it to make a setting sun.

The effect is much better than that of the pyramids. Later emperors followed suit and built groups of tombs. After several centuries, they finally formed a valley with 63 tombs. As the saying goes, a tall tree attracts the wind. The clustered imperial tombs in the western suburbs could not escape the fate of being robbed, except for the inconspicuous tomb of Tutankhamun.

Once it was opened, it would shock the world. Wouldn't it be even more shocking if those who were stolen were stolen? There were many people in the scenic area. Some tombs even had long queues. Some tombs were not open. There were staff working inside to clean up. Nalan Shiqi and Yunluo took out the headlights they had planned for a long time and chose Ramses IX.

The tombs of three pharaohs, Seti I, Thutmosis III, and Thutmosis III. The tomb of Ramses IX has the best preserved murals and is the most visited; the tomb of Seti I is more than 100 meters long; the tomb of Thutmosis III, the Napoleon of Egypt, is the most elaborate and is deep in the Valley of the Kings.

The structure is complex. Although each cemetery has its own characteristics, they are basically the same. There are many murals on the walls, such as the Book of the Underworld, the Book of the Earth, and the Book of Caves, fearing that the emperor would not be able to cross the Naihe Bridge and get lost. The lp of the underworld version of the picture book allows them to learn and use it immediately.

If you have time, I recommend you to go to Medinathabu and Ramses Temple, where there will definitely not be crowds of people to spoil your appetite. Bicycles are highly recommended for touring the west coast, which is very convenient, especially if you want to go to some more remote places.

I returned the car and retrieved my passport, then crossed the river back to the east bank. Now I am thinking that the Luxor Bridge can only be built that far upstream, because any dig on the west bank will reveal a temple.

Luxor Temple, ticket price 50 Egyptian pounds. The Luxor Temple was originally a small temple of the queen, and Amenhotep III and Ramses II expanded and built most of it. The prosperous Amenhotep III had a great influence on the ambitious Ramses II, who found a way to vent his anger.

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

At the entrance is the Avenue of Sphinxes, which is under renovation, leading directly to the Karnak Temple in the north. In front of the temple is a huge tower gate, with a statue of Ramses and an obelisk on the left. The obelisk on the right is still on the Place de la Concorde in Paris. In 1831, the Egyptian Governor Muhammad

Mohammed Ali exchanged it with King Louis Philippe of France for a small bell tower that did not chime on the hour, but instead a little man came out of it.

The little gong was struck, and three fingers were raised, saying "Silly boy, it's three o'clock!" This broken thing is still placed in the middle of the courtyard of the Mohammed Ali Mosque in the Saladin Citadel in Cairo. Every time the Egyptians mention this, they beat their chests, stamp their feet, and spit and curse.

The entrance is the Ramses Courtyard, surrounded by columns, and a mosque that doesn't fit in at the corner. The Greeks and Romans both contributed to the construction of this temple.

They were just beginning to become civilized at that time, and their religious beliefs were chaotic. They followed the local customs and were not polite at all. It was for this reason that the extremely exclusive Christianity and Islam, which were dominated by one God, destroyed many local religions and spread rapidly. Next is the large colonnade, which gives the whole temple a strong sense of depth. Further in is a multi-column hall, a reception hall, and a temple... The back hall is less majestic because it is deep in the city.

I had a pigeon meal at Sofra, which tasted quite good. The restaurant is near the intersection of Mohamed Farid and Al-Manshiya. It serves Egyptian food and is decorated in an oriental style.

Watching the sunrise at the Red Sea is completely different from watching it on ordinary days. In the mist of the vast sea, you first see the hazy orange-red color on the horizon. That is the dawn. As the seconds pass, the eastern sky becomes brighter and brighter. Soon, a rising sun appears in the brightest place.

At first, the outline was not clear, but then the figure gradually became clear, rising slowly from the other side of the sea and hanging in the air. The waves reflected the orange-red light, which was very beautiful.

Yunluo thought that the Red Sea got its name from this. The rays of the rising sun were soft and the colors were natural. In the soft light of the rising sun, the houses and awnings showed various shapes, and the date palm trees in the breeze danced with the wind, which was even more graceful.

Looking back at the city buildings under the red light, they seemed to have added a layer of brilliance, appearing even more prosperous and magnificent.

I went to the front desk early in the morning to arrange for snorkeling. Because I didn't have a diving license, I could only arrange for Nalan Shiqi and Yunluo to snorkel. It was still a little cool after breakfast, but there were already Belarusians lying in the lounge chairs basking in the sun.

Each hotel in the resort has its own dock and cruise ship, with rich second-generation Russians on board in colorful clothes. The Red Sea is a far cry from the dirty and messy image of Egypt. The east and west are deserts, the north and south are the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and there is no industrial pollution around, making the water exceptionally clear.

Every time we arrived at a snorkeling area, the polar bears on the boat couldn't wait to jump into the sea, screaming. Although I have been in the sea for many years, I am still a reserved Oriental. I was as shy as a concubine taking a bath. At the beginning, there were not many fish and no corals. The boat changed three areas in a row. As the boat went deeper,

There were more fish, and large areas of crowded coral flowers, dotted with strange and colorful sea fish, just like a dragon palace garden. Unfortunately, the camera is not waterproof, so I can't capture this beautiful picture. Swimming forward, the sea water suddenly changed color and became bottomless. Nalan Shiqi and Yunluo suddenly felt cold and swam back quickly. (To be continued...)