April 13

4-13: Good Gravy! Yesterday as we are driving into Cairo after a 3 hour bus trip our guide says casually - now, look out the right side windows! Lo and behold over the city building are peeking the pyramids! Amazing! Then for the next 10 minutes or so as we were driving through the city we were just mesmerized by these mammoth pyramids dwarfing the city. These three pyramids that are right here on the edge of Cairo are of Cheops, his son Chephren, and grandson Mycerinus. The Pyramid of Cheops was completed about 2500BC and covers 13 acres! There are also a few very small pyramids that are of various and sundry wives. Once again, until standing next to it, it is hard to realize how huge they really are! Absolutely stunning. We stopped between two of the pyramids so that we could get close up views and then drove up to a hilltop where we had a view of the three together with the city of Cairo behind them. Then we drove down to see the Sphinx! Amazing - but it is not really in very good shape - there was scaffolding in front of it. BUT it is huge and carved out of one rock. Truly mind-boggling! Then came the CAMEL rides! They warned that we needed good balance and Ginnie could see her oxygen pulling her off the camel so she opted to watch but I went. They are high off the ground. I got on while he was down on the ground and as he unfolded those LONG legs it was hard to stay put on his back, but once under way it was like being on a horse only higher! We walked up to where there was a good view of the pyramids and my camel person took pictures of me on the camel with the pyramids in the back! It was great. When the camel kneeled back down at the end of the ride so that I could get off it was a rocky ride then too. I have ridden a camel - how neat is that! Then we went to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities which was great - did not have anywhere enough time. We saw King Tut’s stuff - absolutely amazing. Supposedly a lot is in America right now BUT as we looked around there were very few signs saying “on tour” in place of this or that artifact. His throne was amazing and his gold mask and the sarcophagi and everything else! Could have spent days here - instead of an hour! Then we had lunch on the Nile. It was okay but the lunch was not wonderful. It was a Hyatt boat and fancier than necessary - would have enjoyed something more casual. Cairo itself is a filthy city - trash all over the place - and poor living conditions. Once again many unfinished houses and dirt alleys where the people lived. And the traffic was amazing - they made 7 lane roads out of roads that should have been 3 lanes! On our way back we went by the market in Alexandria - it was amazing - so much for sale - in the shops and on the streets. And so busy at 8pm - people everywhere! Egypt is a place I would come again - but only if I had more time. There is way too much to see - we feel we just barely scratched the surface.