The Pyramids in Giza - Essay Example

?The Pyramids in Giza Paul and I left for Cairo just three days before Christmas, it was to be the trip of a lifetime; a chance to see if all the mysterious adventures surrounding the Great Pyramids still exists. I had no idea about the impact of the weather in Egypt so I just packed what I thought any reasonable person would need; sturdy walking shoes, pants, a light jacket and interchangeable blouses. Lucky Paul; his wardrobe is limited to interchangeable pants and shirts, ball caps, and a jacket as well. The flight to Cairo was extremely long, with delays and the usual combination of drama and comedy involved in international flights; the destination would be worth it, I told myself. The Captain had just notified us that we were leaving Saudi Arabia flying towards Egypt, when I noticed from my wing side seat that the ground below us looked like a plethora of interesting shapes, mostly “stones” in the middle of a dessert. I later came to realize that these “stones” were actually buildings. Along the Nile delta there is greenery, but I soon discovered that dust and sand was the order of the day. Believe it or not, twenty eight hours after take off, we finally taxied down the runway at Cairo airport. It was a step back in time! It wasn’t a particularly hot evening; thankfully wisdom had decreed that we make the journey during the winter months when the sun was not so likely to bake us from the outside in. After traveling for more than one day, exhaustion had set in and the only thing I was truly interested in was a hot shower, something to eat, and a still place to lie down. At the hotel, which, by the way faced the Nile River, we secured our room and proceeded to unwind. Interestingly enough, had Paul or I been Egyptian, we would have had to purchase two separate rooms; Egyptian law requires that Egyptian couples produce a marriage certificate in order to share occupancy in the same room. Admittedly, I was on autopilot, however while waiting for our meal to arrive, I peered from the hotel window to catch a glimpse of life in Cairo. I was immediately aware of the intense crowding and the blend of customs and traditions; some modern, many not. There were people everywhere, even though it was very late; some wore long robes, others were dressed in Western wear, some rode on public transportation, such as taxis, buses, and private cars, others rode horses or carts with donkeys pulling them. At this point, I couldn’t wait to join the muddle below after some much needed rest. Suddenly, there was the most involving sound that tore me from unconsciousness; kind of like a combination of a car wreck and an air raid signal. The whole building seemed to vibrate and my sense of adventure kicked into overdrive. I had no clue what time it was; just that it was still dark outside. I ran to the window to get a glimpse of what had possibly caused the commotion. The people below were still moving around as before seeming very non-plused by this event. Paul heard it too; he called the desk to see what the problem was, just the call to morning prayers, the man at the desk told him it was coming from the mosque across the street and to get used to it, we would hear it five times a day. My sense of humor had to have definitely been left at home to be awakened for no other reason than to get up and pray at five in the morning. After a breakfast of the traditional fuul and falafel, a bean paste with fried hummus cake mixed with lemon and mashed into a round flatbread object that had all the taste sensation of a round disk of fried glue, we called the tour company for details on where to meet for the Pyramids tour. I hadn’t noticed the quality of transportation from the airport the previous night; what a deal! For the grand sum of about $2 we were whisked away in a local taxi, going mach I down the crowded streets of Cairo toward the Great Pyramids; to this day, I still think of it as the white knuckle ride. As we approached the place where the tour guide had agreed to meet us, I was mesmerized; there before me, standing in all their majesty were the three famous Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, as though frozen in time. It all seemed surreal; like a picture on one of those travel postcards. All the ancient Egyptian history I had managed to cram into my brain in preparation for this event suddenly came alive as I was transported back to the days of King Tut. We paid the entrance fees; a whopping $12 for foreigners and one must show a passport or national ID in order to enter; Egyptians can visit for approximately eighty cents. Although there was an option to take a horse and buggy tour of the grounds, we opted to walk; we had sat long enough the day before, and I wanted this experience to be real. Setting out on foot, we followed along with our tour guide. At best, his English got in the way of what he was trying to convey, however some experiences don’t require words to be complete. I stopped often, taking pictures and a deep breath, to just get a feel for how it would have been to be one of those before me in ancient Egypt. Deep inside there was a knowingness that breathing dust, cooking and cleaning up the aftermath all day, along with hand washing clothes in the Nile River and herding children could never have been a part of my happiness; those women, as well as the ones here today deserve medals! I had promised myself I would do one daring thing on this trip; it was now time to make good on my promise. As we concluded the tour of the pyramids, there were animal herders that had camels and horses to ride upon; for a fee, of course. That’s one thing for sure; these people have it down to a fine science about how to make money doing nothing. I handed over the special tourist price of about $6 to ride into the sunset on my camel. Camels don’t really like to work so they complain a lot, but the ride rewarded my bravery; now I have pictures showing me riding a camel at the Great Pyramids in Giza, let the record state, “been there; done that”. We also visited the Egyptian village which showed historical interpreters depicting life along the Nile in the early days of civilization. All too soon, after a few more days’ worth of non-stop adventure, it was time to close the curtain to the Egyptian experience and board a plane back through time to life in Seattle. Somehow when you’ve survived a plane trip to and from Egypt, and ridden a camel at the pyramids of Giza, ordinary daily living can be either very good or very bad, just never again very ordinary. Read More