Lillydale to Warburton rail trail

Training can get a bit boring at times so when Bonnie suggested doing the 40 km Lillydale to Warburton rail trail I was up for the change of scenery. The bike path winds through the bush and past farms with deer, llamas, emu and even an ostrich. It was a grey, wet day but we managed to dodge most of the rain except when Sam and her family met us for lunch. Somehow it always rains when we're away with them.

Beginning of the trail at Lillydale

Coffee stop in the bush

Half way lunch stop at the old Woori Yallock station

The gang at the finish in Warburton

End of the working year

Well its almost Christmas and the end of another year. Our work broke up for the Xmas break yesterday and we celebrated a successful year with a BBQ down by the river.

Some of us took the opportunity to arrive to work by less conventional means

Hanging out around the barbie

A little bit of Aussie Rules and frisbee out on the oval

I couldn't resist and while I didn't get wet, my entry and exit on and off the boat could do with some work

Melbourne Cup Camping at the Prom

I love the Melbourne Cup long weekend. I look forward to it all winter long as it says, not long now, summer, Christmas holidays and the new year are just around the corner. Plus it breaks the 5 month dry spell between public holidays. This year we planned a camping/hiking trip to Wilson's Promontory National Park, which is a 3 hr drive SE of Melbourne. While the weather wasn't the best (lots of rain), we managed to keep relatively dry and tried to make the most of our time away.

Bush Walking
Sam and I at the Telegraph Saddle Car park, trying to decide which hike to go on

Bonnie sitting at the top of Mt Oberon (above) and the view of Tidal River and beaches below

Bonnie enjoying the natural surroundings

Bonnie leading the way to Little Oberon Bay (in the background below)

Telegraph Track leading back to camp with Mt Oberon in the background. Last year there were severe bush fires through Wilson's Prom burning a large part of the bush. The burnt remains were quite a contrast to the new growth coming through

BeachesHamish, Bella, Andrew and Sam enjoying the cold waters around the Prom

Wildlife

These tunnels in the bushes form part of the wombat "Super Highway" that surrounded our campsite. Our resident wombat (see below) came out most nights foraging in the grass. But beware they don't mind having a snoop inside your tent if they smell some tasty treats.

We also saw a couple of wallabies and some possums, one of which liked scaring me in the ladies toilets. We also had some close calls with snakes, though Bonnie and I had no idea they were there at the time. Another couple of hikers pointed out that I had sat about 10 feet away from a Copperhead and that we had walked right past a couple of tiger snakes. Stupid city chicks.

Around the Bay in a Day 2010

Bonnie and I on the 210 km Around the Bay in a Day bike ride. This photo must have been taken early on in the day as I managed to smile for the camera. It was a miserable day for it, cold, wet and windy but we made it.

The steep climb up Oliver's Hill with the bay in the background. Just 50 km down and still so far to go.

The finish line!

The pyramids were a stupid idea

The problem with the pyramids, as I found out today, is they're just screaming for a passing by grave robber to come along and steal all the treasures inside. Only a person trying to compensate for something would build their tomb underneath a giant pyramid for all to see and then hope no one gets the idea to get inside to grab all the goodies. Apparently this is the reason for the pharaohs moving away from pyramids towards secret under ground tombs, such as that found in the Valley of the Kings (or KV as the locals call it). They weren't very sucessful though as all but 3 of the 62 tombs found so far at KV were raided.

Valley of the Kings - map showing the 62 tombs identified so far in white.

KV is located in a valley surrounded by limestone hills in the desert not far from the Nile. According to our tour guide, this site was selected as it is secluded, has good conditions for storing mummies (ie dry) and the top of the mountain is shaped like a pyramid (top LH corner of pic), therefore still allowing the spirits to find their way out to the heavens. No photos can be taken at the site, however there is a really good website that has 3D drawings of each tomb and photos showing the painted and carved walls and sarcophagus inside.
http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/atlas/index_kv.asp?tombID=undefined

In the hills surrounding KV are also the Valley of the Queens, Valley of the Nobels, Valley of the Artisans as well as many temples build to honor them. The site is still under excavation so they are constantly finding new stuff and having to move entire villages to get access.

Hatshepsut Temple - Queen Hatshepsut was one of only a few females to be pharaoh and is the only woman buried in KV. The temple built for her is located on the other side of the hills to KV.

