Cairo and Giza

Trip Start Dec 16, 2004

Trip End Jan 17, 2005

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Where I stayed

Indiana Hotel Cairo

(Cairo hotels)

Flag of Egypt Cairo, Egypt
Sunday, January 2, 2005

It's already been a very busy day here in Cairo. Last night, my lovely new friends helped me to get to my hotel (Hotel Indiana) in order to meet my tour group. In my excitement to get to my new hotel, I forget the golden rule of not sitting in the front seat with the taxi driver--especially as a woman. He insisted on asking for my phone number and to go on a date with him and be his girlfriend. I had to play dumb and pretend I did not understand him and that no--I do not have a phone number. Another lesson learned. Anyways, I made it to the hotel after the taxi driver had to ask directions about 10 times. My tour is a group of about 15 people, quite a few young couples from Canada, Australia and Germany; 2 older Swedish couples and a family of 6 from Australia. My roommate is the other lone single girl, Bree, from Australia as well. So her and I will be roommates the entire time which is cool.

Today after a briefing we made our way to the Giza plateau to see the famous pyramids and sphinx

Great Pyramid of Khufu

. What can I say about Cairo--it is really a dirty and ugly city (sorry if that offends anyone). It is so congested and the haze of pollution is really gross. But I have to admit that the crazy driving style is really fun! Along the highway we passed slum after slum randomly broken up by a small lush and green plot of farmland. There is laundry hanging from every balcony and gigantic satellite dishes as well. I could not figure out why every building has the support rods sticking out of the top. Our guide said that they leave the buildings unfinished because either 1) they are waiting for a child to get married and build another floor for the new family or 2) they don't want to pay the government taxes and leave the building unfinished.

After about 15 minutes of driving, out of nowhere pop out the grand pyramids! It's amazing/crazy/ridiculous how close these ancient wonders are to the urban sprawl of the city. They are literally just RIGHT THERE!! It's just unreal to see. As you can imagine, it is difficult to explain the feeling of seeing these sites after 26 years of ever only seeing them on TV and in books. Their size is unbelievable. These are THE three pyramids I am referring to that we always hear and see so much about. I don't want to slaughter the names, but they are from a father (Khufu), son (Khefre) and grandson. The first one of Khufu is in known as the Great Pyrmid and was built around 2560 BC!

Me at the Great Pyramids

! Surrounding are the ruins of the wives' temples and burial sites of high priests, etc. Also, they have discovered massive solar boats that were buried to transport the pharoah in his afterlife. You can see the large indentions where these boats once lay. I also was able to enter the burial chamber of the 2nd pyramid. This pyramid is very cool b/c the top portion still has its limestone casing on it. The entire pyramids were once encased in limestone which would make them reflect a brilliant white color in the sun. Unfortunately, the limestone was chipped away over the centuries and used in homes and mosques. In any case, the burial chamber of this pyramid is cool b/c it still contains the sarcophagus of the king, although the mummified body has never been found. It was crazy b/c you had to bend over and walk down these really steep ramps to get down into the chamber. Straight out of National Geographic.

Just down the hill is the great Sphinx. It was cool to see, but has been so badly disfigured and eroded from the pollution that it was just 'alright.' But it could have been b/c I was tired and there were about 60 Italian tour groups there today. It's believed that Napoleon blew off the nose of the sphinx when the French lost Egypt to the British. Other parts of its face, like the beard, are in the British Museum in London. And no trip would be complete without a trip to a papyrus factory!

Midan Tahrir in Cairo

! This is a huge scam here as fake manufactured papyrus is sold on the street and mass produced "Made in China" style. This one was government run and we got to see how papyrus was made and how to check if it's real. I told myself I wouldn't buy anything, but they hand paint it right in front of you...so I knew it was real. So I ended up buying some...but it's so cheap when you compare to the prices of the US of such things.

Around 2:30, the group went to a chain restaurant here known as Falafel. I had the inside scoop and knew that the take-out version right next door is about 5 times cheaper, so me and Bree went there to eat while the others spent a lot of money on the same meal. Also, it's difficult b/c Egypt is a country run on Baksheesh ("tip"). You are expected to tip for EVERYTHING here: someone opening a door, toilet paper in a bathroom, saying hello...okay, I'm kidding on the last one, but that's how it feels
sometimes. Everyone is trying to scam you and it's a crappy feeling having to not trust a single soul. For example, at the pyramids there are burial chambers to the side that are open to the public and are included in the price you pay at the beginning. You try to go in and someone who looks "official" asks for your ticket, then they take you to the "special" entrance and show you some crap room and then want a tip for it...although
you didn't ask to be taken there

Pyramid of Khafre

! In any case, it's rather annoying but who knows when it got so out of control. We were told it's b/c the wages here are so low, that tipping is necessary for everyone, but it's just over the top. Add to that that it's nearly impossible to get change anywhere, so you walk around scared if you don't have a 1 pound note to offer for a tip (about $.15). Today, I didn't go to the bathroom b/c I had no notes to give for toilet paper!

In the afternoon the group went to the Egyptian Museum, I was tired and would rather do it on my own another day as museums are not something I like to do with a group or even with another person. So now I'm on some free time until we meet again in an hour or so. Tonight we board a 10pm train to Aswan...a 13 hour ride! I'm praying that we have reclining seats to sleep in. Here I will go to see the great temples at Abu Simbel.

So that's all for now. I am enjoying my time thus far but will be glad to be out of Cairo. Chat later...