You can go through most of your life not really thinking about a bucket list. Or maybe you develop a list, but it changes. Egypt is that for me.

And here I am. After three nights cruising the Nile on a dahabeya, the Queen Sandy, we are getting ready to set the stake to tie off for the evening. Sailing from Aswan to Luxor with stops all along the way to visit ruins, I have seen the colors laid down in the Ptolomeic times and before. Original color that has only been cleaned but not touched up. The blues, yellows, and reds are mind boggling. The height of the columns with their varied capitals, ceilings adorned, and stories told really remind me that we are not the inventors of the greatest art.

Hieroglyphics and pictures tell the stories, record history, and show how people build and carved colossal statues. We know about Ramses Ii and King Tut mostly, but there are so many more!

Esna Temple: I will tell you that the colors in those capitals on the columns was overwhelming. They are removing black yuck and exposing the original color. This temple was buried in 9 meters of mud before they started removing it and exposed the bottoms of the columns. Just amazing. This was another place where most of the bigger river cruise boats (like Viking) do not stop.

I should have blogged from the beginning of the trip. Two weeks is not long enough. We have flown, ridden camels, taken the overnight train, been on the river, in big taxis and horse carriages, and tomorrow’s it’s a hot air balloon over the Valley of the Kings. And we still aren’t done.

This trip was arranged by Suzie Liles at Eugene Textile Center. She works with Ahmed Hakim, an Egyptian guide who has brought every day and visit to life. His love and pride in the Egyptian history is evident when he starts to speak and his eyes begin to sparkle. Every king, queen, high priest, god and goddess comes to life through Ahmed.

The sun is now setting over the Nile and I am in Luxor. Life is for living. Don’t wait.

[pictures to follow…not enough bandwidth now]