Rachel's donkey took off to the front from the very start. Undoubtedly it could sense its rider's restlessness and desire to see her beloved king without delay.

The rest of us gave eager pursuit. After all, our destination was the Valley of the Kings, the site of at least 60 royal tombs from the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt.

Our donkey renters quided us amongst the villages on the west side of the Nile, ushering us to the right whenever a taxi or tour bus came up from behind. We weren't always only the passees, though, as the villagers' donkeys pulled heavier loads and moved slower. One such cart, laden with crops, proved irresistable to Felicity's donkey, who pulled off to the side for a quick snack. This amusing diversion later turned out to be an incredibly clever plan on the part of the donkey.

As we slowly neared our destination, the grade got steadily steeper and the roads began to wind. There being only one way up to the entrance, though, we still had to contend with the tour buses. One moment, when we were being passed on the left as another bus came ripping down around the bend, elicited yipes from some of the girls. Frankly, just another day on the roads in Egypt.

Once our goal was in sight, we all began to goad our steeds (nobly carrying our feet a full 6 inches off the ground) ahead. A little friendly competition never hurts, and sometimes having the cleverest donkey is the best strategy. Felicity proved this by arriving first.

Saleh met us there, and gave us a rundown of the five tombs we were to visit. The hyroglyphs and reliefs carved into the walls and ceilings still bore an incredible amount of their stunningly colourful 3000-year-old paint. Of course, to keep it that way, no photos were allowed.