THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS BY BALLOON
To get the best possible view of the Valley of the Kings, one must get a bird's eye view and that meant getting up before sunrise to catch a hot air balloon.
Hot Air Balloon
Floating like a giant soap bubble over the Nile, we embarked upon a new phase of our journey.
From this altitude, one gained a new perspective on the Valley of the Kings. The Temple of Hatshepsut, the queen mother who took for herself the title of pharaoh, took on a new luster.
Temple of Hatshepsut
When her stepson succeeded her to the throne of Egypt, he had her name removed and her likeness plastered over, but he could not bring himself to destroy this temple built in her honor.
Sunrise on the Nile
The Egyptians viewed the rising of the sun in the east in terms of a rebirth. The east was the direction of life as the west was the direction of death.