Pyramids and the Suez

All of the pyramids from the overlook.
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I really enjoyed my time in Cairo.  It’s about a three hour flight from Bahrain, which goes pretty quickly on Gulf Air, since they feed you and entertain you almost from takeoff to landing.  Although their customer service on the ground is pitiful, the flight attendants do a great job in the air.

Once we cleared the several customs and immigration hurdles, we found our driver to the ride to the hotel.  Although I’ve driven in some pretty crazy countries, Egypt definitely takes the cake.  The lanes are completely ignored, as are other cars if you’re driving something bigger.  The only way to get someone’s attention is to honk obnoxiously and hope their feeling considerate.  Our driver wove in and out of stopped and moving traffic, all the while happily singing along to a CD of American disco. Still, it was a fast ride and we got to our hotel fairly quickly.

Pyramids in the Desert

Me in front of the Great One.
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The hotel was wonderful.  I highly recommend the Four Seasons to anyone visiting Cairo.  I have to admit I pocketed all the bath products every day.  Shame on me.

Since it was Thanksgiving, we took a cab to a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by some embassy people.  Even though we had the directions and address written in Arabic, our cab driver was hopelessly lost.  Eventually we got to the right neighborhood, then he just asked every pedestrian and taxi that he saw until, 45 minutes later, we were dropped off at the proper door.  It was really nice to hang out with American and eat turkey and stuffing on the big day.  They also had a highly competitive, alcohol-inspired Girls vs. Guys game of Trivia Pursuit.  Although ahead for the whole game, we lost our luck rolling the dice at the end and had to hand it to the guys.

Sahara Desert with a caravan
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Next day we took a cab out to the Great Pyramids.  It’s only about a 30 minute ride from Cairo, and it seems like you never really leave the city.  The town of Giza backs right up to the barrier around the pyramids.  It’s really shocking how you go from town to pyramids to desert.  The driver took us to an animal hire shop, where we both got horses.  I can’t say I was a big fan of my horse, and I’m pretty sure the feeling was mutual. Next time I’m getting a camel. We also got a guide in the deal.  Apparently it’s a crap shot what kind of guide you get at the pyramids.  This guy was definitely at the lower end of the scale, as he could only recite a sentence or two about each view and when asked a question, just repeated the most recently recited sentence.  But I’ve heard that PhDs in Egyptian history also offer their services, since they make way more money as a guide than as a prof.  Maybe next time my luck will improve.

The Sphinx
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The pyramids and the sphinx were really impressive. Even with all the theories, it’s still amazing that they were built in their time, although you can do an awful lot with an endless supply of labor.  But anyway, we spent a lot of time just riding around the pyramids and gawking, and trying to avoid the countless people trying to sell us everything from a cold Coca Cola to pictures on their camels to alabaster scarabs.  From my experience, everyone in Egypt has something to sell, and they’re all pretty eager to tell you all about it. 

This just shows how the town ends right at the pyramids. I thought it was so different.
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Once we rode past the pyramids for an overlook picture, the Sahara Desert opened up in front of us.  After the trash strewn throughout the pyramid area, it was breathtakingly, vastly beautiful.  There was even a caravan to perfect the picturesque quality. 

After the tour of the pyramids, you are invariably taken to a perfume shop. I have to hand it to the Egyptians – their perfumes are really nice.   A lot of natural scents, like jasmine, sandalwood, and lily of the valley, as well as blends that they call world-famous.  Let me know if anyone has a favorite scent.

So with the exception of a dinner cruise down the Nile, I had to work the rest of the time I was in Egypt. I did take some pics of the belly dancer for your viewing pleasure.