One of my biggest fears of going to Egypt was that it would be horribly hot and I’d get terribly sunburnt. Thankfully, going in late October/early November was a good choice, as while the weather was still warm, it wasn’t scorching…except for the one day I was on the West Bank of Luxor touring the tombs at the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut’s Temple at Deir el-Bahri. That day I was so full of excitement, and had planned as best as I could. Wearing light clothes and hat, with plenty of water and sunscreen, I set out.
And it truly was glorious. Seeing the dusty hills of the valley come into view, and finding out King Tut’s tomb was open after a month long restoration, I was tingling with excitement.  But it was hot. I used my misting water-bottle a lot and gravitated to the little shade I could find. The tombs themselves, while shaded were humid. Try as you might, your energy will get drained. By the time we made it to Deir el-Bahri, it was noon, and the sun was beating down on the faces of Hatshepsut.
As you walk around, it is hard to believe that there use to be lush trees planted here. But the magnificence of the temple is still astounding. The side wings are full of insightful scenes from an expedition to Punt to an obelisk being rowed across the nile. The upper level is surveyed by many versions of Hatshepsut in the guise of a Pharaoh. As I wandered around, I was struggling. I felt a little heat stroke coming on, but I was determined to see as much as I could. I started to notice, the rest of my group was gone. So despite my heart telling me to press on, my head prevailed and I headed to the shaded sanctuary of the cafe.
As I walked in a slight breeze from a fan and I started to feel better. And then I spied the ice cream cooler. Knowing that ice cream cost between 15-20 EGP, I picked it up, and headed to the counter. 30 EGP the man said. Not wanting to over pay, I placed 20 EGP on the table “20 EPG?” He laughed, and wagged his fingers at me. “No no no miss! Look around! I only seller with ice cream. See how hot it is? See how much you need ice cream? It is 30!” I started at him, and at the ice cream for what seemed like eternity. I hated having to bargain for everything in Egypt. I hated finding out that others in my group had bargained better, gotten things much cheaper. But…he was right. It was damn hot and he was right. I pulled out another 10 EGP as he laughed.
And man, it was the best ice cream I ever had.
Travel Missteps is an every-other week series on how sometimes part of the journey is making mistakes and getting lost.
Very funny!