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Well, we're just climbing onto the jetty floating pontoon on the

west side of the river surrounded by all the

fleet of little sunset ships that go out with exciting names like the new Titanic and

and Hatshap Suit and Tutankham, lots of the names connected with two of the most famous pharaohs.

And immediately on this side you're away from the big city energy on the other side. It's much more rural, much more small town.

And we're about to head out into the desert.

If you have ever looked a satellite image of Egypt, which I expect you have, you'll see enormous

swathes of barren desert beige sand and rock for hundreds and hundreds of miles.

Obviously running from top to bottom through the middle is an astonishing green artery. It's the river now.

Flanks are on the side by verdant banks of vegetation trees and farmland.

And I'm staying now on the edge of that farmland where the green ends and the desert begins.

And I've got a good view of that exact transition from green from farmland desert right now because

I'm in Luxor, the modern city built on the ruins of ancient themes and the location for the

wondrous valley of the kings. I don't think any of the visits place isn't left awestruck by the

history here. As a result for hundreds of years, explorers and archaeologists from across the globe

adventureed this place seeking to uncover lost tombs. The most famous and prolific, of course,

...