We woke up at 7:00 for a breakfast that was good although nothing compared to the cruise. It was really foggy and I hoped it would burn off. Quickly packing our day bags, I put on my blue Umbral© shirt and went down to the main room to meet the group and climb aboard the bus.
Today we would be visiting the pyramids, the whole reason we had come to Egypt. Driving through Giza, the city was basked in fog. I couldn't see anything until suddenly a giant figure emerged from the mist. There it was, Kiops, the largest pyramid. Its sheer size took up more than the viewing field of the bus window. We drove to the parking lot, passing thousands of tourists and their preying camel riders and trinket salesmen. From where we were parked, we could see both huge pyramids, Kiops and Mezfrin.
The pyramids were made of individual stones, built on top of each other. Amro went over their history. Exiting the bus, we had a little more than an hour to explore and go inside the grand pyramid. We ran up to its great base and climbed up on the rocks. They were incredibly huge. Each boulder was taller than me. We walked half way around it, before doubling back to go into the entrance of the tomb. A steep, tight, claustrophobic tunnel led down to the center room. It was hot and damp. Hundreds of people were coming up and down but I still could imagine how incredible it would have been to discover this place. The tight roof reached a point in which we entered an open room with a solitary, empty sarcophagus. With the exception of the paint on the walls from the discoverer, there was nothing in it. We exited the same way we came and entered the light and fresher air. I loved it.
We did a photoshoot in front of the pyramids, taking a ton of photos, knowing we wouldn't have an opportunity like this almost ever again. Melissa didn't have her camera, so I was her principal photographer. We walked together, snapping photos and admiring the behemoths. The sun had pierced through the fog and it was beginning to get hot. Walking by the base of Kiops, we were accosted by a guy with an Arafat headdress. In the next five minutes, Melissa and I were worked by professionals. I always give a polite "La Shukran," or "No Thank you," to the merchant salesmen, but today I learned you have to be firm, as Melissa and I suddenly found ourselves in Arab dress riding a camel having photos taken of us. The guy of course wanted a tip. Thinking I had a euro or some plaster bills, I foolishly opened my wallet and pulled out a five euro bill. He took it. I realized what had happened and got really mad. I held myself, realizing I had been played and instead yelled an obscenity loudly in his face and turned and left. I apologized to Melissa for swearing and for the rest of the day I would loudly yell "NO!," to anyone who approached me trying to sell something.
We headed back to the bus, late as usual. We drove to a lookout where we could see all three pyramids from a distance. We took a stacked pyramid picture and other funny ones holding them up with our hands and pushing them.
We then drove to another spot and got out to see the Sphinx, waiting patiently at the base of the temple and Grand pyramid. It wasn't as big as one would expect, although still impressive as it was carved out of one solid piece of rock. We entered the temple area and climbed up a parallel wall that gave us great views of the half lion-half man. I kissed the Sphinx with a well staged photo and took a lot of pictures. She didn't ask me any riddles but I was still so happy to see her.
We were supposed to board the bus to head back to the hotel when Antonio did something that was so spontaneous that it would make our next two days in Cairo arguably the best of the trip. Antonio had met a random guy who had a rentable taxi service. For 10 euros he would drive us around all day and take us to all museums, historical spots. The group would do the same thing, rushed for 100 euros. Feeling a spirit of adventure rise up my whole body, I said what the hell and went back to the bus to grab our stuff. Then the unexpected happened as two groups of people from the trip decided to come along with us. A couple from Galicía, Patricia and Rafa and a family from Madrid. We were glad they decided to come and climbed into the three taxis, meeting our driver, Hussein, an older looking man who spoke good English and had a book filled with positive feedback. His car looked ready to fall apart. I sat in the front, the seat belt not working. I whipped out my journal to jot down a note as we sped off, starting a true adventure.
I could never had imagine a scene like this. Hussein put in an old cassette tape that blasted Arabic music through the sound system. We sped through the streets, seeing women carrying the baskets on their heads, men smoking hookah and being bombarded by the visceral cacophony that is Cairo. A chaos so pure, so out of the ordinary, that I felt strangely calm. The three taxis engaged in a full on race through the city and freeway. This would be our method of travel for the rest of the day with dancing, ridiculous traffic maneuvers, like high fiving, passing cigarettes and tea from the windows, holding hands between cars at 60 miles per hour, cutting each other off and driving ridiculous speeds in cars that were all too unsafe. It was like a movie, but better as I was living it. At one point, the three taxis were neck and neck on the freeway. We were dancing in ours, I was pumping my fist in the air, bouncing in my seat and hanging my head out the window like a dog, the wind blasting through my hair. Antonio was filming, the camera out the window. We made fake drive by attempts, cut each other off and ignored all safety and cautionary steps. This was Cairo. This was Egypt. This was the Third World. I loved it, but knew I'd never really want it.
