The Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx
Our friend, Debra, had hired a private car and driver for the day and invited us to go with her and Dick. We joyfully accepted and happily waved goodbye to the row of buses packed with our fellow passengers and set off for Cairo and the great pyramids. Our guide was a woman named Samah (“you can call me Sam”) and our driver was Mohammed. It was a chilly morning when we left at 6AM but the sky was clear with the promise of a glorious day. The temperature in Cairo the previous week had been in the 100’s but a cold front had moved through and the predicted temperature for today was in the 80’s. It was be a 2 ½ to 3 hour drive to Cairo from Alexandria and we enjoyed looking at the countryside. It wasn’t all desert as we had come to expect; in fact there were many manufacturing plants and farms along the road. Everywhere we looked we saw pigeon houses dotting the landscape. Egyptians raise pigeons as a delicacy and Sam told us that eating them was good for the man, if you know what I mean! But more on that later.
We made a pit stop about halfway there at a roadside enterprise which consisted of a restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating and a playground and petting zoo for kids. As far as I could tell, we were the only patrons. We decided to get coffee to go. A man greeted us inside with a little pad of paper and pencil and took our order for 4 coffees. He said we could wait outside. After about 10 minutes a man brought out 4 styrofoam cups filled with about 3 ounces of Egyptian coffee with milk. It was delicious. Sam and Mohammed sat at a separate table to smoke cigarettes and drink their coffee. Apparently Americans and Egyptians have very different concepts of “coffee to go”.
Our first stop in Cairo was the Museum of Antiquities. We all wanted to see the King Tut exhibit since we had been to Luxor two days before. King Tut was famous for only one thing; in 1922 his tomb was discovered untouched for 5000 years. He was king for only 9 years, from age 9 to age 18, when he was assassinated. We hadn’t seen his tomb at The Valley of the Kings because there isn’t much to see; he had died too suddenly and too young for the people to decorate his tomb as they had done for the other kings. Our experience in the museum was less than satisfying; it was so crowded, with people pushing and shoving. It was difficult to get close to the exhibits or to spend as much time as we would have liked. I have never seen a museum as jam-packed as this one. At times it was quite frightening.
Then we were off to the Pyramids. It was mid-day Thursday and Cairo, a city of 25 million, was teeming with people. The traffic was very heavy as we drove through downtown and the feeling was of a very cosmopolitan city. And then, all of sudden, the city ends at the edge of the Sahara Desert and the ancient pyramids appear. It was amazing. In one minute we were catapulted back 5000 years. We walked around gawking and wowing and snapping pictures in awe of these unbelievable structures. We were actually standing and looking at the last remaining wonder of the ancient world.
The middle pyramid was open for tourists so we bought tickets and descended into it. The stairs were narrow and the ceiling was so low that we had to bend 90 degrees to go down the steps. We were met at the bottom by a toothless Egyptian man who could speak very little English. He showed us the queen’s crypt first and then led us into a large room which was the king’s crypt. There was a large sarcophagus there with the lid ajar and he invited Deb and me to get into it, which we did. He then demanded to be paid for the tour. Ed offered him 20 pounds and that wasn’t enough so Deb gave him $5 and he was satisfied. That was almost $10 for 5 minutes work! Not bad by Egyptian standards.
When we came out of the pyramid our camels were waiting to take us for a ride. Ed and I got on Moses, Dick rode Casanova and Deb was atop Mickey Mouse. We almost fell off as the giant animal got onto his feet, but managed to stay on and went on our way. Our guide, “Ali Baba”, and his young assistant, Mustafa, led us behind the middle pyramid and suddenly we were overlooking the vast Sahara where in one direction we could see nothing but desert and in the other direction the skyline of Cairo in the distance. It was an awesome sight.
We got back in the car after the camel ride and rode down the hill to see the Sphinx. After visiting Luxor and seeing the small sphinxes there, I didn’t have great expectations for this one. I guess that’s why I gasped when I saw how magnificent it is, with the backdrop of the pyramids behind. He sits majestically noseless and enormous. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. The body of a lion and the head of a man, denoting power and wisdom through the ages. It was just like the pictures I’ve seen since 5th grade social studies, a sight I could never have imagined I would see in my lifetime.
