Holy Crap, Those Are Big

We saved our last day in Cairo to see the Pyramids of Giza, the only remaining monument of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. We woke early to beat the crowds and jumped in a cab to Giza. Surprisingly, the Pyramids are smack in the middle of a Cairo suburb. Within 20 minutes we had our first exciting glimpse of them from the highway.



When we arrived, we were both floored by their scale and stood in silence for a bit, just as people probably did 4,000 years ago when they were completed. The largest of the pyramids stands over 50 stories high and has sides 800 feet long. It's simply unbelievable that such a monument was completed so long ago. We had been nervous about crowds of tourists here, but were surprised to find that we practically had the entire place to ourselves.

The nearby Sphinx is dwarfed by their scale, but the right camera angle makes it okay.



To get the full experience, we jumped on some camels and guides led us through the "desert" to all the best photo spots. Even with the city in view, riding a camel up the sand dunes makes you feel like you are far away and even in a different millennium. The best part were our head scarves for added photogenic appeal.

Riding a camel is fairly comfortable, although they move faster than expected. It can also be a bit awkward when they kneel down to let you off.



Along the way, our guide offered to buy Lindsey from Steve for 200 camels. It seemed a fair deal, but we're still working out the logistics of shipping all those humps to Chicago.

Our best stop was a small hill from which you can view all of the nine pyramids at once.



At the pyramid's base we got a close look at their rough exterior that was formerly covered with a smooth and shiny layer of limestone that reflected the sun. This rock, however, was removed during the rule of Mohammed Ali, to complete the construction of his mosque.



After nearly three hours at the pyramids, the tour buses began to arrive and we quickly left. We had an early lunch at the Oberoi, which has an amazing view of the pyramids from their restaurant.



That evening we headed to the Egyptian Museum. The collection was extensive, and we especially liked the King Tut collection, which includes his well-known death mask. Unfortunately photography was not allowed. The museum could use some work, however, as it lacks air-conditioning, artifacts are in old wooden boxes, and descriptions on thousands of items are missing. A new one is planned in Giza in 2011 which will hopefully improve the experience.

That evening we took a night train to Luxor (not just a casino in Vegas) to see the Valley of the Kings and actually go inside ancient tombs. We really loved Cairo, and ending it with a day at the Pyramids was perfect.