In August 2008 I spent a week in Egypt. I've wanted to go since I was a kid, ancient Egypt, hidden tombs, treasure and the pyramids has always fascinated me. I was primarily in Luxor, checking out the Valley of the Kings and the surrounding area, but I spent two days in Cairo. Here's what happened.
You can read Day 1 here.
Day 2 - Pyramid Day!
Woo-hoo! The main reason I'm in Cairo, time to visit the pyramids.
The Giza plateau is right at the western edge of the city. The pyramids are like the final marker between Cairo and what looks like miles and miles of baking desert. You can see the difference on this map:
There are two entrances, one near the sphinx and the other on Pyramids Road near Khufu (the great Pyramid) The taxi I got drove me through some nice suburbs until I eventually started to see the tops of the Pyramids. I was prepared for it to be really busy, endless queuing and crowds everywhere but it was actually a lot quieter than I thought.
Seeing them for the first time was amazing. Although because I went in the Pyramid road side all I saw to begin with was Khufu and the others in the distance. I'd recommend going in the other entrance below the Sphinx in the village of Nazlet as-Samaam. From this side your first view of the Giza plateau is the classic one of the Sphinx in the foreground and the three main pyramids behind, the sight is spectacular. I wish I'd known this in advance.
The view coming in from the entrance at Nazlet as-Samaam
There was a lot of determined touts around trying all sorts of lines, it was bit like being back in Luxor. One guy followed me for nearly ten minutes trying to point things out to me, trying to get me to go in a certain direction saying that 'this is all one way, you cannot come back'. Its nonsense. You are pretty free to wander round anywhere you choose. I eventually had to pretty much shout at him to piss off, he just wouldn't go away. Ironically the louder and for angry you get the quicker they leave you alone. I hate doing it, but it seems to work, and in fact I think this is about the only way to really get the touts, horse riders and camel men off your back. I was by myself as well which doesn't help, after all, you can't fit a group of four on one camel.
Being at the edge of the desert its noticeably hotter than in the city, the sand is baking and covered in empty plastic bottles and litter. I'd have thought they'd have tried to keep the last remaining wonder of the ancient world clean but there is a surprising amount of litter around.
There's a number of ruins around the pyramids, various temples and near Khufu huge shallow pits that used to contain buried boats used to transport the pharaoh up the Nile (no idea how far that would be, I couldn't see any river). At one point I found what looked like a small hole that was actually a really, really deep well or something. It wasn't marked, if I hadn't been paying attention I'd probably still be in it, 20 meters under the desert.
I'd bought a ticket to get into Khafre, the middle pyramid that still has some of the original limestone casing at the top. I realised pretty quickly though this would mean scrabbling around through narrow, hot, humid passageways and although I really wanted to go inside I was wearing the same clothes I would have to fly back to Luxor in later and there was just no way I could do it - going in some of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings I'd came out dirty and soaking wet, not a problem if I had a hotel to go back to but I'd checked out and was planning on going direct to the airport later.
I spent hours wandering around the three main pyramids, its not possible to get close to Sphinx, its all fenced off. Sitting at the base of the pyramids looking up you realise just how big these things are. Massive, high geometric lumps containing who knows how many millions of tons of stone. The Great Pyramid Khufu is 4500 years old. Its outlasted entire civilisations, looking at it couldn't help but wonder what things those 4 triangular slopes had seen in such a long period of time. Ancient Egypt rising and falling, the birth of Christ, Buddha gaining enlightenment, the Prophet Mohammed, Julius Caesar, Socrates, Pythagoras, Galileo (although I suspect the Egyptians could have taught him a thing or two) the list goes on and on. The Pyramids are so old they are like guardians of modern civilisation, they've seen everything.
Sometime late afternoon
I'd been told the Meridien by the Pyramids had a massive picture window and a decent bar but the only Meridien I could find was a hotel on Pyramid road full of tourist lounging by the pool. I had a really awful meal there before going back to the Nazlet as-Samaam entrance the pyramids and wandering around the stables for a while. Eventually I found a restaurant right by the entrance with big windows overlooking the pyramids and had a couple of over-priced beers, but the view was worth it.
a stable boy near the um, stables (who'd a thunk it)
Getting back to the airport was a little more crazy than when I arrived. It took longer than I expected to get back to the airport and I only had an hour before my flight left. After queuing for ages to get through the metal detectors into the departure area I realised I was in the international departures building queuing for a flight to Adu Dhabi. Aaaagh. The clock ticking, much running around and two buildings later I eventually found the right place, and got on checked in with minutes to spare.
I wish I'd had longer in Cairo, but it was a great two days and would definitely go back. Cairo rocks.
Read Day 1 here.