Our first destination was a papyrus store. They made all of the papyrus and painting by hand right there in the shop. We left the papyrus store and continued our dance party and insane driving. The day had become perfect. We drove to a restaurant for lunch that made the fresh bread right there in the stone ovens. We sat at a long table and toasted to the spontaneity of this group and the adventure so far. The food was great and after lunch we got back in the taxis and headed south of Cairo, to the world's oldest man made structures, the stepped pyramids of Saqqara.
Driving away from Cairo, we were surrounded by incredible beauty. Palm groves, green fields, juxtaposed by the desert sands. It was a long drive, but we made it fun with our dancing and crazy antics. Melissa, Chupi and Vero clapping in the back seat, me in the front. We came to a police checkpoint where I saw our driver actually pass a handful of cash as a bribe, scrunched in his hand to the "police officer." I gave him a euro to cover his expense as I felt bad and told him that police in Spain and America don't do that.
We drove up a sandy hill, getting a view of the valley below and stopping to take pictures of the step pyramids of Saqqara. Smaller than their more famous cousins, the step pyramids are actually much older. The oldest human structures in the world, still standing!
Back in the taxis, I did the unthinkable. I drove the Hussein's taxi all the way back to the police checkpoint. I asked him, half joking and he said OK. The rusty old stick shift was pretty ridiculous as I don't think I actually shifted. I may have started it in first or second, the rest of the gears more or less sliding into one. I drove past the other cars, waving, while still driving "carefully." I think I was the first person who had actually used the breaks. The other drivers went along with this and sped ahead to cut me off. Antonio was filming and caught the most amazing shot. We were side by side and as they closed in, I dropped it down a gear and revved the engine and sped ahead. Here I was in front of the oldest building on Earth and driving a Cairo taxi. Either I was oblivious to culture or truly understood it. I had a lot of fun driving the taxi and got back into my passenger seat to soak in even more of the day.
We drove to another spot to take pictures of the pyramids from a distance in the middle of a field with palm-trees. We then drove back to Cairo, stopping for water and gas. We handed more tea out of the window and were probably on the 4th playing of the cassette tape. Back in Cairo city limits, we headed to the Cairo museum, one of the must sees in Egypt. After changing more euros to Egyptian pounds in the famous Nile hotel, we entered the incredible Cairo museum.
The museum was huge, with thousands upon thousands of priceless artifacts from the tombs on display. Unfortunately the space wasn't that great as things were stacked on top of one another. The little cards describing the objects were probably last updated in the 1970's. We stuck together in our little group until we reached the "Royal Mummies," exhibit. We had to pay a little more, but with my student discount it was definitely worth it. I went in with Chupi and Melissa. The room was filled with about 2 dozen mummies, brown and leathered. Incredible to see something preserved for 4,000 years in such perfect condition. I saw the mummy of Pharaoh Ramses II, the most famous Pharaoh.
The rest of the museum was equally incredible. The hall with the treasures discovered in King Tut's tomb was impressionable. When I finally found the room with King Tut's sarcophagus and the absolutely perfect gold and blue gem mask, I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I remembered drawing that years ago and I was so happy to see it. Chupi and I then went to the room with animal mummies. The mummified crocodile was impressive.
Outside, I introduced myself to the girls' Egyptian friend, Ahmed. The girls were going to go hang out with him. The drive back to the hotel was crazy as we avoided the traffic and sped along the bank of the Nile. I talked a little with Hussein about his life here in Cairo. We pulled into the hotel parking lot and I paid for me and the girls. Rather than go to Alexandria as we had originally thought, we decided to spend another day in Cairo and told the taxi drivers that we would meet them outside the hotel at 9am.
I took a much needed shower. In true Spanish fashion, Chupi opened a package of chorizo sausage that he had been carrying with him the whole time. We ate it while relaxing in the room. For dinner we met up with the girls and Ahmed and went to a restaurant fairly close to the hotel. I had a nice felafel dish. All of us were really tired from the day and headed back to fall quickly asleep.
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