Well....our plane was an hour late arriving which is excruciating for three people wanting to get the adventure started!! My traveling companions were Diane Lee, my room mate who was going home for good after the trip, Michelle Arnell (Shelly), an Australian friend who came here the same time I did and then Diane's sister, Karen Hanna from California who joined us later in the evening. It was a 2.5 hour flight to Cairo but very pleasant. When we got to Cairo it was very easy to get our visa stamp and clear customs. It was also very easy to exchange money. If anyone doubts the power of the dollar let me tell you no matter how badly the dollar may be doing in the markets it is still the most readily accepted currency anywhere! As we came out of the gate we were met by our travel representative and placed in a mini-van to be taken to our hotel in Giza. We drove through Cairo which is a very colorful, very busy, very NOISY city We saw them...we saw the pyramids! While driving through Cairo to Giza we saw them silhouetted against the sky...black on black and we could still see them. Our excitement and anticipation mounted as we knew we were going to see them the next day. We arrived at our hotel, The Sofitel La Sphynx, and saw that we could see the pyramids from the lobby!!!! We went straight to bed as we had an early morning ahead of us!
The next morning we got up bright and early! The hotel provided a full breakfast. We met our guide, Waleed, and off we went! The pyramids were amazing! The famous pyramids we saw first. Now we know the names as well*. Do you? We touched them, took pictures, sat on them, climbed down in them (tricky). We were all just in AWE!! and total WONDER!!! Waleed saw what came to be known as "that look". I get sort of dreamy and imaginative, eliminate all the moderness from my vision and try to imagine what it was like when the pyramids were being built, the people who built them, the degree of difficulty, the engineers who designed them, how did they know it would work?, how did they know that a little moisture between the stones would create a suction that would seal them together? It was absolutely amazing! We went to The Step pyramid and Titi Pyramid, the Necropolis of Saqqara and the Great Sphynx! We also saw the Valley temple of King Chefron. I can only imagine the skill and precision of these people who were so artistic and creative! We then went to a papyrus shop where they showed us the plant and how it is processed for use. Afterward we had lunch at a local restaurant which was good because we were starving! Then Waleed took us to a perfume factory (watch out for "Secret of the Desert no. 29". Then it was to the gold manufacturers where Shelly and I got a cartouche with our names. We then went to another local eatery where we were drummed in as welcome and a little elder lady was sitting outside making bread. Bread is a revered food in Egypt and you will get LOTS of it! Afterward we visited one of the carpet making schools. I was aloud to work on a carpet! No wonder those things are so expensive! They are made by hand and with great precision! Not easy!! We were exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel. A full and happy day!! Tomorrow: Alexandria.
Christine xx
* Cheops, Chefron, Mycerinos or in Egyptian: Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure
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