Answers to your questions!

This is a picture of the carvings at Habu temple, which was for Ramses III (I think). Thes are the ones that are about 8 inches deep! The guide said they did this to keep other pharoahs who came after from carving their own names on the walls!

Here are some answers to your great questions:

* I won the donkey race, we posted a picture so you can see what we looked like. Our race came to an abrupt end when we got squished into a parking space by a taxi van who pulled in front of us and cut us off!

* how high off the ground is a camel? I think the camel's back goes to my head, so maybe 5 feet, 5 inch. The hardest part it getting on, because you mount it when the camel is sitting, then the guide tells you to lean back because the front legs stand up first and if you don't you'll fall off. Riding a camel was more comfortable than riding a donkey.

* I have seen lots of tourists, not many Americans at all. Mostly British, French, and Japanese. For the British it is not far (5 hours) and not expensive to fly, and they all are excited about the warm climate. It is amazing to sit in a restaurant and listen to everyone speaking different languages.

* As for Hatshepsut's temple...normally you can't tell the difference between between all the pharoah's faces on the statues in their temples. But when you look at statues of Hatshepsut, you can really tell that she is a female because her face is so much softer (look at that photo below) and feminine, even though she dressed totally in men's clothes and even wore that beard. Eight of her statues in her temple are still intact (out of 26 I think). Ironically, the stepson that took over after she died (tuthmosis III) was considered a great ruler and the last great warrior pharoah.

* egyptian pancakes are basically like pizza. I haven't tried it yet, but I am going to seek it out on my last night. But I did try the local cheese, feta, and it is delicious on omelettes, very salty!

* Howard Carter's tools are not in the tomb, sorry! The house where he lived is nearby and they are thinking of making it a stop on the tour, but right now it is just decaying!