It was lunchtime and Sam took us to her favorite restaurant in Cairo called Felfela. This was the best place to try the pigeon. We invited Mohammed to eat with us and he gratefully accepted, so we had a lively table for 6. On the menu was chicken, kabob, mixed grill, or pigeon. We each ordered an entree and we asked for one order of pigeon for the table. They brought out a tremendous amount of food; bread, hummus, cheese, falafel, olives, tomatoes, peppers. Then came the entrees! It looked like they had just killed the pigeon, cut off its head and claws and stuffed it with rice. I prefer my poultry to be less recognizable, so I didn’t try it. I did try the rice stuffing and it was good, seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg. The bread was excellent, as was the hummus and falafel, but otherwise I didn’t care too much for the rest of it. Deb and I had white wine which was almost undrinkable.
It was time to start our long trip back to the ship. Mohammed and Sam both live in Cairo so they had to make the long drive to Alexandria to drop us off and then turn right around and go back to Cairo. That must be why Mohammed drove like the proverbial “bat out of hell”. The Egyptians, like the Indians, are wild and crazy drivers, managing to make 4 lanes out of 3, weaving, dodging, and tailgating each other. They honk just before they cut each other off, they honk just after they’re cut off, they honk just for the heck of it. Pedestrians run across the highway nonchalantly and the drivers are just as nonchalant. As for us, we were cringing, white knuckled passengers longing for the sight of the Amsterdam’s lights and a stiff drink at the Crow’s Nest. But we made it safe and sound, with just a few more gray hairs than we started with. We all wished we had another day to explore Alexandria as we had heard that it was a very interesting city with a lot to offer. Well, maybe next time!!
We’re sailing the Mediterranean Sea today toward Istanbul where we’ll spend two days. We’re expecting a visit by the CEO of Holland America and the cruise line is hosting a cocktail party for all passengers at a cistern in Istanbul on Sunday night. We’re commemorating the 50th anniversary of the world cruise so it should be a gala event.
Our friend, Debra, had hired a private car and driver for the day and invited us to go with her and Dick. We joyfully accepted and happily waved goodbye to the row of buses packed with our fellow passengers and set off for Cairo and the great pyramids. Our guide was a woman named Samah (“you can call me Sam”) and our driver was Mohammed. It was a chilly morning when we left at 6AM but the sky was clear with the promise of a glorious day. The temperature in Cairo the previous week had been in the 100’s but a cold front had moved through and the predicted temperature for today was in the 80’s. It was be a 2 ½ to 3 hour drive to Cairo from Alexandria and we enjoyed looking at the countryside. It wasn’t all desert as we had come to expect; in fact there were many manufacturing plants and farms along the road. Everywhere we looked we saw pigeon houses dotting the landscape. Egyptians raise pigeons as a delicacy and Sam told us that eating them was good for the man, if you know what I mean! But more on that later.
We made a pit stop about halfway there at a roadside enterprise which consisted of a restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating and a playground and petting zoo for kids. As far as I could tell, we were the only patrons. We decided to get coffee to go. A man greeted us inside with a little pad of paper and pencil and took our order for 4 coffees. He said we could wait outside. After about 10 minutes a man brought out 4 styrofoam cups filled with about 3 ounces of Egyptian coffee with milk. It was delicious. Sam and Mohammed sat at a separate table to smoke cigarettes and drink their coffee. Apparently Americans and Egyptians have very different concepts of “coffee to go”.
Our first stop in Cairo was the Museum of Antiquities. We all wanted to see the King Tut exhibit since we had been to Luxor two days before. King Tut was famous for only one thing; in 1922 his tomb was discovered untouched for 5000 years. He was king for only 9 years, from age 9 to age 18, when he was assassinated. We hadn’t seen his tomb at The Valley of the Kings because there isn’t much to see; he had died too suddenly and too young for the people to decorate his tomb as they had done for the other kings. Our experience in the museum was less than satisfying; it was so crowded, with people pushing and shoving. It was difficult to get close to the exhibits or to spend as much time as we would have liked. I have never seen a museum as jam-packed as this one. At times it was quite frightening.
