Tut’s Tomb in Egypt Still Closed to Visitors

One of Egypt’s top tourist attractions, King Tut’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings, has been closed to visitors since November, 1990--and antiquities officials say it will remain closed until they can figure out how to protect it from the destructive organisms resulting from overexposure to tourists.

The tomb was closed initially so experts could study bacteria and fungi first isolated in the burial chamber in 1988. The infestation remained dormant after treatment, but there were growing worries that the tomb and its contents could be destroyed if the growth was triggered again.

The problem is that tourists stir up dust that covers the walls of the small, four-chamber tomb, according to Shawky Nakhla, head of restoration and conservation for the Egyptian Antiquities Organization. They also sweat, releasing salt into the air and onto the walls. “Even by breathing, they release organisms that stay trapped inside the tomb,” he said.

As many as 4,000 visitors were crowding into Tut’s tomb daily in 1988, when the condition of the chamber’s wall paintings and high humidity levels first alarmed officials. Ibrahim Bakr, Egypt’s chairman of antiquity in charge of all its historic remains, believes that it might be possible eventually to allow tourists to visit the tomb again, but only “in limited numbers and with a limited time inside.”

“Mass tourism is fatal for the tomb,” Bakr said.

Travel Quiz: What is the oldest monumental stone building in the world? (Hint: It’s not far from Memphis.)

Making Change: The $2.2-million restoration of one of Rome’s best-loved landmarks, the Trevi fountain, is finally complete.

Immortalized as the site of Anita Ekberg’s midnight splash in Federico Fellini’s 1959 film “La Dolce Vita,” the fountain--dry since restoration began in January, 1989--gushed back to life Tuesday.

To tourists, the fountain’s reopening means a chance to obey the tradition that anyone who throws coins into the fountain will return to Rome. The ritual also means good fortune for the city of Rome, which collects some $180,000 worth of Italian coins from the fountain each year, along with a large number of foreign coins, the city’s culture office said. All money is donated to the Italian Red Cross.

Quick Fact: Worst business year ever for U.S. airlines: 1990, with $4 billion lost, mostly as a result of increased fuel costs and the Persian Gulf War. (Source: Air Transport Assn.)

Smooth Cruise Move: In the wake of a recession- and war-prompted travel downturn, cruise lines are going all out to please. When some passengers on the Carnival ship Jubilee asked the ship’s captain to cancel a scheduled stop at Mazatlan, Mexico, so they could see the July 11 solar eclipse from a better vantage point at sea, Carnival agreed to a compromise. After meeting with passengers, the captain, with an OK from company officers in Miami, decided to drop off some passengers in Mazatlan and head back out to sea with the others for the late-morning eclipse. In the afternoon, the ship returned to Mazatlan for a passenger pickup.

Out of a total of 1,770 passengers on board, only 56 disembarked at Mazatlan. And only 19 of those did not head for previously made land arrangements to view the eclipse. The cost to Carnival for the fuel needed to perform this good deed and excellent bit of public relations: a meager $1,000 and well worth the price.

This Is Camping? The latest wrinkle in one of America’s favorite vacation experiences, says Kampsground of America, is to rent what a Kampgrounds spokesman calls a “camping cabin.” These rustic, log-cabin-like shelters, offer the joys of the outdoors (cheap, simple, close to nature) with the no-hassle comforts of a motel (no tent to raise at midnight in the rain). Each has room enough for four, and some have air conditioning. Just add sleeping bags, ice chest, cooking utensils and a flashlight.

Some facilities have as many as 50 cabins, a Kampgrounds spokesman said, and the company is quickly adding others in an attempt to keep up with demand. The average price is $20-$25 per cabin per night for a family of four.

Comparatively Speaking: May on-time record for U.S. airlines, worst to best: United (worst), TWA, Continental, Delta, Southwest, USAir, American, Northwest, Pan Am, America West, Midway and Alaska (best). (Source: U.S. Department of Transportation.)

Fair Warning: Concerts in churches throughout the San Luis Obispo area, as well as on a boat in Morro Bay, at the Eberle Winery in Paso Robles and on a golf course in Avila Beach, will be among the offerings of the 21st San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, starting Monday and continuing through Aug. 4. As part of the annual celebration of Mozart’s work, this year’s festival will feature concert performances of Mozart’s “Requiem” in Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa and his opera “The Magic Flute.” Internationally acclaimed conductor Christopher Hogwood will conduct two performances at the Church of the Nazarine in Pismo Beach.

For more information or tickets, contact the Mozart Festival Assn., P.O. Box 311, San Luis Obispo, Calif. 93406, (805) 543-4580.

Quiz Answer: The Step Pyramid of King Djoser (circa 2667-2648 BC) near Memphis, Egypt, not far from the Pyramids at Giza.