Statue of Queen Hatshepsut on the third storey of the temple. She is sporting a fake beard, which was apparently all the rage for pharaohs back then. The tour guide also tells me she was flat chested, not really sure of the relevence of this comment though, perhaps he wanted me to know that flat chested women can make it in a mans world? He tells me Egyptians are much more open minded about women than other arabs and allows all 400 satellite networks to be broadcast. Though I didn't point out that in my limited experience of tv here, all scenes involving kissing or worse are cut out. Swearing appears to be ok though. He also tells me that satellite dishs are about 1/10th the cost of air conditioners in Egypt thanks to the Chinese - wealth of knowledge my tour guide, I could go on but won't.

Painted walls of Hatshepsut Temple - the blank area once had an image of the queen but her step son hated her so much that he had it chiseled off the wall after she died

Dr Dopey standing in front of some big statues that are part of some temple that I can't remember the name of.

I've got to say (really quietly cause Warwick was still too sick to go) the Valley of the Kings was the highlight of the trip, particularly as the guide was so knowledgable and funny in a, I'm laughing at you not with you, kind of way. The tombs are much more interesting on the inside than the pyramids at Giza and the site has so much stuff that, back in the day, must have been amazing.

Up the Nile

Our last few days in Egypt will be spent at Luxor, about 700 kms south of Cairo. Luxor was the capital of Egypt around 3000 years ago and contains a large number of ancient statues, tombs and temples, including the tombs of Tutankhamun and Nefertari. Our first impression of Luxor is that it is a hot, very poor town with little sanitation and lots of people trying to get money out of you. Who can blame them though – the difference in wealth between the tourists and locals is shocking. Its a place where half carcases of raw meat hang out the front of shops and 5 Egyptian pounds ($1 AU/US) will get you an 1 hr ride in a horse and carriage. Fortunately our experiences in Cairo have wisened us up a bit, so you just get used to saying no. I’d also like to be able to say the last couple of days have been enjoyable but Warwick has come down with a bad stomach virus so he’s not ventured far from the hotel room. Plus a big sand storm has blown into Luxor limiting the visibility. Exploring Luxor alone has been an interesting experience.

The centre of Luxor, not particularly exciting I know but right behind you is.....

The Avenue of Sphinxs (above) was once 2 kms long and leads to the Luxor Temple (above also but you can't see it for all the sand in the air, better pic below)

To escape the heat (and the locals, sorry but sometime Sacha space is needed) I headed to the Mummification museum, which was small but interesting. I would have liked a bit more info on the mummification process than the body is washed and then wrapped in bandages covered in resin, maybe they should google it! Mummified man above and below, ram and crocodile.

Temple of Amun – massive temple complex spanning 100 acres build over a 1300 year period for the king of Gods, Amun. Though very difficult to see much given all the sand in the air.

Tomorrow is our last day in Egypt and we’re heading out to the Valley of the Kings, which was the burial site for the pharaohs at the time. Hopefully the sand has cleared and Warwick is well enough to come along.

More big, old stuff.....

Today we travelled 30 kms south of Cairo to Memphis, which was the capital of Egypt around 4000 years ago. Now it is a small farming village surrounded by desert with nothing left to suggest that it was once a prosperous city.

Giant calcite sphinx at Memphis - it is supposed to represent the king's wisdom (human face) and strength (lions head)

Giant sandstone statue of Ramses II found at Memphis (Warwick upstairs taking a photo)

The Step Pyramid of Djoser - the original pyramid and predecessor of the great pyramids at Giza is located at Saqqara, the burial ground for Memphis. Before this time, Egyptian royal tombs were mud brick underground rooms covered with low flat roofs known as mastabas. This all changed when an architect at the time called Imhotep, decided to try building several mastabas on top of each other but with stone instead of mud brick, resulting in the Step Pyramid. From then on there was no going back And the rest is history

The Step Pyramid is undergoing restoration as last year it started to crumble along the second level. Not sure if you can see but there are guys up on the 3^rd level conducting repairs with no safety equipment

Titi Pyramid – believe it or not this mound of rubble is a pyramid and while the outside has not fared well, the inside is still intact and hopefully stable cause you can climb down into it. The inner walls are covered with hieroglyphics carved into the stone and the black granite sarcophagus is still present though empty.

Memphis and Saqqara are definately worth a visit and they are no where near as busy or touristy as Giza. Tomorrow we fly to Luxor to see more big, old Egyptian stuff