Luxor-Nile River July 2

We started the day with a balloon over the Valley of the Kings and Queens. My only description is that it was a life time experience. Though I was nervous initially, once in the basket with 9 others it was awesome. The ground seemed to just fall away and the view over the temples and tombs was astounding. It was just before dawn when we lifted off. all around us were the dozen or so balloons of every collor fired up against the dark sky. The sun popped up on cue over the Nile. All we could hear besides the roar of the burners was the sound of the white donkeys braying below in the village. The west bank of Luxor is utterly primitive with mud huts and farms going back hundreds to thousands of years. We flew with Mohammed our captain for an hour rising to 2000 feet. We landed softly in a sugar cane field. While waiting for the rescue crew we saw a dozen young kids on donkeys gallopping across the field towards us. Begging , of course, and we resisted on the advice of Mohammed. Now i can't wait to do another ballon ride. After a visit to the Luxor Museum and the fruit market, we boarded our riverboat, the Royal Serenade. She may have seen better days but we are only 20 persons with a crew of 54.
The temp is 115 with no breezes. We glided upstream passing camels, water buffalo, palm trees and occasional mud villages. There is a very thin ribbon of greenery on each bank with the desert right behind where the irrigation stops. We haven't seen a single cloud since we left NY.
Bert has been feeling poorly the past 2 days. Antinal has not worked on him. Other than the Chilean cold last year this is the first time we've gotten ill during our travels. We are enjoying many of our fellow passengers especially life partners Miguel and Richard from Queens , NY. Miguel teached mime and public speaking at CUNY. During a party on the boat he was challenged to do a Charlie Chaplin and Michael Jackson imitation. Hysterical. With his Spanish accent and positive attitude he reminds me of Oswald from Amazing Race. Another couple from the South spend several months a year working with their church group building schools and orphanages in 3rd world countries at their own expense. A widow from California has been spending 3 months a year in Tanzania teaching music and art and helping to found a school there. Interesting and wonderful people to get to know.