Siag Pyramids Cairo

... could touch most of the exhibits. We were in the Tutankhamen jewelery room and someone knocked over the metal pole and chain that was around the 11 kilo golden mask .... we went back 2 hrs later the chain was still on the ground. If that had of been an exhibition back home guards would have been on to it straight away.

Then Wednesday we headed out to the pyramids, as its in the middle of Giza (a major suburb) we just jumped on the bus which dropped ...

Everyone knows Cairo and Egypt for the pyramids and its ancient history but it's actually currently one of the most populous cities in the world. I was told second largest, but the rankings tend to shift where you look. Regardless 22 million people is a lot of people.

We got into downtown near our hostel at almost midnight. Traffic was brutal in the city, and the car horns were incessant well into ...

... them or they were going in the bin. Dino started walking away again.
"Wait. Wait. OK OK"
She then called her children over frantically as Dino was still walking. One of her daughters pulled out a wad of money from her purse and gave Dino a 10 pound note. Dino gave her back 5 pounds change and the two slice of cakes. Everyone just looked in bemusement at what had just happened. ("No money my ****," thought Dino afterwards.)

We are finally starting to enjoy Egypt.

Landed in Cairo and had a six hour layover and was thinking of going to see the Pyramids in Giza as well as the Sphinx so asked around and was told it was around $40 each way if I got a taxi but I was worried to be back on time.

I ended up asking a guy at the airport that worked for Egypt Airwho I was flying with and he said to go ask a guy "over there". Well the only guy that was in that general vicinity was this guy working at the bank that told me I could do it but I ...

... to the Nile Cruise- Visit Karnak & Luxor Temples. Overnight in Luxor.

Day 4: Nile Cruise

Cross to the West Bank. Visit the Necropolis of Thebes, Valley of the Kings, the temple of Queen Hatshepust, and the Colossi of Memnon.- Sail to Esna- Cross the lock- Sail to Edfu and overnight.

Day 5: Nile Cruise

Visit the temple of Horus in Edfu. Sail to Kom Ombo- Visit the temple shared by the two Gods Sobek and Haroeris- Sail to Aswan and overnight ...

... image for Egypt and then after a couple of hours had to get out of there- it was way to much history to take in – as Russ said these things are designed to astound and impress but when you are seeing one after another they don’t – too much.

Outside we all gave an interview for a local TV channel which was interesting! Just a 5 minute chat about our trips and experiences as we went – a bit surreal after our last couple of hours.

I then ...

... of churches dating back as far as the 4th century which supported the early Christians.

First stop was the convent of St George, the patron saint of the area who featured many times in the different buildings. Here a group of young women were participating in morning prayers and their voices added to the mystique of the place.

We had been told that everywhere was free entry but at each doorway a guard or a gatekeeper requested the standard baksheesh ...

... really was awe inspiring to think that this all went to a tomb to be buried and never seen or enjoyed by people again (until Howard Carter discovered the tomb in 1922). We also were able to see the mummy exhibit which was very cool. Several of these mummies were so well preserved it was remarkable. It takes 70 days for a full embalming to take place and it is a painstaking process. However, the end results speak for themselves as I was able to see ...

... br> before 2160 BC - Egyptian dynasties rule from nearby Memphis. 2589 to 2472 BC - Great Pyramids were built.
to 343 BC - Egyptian dynasties rule from Thebes, Egypt.
to 330 BC - Persian rule from Persepolis, Iran.
to 80 BC - Greek rule from Alexandria, Egypt. 140 BC - Great Pyramids included in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Greek traveler ...

... luck as we didn't buy anything. Memphis was the ancient capital of Egypt in Pharonic times. There we viewed a huge statue of Pharoah Ramses II and other works dedicated to him. Our last stop on the tour was at Sakkara so we could visit the Step Pyramid. This was the first ever pyramid built by Egyptians and has its unusual shape because they were still experimenting. The rest of the site at Sakkara is made up of other burial chambers as it was the burial area for the people of ...