Then we were off to the Pyramids. It was mid-day Thursday and Cairo, a city of 25 million, was teeming with people. The traffic was very heavy as we drove through downtown and the feeling was of a very cosmopolitan city. And then, all of sudden, the city ends at the edge of the Sahara Desert and the ancient pyramids appear. It was amazing. In one minute we were catapulted back 5000 years. We walked around gawking and wowing and snapping pictures in awe of these unbelievable structures. We were actually standing and looking at the last remaining wonder of the ancient world.
The middle pyramid was open for tourists so we bought tickets and descended into it. The stairs were narrow and the ceiling was so low that we had to bend 90 degrees to go down the steps. We were met at the bottom by a toothless Egyptian man who could speak very little English. He showed us the queen’s crypt first and then led us into a large room which was the king’s crypt. There was a large sarcophagus there with the lid ajar and he invited Deb and me to get into it, which we did. He then demanded to be paid for the tour. Ed offered him 20 pounds and that wasn’t enough so Deb gave him $5 and he was satisfied. That was almost $10 for 5 minutes work! Not bad by Egyptian standards.
When we came out of the pyramid our camels were waiting to take us for a ride. Ed and I got on Moses, Dick rode Casanova and Deb was atop Mickey Mouse. We almost fell off as the giant animal got onto his feet, but managed to stay on and went on our way. Our guide, “Ali Baba”, and his young assistant, Mustafa, led us behind the middle pyramid and suddenly we were overlooking the vast Sahara where in one direction we could see nothing but desert and in the other direction the skyline of Cairo in the distance. It was an awesome sight.
We got back in the car after the camel ride and rode down the hill to see the Sphinx. After visiting Luxor and seeing the small sphinxes there, I didn’t have great expectations for this one. I guess that’s why I gasped when I saw how magnificent it is, with the backdrop of the pyramids behind. He sits majestically noseless and enormous. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. The body of a lion and the head of a man, denoting power and wisdom through the ages. It was just like the pictures I’ve seen since 5th grade social studies, a sight I could never have imagined I would see in my lifetime.
It was lunchtime and Sam took us to her favorite restaurant in Cairo called Felfela. This was the best place to try the pigeon. We invited Mohammed to eat with us and he gratefully accepted, so we had a lively table for 6. On the menu was chicken, kabob, mixed grill, or pigeon. We each ordered an entree and we asked for one order of pigeon for the table. They brought out a tremendous amount of food; bread, hummus, cheese, falafel, olives, tomatoes, peppers. Then came the entrees! It looked like they had just killed the pigeon, cut off its head and claws and stuffed it with rice. I prefer my poultry to be less recognizable, so I didn’t try it. I did try the rice stuffing and it was good, seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg. The bread was excellent, as was the hummus and falafel, but otherwise I didn’t care too much for the rest of it. Deb and I had white wine which was almost undrinkable.
It was time to start our long trip back to the ship. Mohammed and Sam both live in Cairo so they had to make the long drive to Alexandria to drop us off and then turn right around and go back to Cairo. That must be why Mohammed drove like the proverbial “bat out of hell”. The Egyptians, like the Indians, are wild and crazy drivers, managing to make 4 lanes out of 3, weaving, dodging, and tailgating each other. They honk just before they cut each other off, they honk just after they’re cut off, they honk just for the heck of it. Pedestrians run across the highway nonchalantly and the drivers are just as nonchalant. As for us, we were cringing, white knuckled passengers longing for the sight of the Amsterdam’s lights and a stiff drink at the Crow’s Nest. But we made it safe and sound, with just a few more gray hairs than we started with. We all wished we had another day to explore Alexandria as we had heard that it was a very interesting city with a lot to offer. Well, maybe next time!!
We’re sailing the Mediterranean Sea today toward Istanbul where we’ll spend two days. We’re expecting a visit by the CEO of Holland America and the cruise line is hosting a cocktail party for all passengers at a cistern in Istanbul on Sunday night. We’re commemorating the 50th anniversary of the world cruise so it should be a gala event.
1 comment:
Suzanne--I just got back from vacation and have been catching up on your blog--it is wonderful. Your descriptions are vivid --makes me feel like I'm there. Take care
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