Day 5 was the day we've planned this whole trip around -- a sneak peek of Egypt. We arrived on a beautiful morning in the Port of Alexandria, where we met with our private tour guides. After a two and a half hour ride from the port, we finally arrived in Giza. Despite being greeted by bumper-to-bumper traffic and smog, we sat in awe amidst all the craziness as out in the horizon loomed the Great Pyramids of Giza. We had to pinch each other to remind ourselves that we were in close vicinity to where kings and pharaohs of yore once reigned. Up, close and personal, the pyramids may seem mid-size compared to the skyskrapers of today, but considering these were made over 4500 years ago and still stand proud, I think it's mighty impressive.
Our guides first took us to the summit of the hill overlooking the Sahara Desert. From our perch, we could see the three pyramids side by side, with the sprawling modern cities of Giza and Cairo in the backdrop. We stood for a moment to take it all in, before heading out on our next adventure -- a camel ride to the pyramids. This was by far the most memorable moment of our trip (if not our lives) -- Dylan, Mom and Dad atop two camels trudging down the Sahara desert towards the Pyramids of Giza. Priceless.
Thanks to Islam, our friendly guide, we escaped the haggling and got off our camels with our wallets unscarred. We continued on to the Pyramid of Khafre, where we took turns hiking down the long, tight and uncomfortable pathway to get to the heart of the pyramid. We wish we could tell you of what great treasures awaited us once we got there, but all the pirates from the past centuries have already snatched anything of importance so we were left with what seemed like an empty warehouse. But hey, it's a 4500-year-old warehouse. After our hike, we walked down the hill to say hi to the Great Sphinx, which guarded the three pyramids.
Then it was off to Sakkara, once the ancient capital of Memphis, to visit one of the oldest stone structures in the world. It was a 45-minute drive through the countryside of Giza, filled with fields of dates, cabbages and cotton, and reknowned carpet-making schools. The biggest attraction here is the Step Pyramid, built by the famous architect Imhotep, of which all other pyramids are fashioned after. There were many other things to see, but we skipped them as Dylan was having too much fun playing with the very fine sand that surrounded the pyramid since 2700 B.C.
We drove back to Cairo, where we stopped for a short shopping trip at a papyrus-making shop. Then we had to rush downtown to catch our riverboat dinner cruise along the Nile River. The Nile definitely has changed from the days when Moses was found floating in a woven basket. Lining both sides were tall buildings and monuments like the Cairo Tower and the elegant Four Seasons Hotel. We enjoyed our dinner with some traditional Egyptian entertainment, a Sufi dancer (who danced with whirling dervishes) and of course, a belly dancer.
You'd think our day would be over, but we still had one more stop to go -- back to the pyramids to watch the Sound and Light show. We're glad we stayed awake to witness the history of the pyramids unfold before our eyes. It was definitely a fitting end to a busy but memorable day in Giza and Cairo.
Our tour guides picked us up the next morning at the luxurios Le Meridien hotel, where we spent a relaxing night with a great view of the pyramids. Our first stop was the Saladin Citadel and Alabaster Mosque, one of the grandest mosques in the world. We then headed to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, which houses Egypt's most prized possession, the remains of the tomb of King Tutankhamen.
Then it was off to lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe along the Nile, where we reminisced our wonderful time in Egypt with our newfound friends. We must spare a few notes on our guides because we owe them our memorable visit to Egypt. We had skipped the shore excursion offered by the cruise ship because riding on a bus with 50 people did not seem too appealing to the Dygmeister. After much research, we found this gem of a company, Nile Blue Tours, who not only offered us our own mini-van with a personal driver, a tour guide and an Egyptologist (a master in Egyptian history), but also 5-star accommodations, food and the dinner cruise on the Nile. Thanks, Nile Blue Tours!
Then it was back to Alexandria to rejoin our cruise. (See Part 4 of this blog series)
Beware of the "Camel Law" in Giza. Our private tour guide did all the arrangements w/ the camel rides. The camel rides near the Giza pyramids are a family owned business and many of tribesman's own children are experts at manning the camels. You have to negotiate hard w/ the operators to get the best deals. You will notice many of the camel operators offering tourists to sit on the camel and operators will take a picture for a couple of dollars. As the tourist gets on the camel back and operator commands the camel to stand up. The operator takes the picture for a few minutes until the tourist asks the operator to get down. HERE IS WHERE THE CAMEL LAW APPLIES. The operator will ask for another fee to bring the camel down. This time the fee is for a few hundred dollars ($150-$250) to command the camel down the ground safely.
ReplyDeleteMost of us may think why don't the tourist just jump off the camel or why doesn't tourist ask another operator bring the camel down.
Well...not so easy! You have to remember that it is a far drop to the ground from the hump of a camel and chances of an injury from that height is high. The operator will leave the tourist at the top of the camel for hours if need be until he/she gets paid the enormous camel law fee. Interesting, no other operators can command the camel to sit down. Camels are loyal to their operators and will not listen to other commands issued by other camel operators. As u can imagine, most tourist at this point will plead the operator to bring them down safely for as long as they can until they give up and pay the fee. The saying goes, that if u own a camel in Egypt, you are a rich men.
Well if u have plans to go to ride the camels in Giza in the future, just be aware of the Camel Law... :)