Viking Cruises

S U M M E R I S S U E 2 9 viking.com | 27 It jumps out at me. The kangaroo hieroglyph, inside the tomb of Ramses III, would only be spotted by an Australian. Among thousands of other inscriptions on the wall, it has never been noticed by our Egyptologist guide, Walid El Bhaouty, in his 30 years of exploring the Valley of the Kings. For the first time this week, he is speechless. It could also be a wallaby, or more than likely, this ancient anomaly is simply a bad drawing of an animal that did exist in Egypt 3000 years ago. Walid sends my photo of the mysterious creature to another eminent colleague, who is similarly stumped, and says this sighting will make me famous. "She thinks I'm joking but I'm serious," he tells our small group of Viking cruise passengers. Significant discoveries, from hundreds of coffins to an entire "lost golden city of Luxor", occur with astounding regularity in these desert regions. Earlier this year, at Saqqara, near Cairo, archaeologists unearthed five tombs, estimated to be 4200 years old, and a rare complete sarcophagus, believed to belong to Ptah-em-wia, King Ramses II's treasurer. Our visit to Saqqara is a brief stop to see its main attraction, the first pyramid ever built by Egyptians, known as the Step Pyramid of Djoser. Following these recent finds, Walid predicts this vast necropolis will become "the new Valley of the Kings" by next year. He mentions another important tomb that was found yesterday. "You'll hear about it in two or three months," he teases. To think that priceless antiquities may be hidden centimetres beneath our feet adds a sense of excitement to every walking tour. Our sponge- like minds absorb endless facts and stories that connect Egypt's ancient history to these latest breakthroughs, and within days we have learned to recognise the gods and goddesses carved on colourful temple walls. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one still standing. When it appears in view as we drive to the site, everyone starts taking pictures out of the bus window, unable to wait any longer after anticipating this moment for a lifetime. Dropped off within a two-minute walk of these huge pharaohs' tombs, we explore the base from every angle and climb upon the lowest limestone blocks that are accessible to tourists. There are no crowds, no queues, but plenty of camels and security guards, including a discreetly armed escort provided to Viking by the government. Only one person from our group decides to venture inside. The passageway is claustrophobically narrow and hot on this 40C day, and it leads to an empty chamber. We move on to the Great Sphinx, about 1km away, which is very busy by late afternoon. Most people come to pose for the classic photo, nose to nose with the gigantic sculpture, but it's still an unforgettable spectacle. The souvenir vendors are out in full force; however, our guides do an admirable job of waving them away. After three days based at the Fairmont Nile City hotel in Cairo, our contingent of 80 guests takes a flight to Luxor to board Viking Osiris. Launched in August, the newest ship on the Nile is a calming haven staffed by local crew, with spacious ensuite cabins and two restaurants. >

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