Finally the day arrived, and we flew out. Traveling to Egypt is an all day affair. We flew out of Stuttgart at 10:30am, had a brief layover in Paris, then flew to Cairo, landing around 7pm. I did not want to have to deal with a taxi after traveling all day, and I was not going to try and navigate public transportation, so I arranged ahead of time with our hotel to have a driver waiting for us. I'd done this a few times before when public transportation was not readily available, and each time the driver met us outside security, after we'd gotten our bags. So I was a little surprised when we walked off the plane, out of our gate, and a person was standing there holding a sign with my name on it. We later found out that the hotel has people who work at the airport so that when you hire a driver, they show up at your gate to speed you through the arrival process. Normally we'd have to wait in line to get our tourist visa, then wait in another line to have a passport official ask us questions before stamping it. Then another line to get into the luggage area, and finally one more line with our luggage to have customs check everything out. Our plane was a Boeing 777 that was almost full, so that was close to 750 people all trying to do this at once. The person from the hotel, though, immediately took our passports and came back 2 minutes later with Visa stickers inside them. He then took us to the "Diplomat/ID Card holder" line, which had no one in it, and sped us through all the way so that it took a fraction of the time. That alone was worth the cost of the driver! He then took us straight to our driver, said Welcome to Egypt, and we were off.
After all that came reason number 2 I'm glad we had a driver...the drivers in Cairo are CRAZY. There are lines painted to divide lanes, but I don't know why...people don't pay any attention to them. On one particular street the painted lines indicated it was three lanes, but at any given time, there were 5 cars lined up side by side moving along. People were constantly honking their horn. I had been thinking that on Thursday night, traffic wouldn't be that bad. What I didn't know is that in Middle East countries, their work week is Sunday - Thursday, with Friday and Saturday off. So a Thursday night in the Middle East is like a Friday night in the US. Everyone was out.
We eventually got to our hotel and had a chance to catch our breath. Our room over looked the Nile, and it was beautiful at night.
We were both exhausted, so we just ordered room service for dinner. Before calling it a night, I went downstairs and talked with Mohamed at the Concierge desk. He was fantastic all weekend helping us out. I mentioned that we wanted to arrange a guide for Friday and Saturday, and I told him what we wanted to see. He took care of the rest, arranging a driver to take us around all day and a tour guide to show just the two of us around. After dinner we crawled into one of the most comfortable beds I've ever slept in at a hotel.
The next morning we got up early so we could eat breakfast, then meet our guide in the lobby at 8am. The breakfast spread was delicious. Since this was a Muslim country, there were no pork products served...a far cry from the typical German breakfast we usually have at hotels. They even had Beef Bacon...not as good as pork bacon, but not bad. The view of the Nile from the breakfast room was beautiful.
After breakfast we met our guide, Mona, downstairs. She told us our first destination would be the Step Pyramid at Saqqara. While we were driven there, she gave us a brief introduction of herself, and talked about the city. One thing she mentioned (and I'll expand upon this at different points later in the post) was about the revolution. She said what they thought was their greatest triumph 2 years ago ousting Mubarak ended up being their greatest mistake. She said they were so hopeful for their future when the dictator was kicked out, and that they were excited about democracy. But the new government is even more corrupt than the previous, and she's come to believe that the Egyptian people need a dictator to tell them what to do, and are not ready for democracy yet. I thought that was fascinating.
One the way to the pyramid, we entered rural farm land. The first evidence of this was when we had to stop and wait a few minutes for a Shepard and his flock of sheep to cross the road.
We also drove by several carpet schools. Mona told us that about a hundred years ago a man did not like the fact that the farmers children were receiving no education. So he set up a carpet school that taught them reading and writing, as well as how to make carpets. So if they did not want to farm, they would have a valuable skill that they could use to provide for their family. From that sprung up several other carpet schools in the area. She said we would stop in one, but first up was the Step Pyramid.
As we arrived, Mona gave us the history of the pyramid. It was built 4,700 years ago and is the first known pyramid in the world. The man who designed it built it tiered in such a way that it would not collapse over time, and the fact that it's still standing is a testament to his genius. About 80 years ago, while clearing away sand in the area, the pathway to the Pyramid was discovered. There is a grand entrance that contain blocks of stone smoothed down so much they feel like glass. They are also so tightly packed together you can't even slide a piece of paper in between...all this with no mortar or sealing compound of any kind. As you walked through the entrance you saw the first known columns built by man. It was amazing walking through and seeing all this.
After she gave us the history of the place, we were able to walk around and take pictures. One of the first things I noticed was how empty the place was. There were tourists, but not nearly as many as I expected. I'd read how much the turmoil had hurt their tourism industry, but we were seeing it first hand now. We walked around, took a few pictures with the locals who were doing what ever they could to get you to hand over some money. I know we paid too much, but it was fun, and it wasn't THAT expensive. We wouldn't do it at every stop, but once was fine.
When we were done there, we drove over to some tombs that were discovered near the pyramid. It was incredible walking down into the tombs. They were obviously built for much shorter people than I. I had to bend over almost 90 degrees to walk inside, and some tunnels were so small that I had to crawl. But seeing the sarcophagus with all the hieroglyphs etched in the wall and ceiling was worth it. It was amazing seeing the trial of the dead with Osiris etched in the wall, and knowing that it was put there over 4,000 years ago. In one of the tombs, the paint was still on the etchings. It had not been restored at all, the paint was the same paint put on there 4,500 years ago.
When we left there, Mona took us to one of the carpet schools. It's a school on one level, and above that is the show room where you can buy Egyptian carpets. The cheap ones were made by the students, the more expensive ones were made by the teachers. We looked around and found one we liked for ourselves, and a few small ones for people back home. Below is a picture of one of the teachers holding the rug we purchased.
The next stop was the Great Pyramids of Giza. But first Shanna asked Mona for a recommendation for a place to buy hand made cartouches. She wanted one with her name in hieroglyphs. She took us to a place, and we were given a first hand look at what people had to do for security now. The store was just opening, so first they took these huge solid iron doors off their hinges and set them aside. They unlocked door number 2 and opened it. They then opened an iron gate. And finally unlocked door number 4 and we walked in. We talked with the store owner, and Shanna described what she wanted. We ordered it, and he got our hotel information because it would take a day to make it. We picked up a few other things and headed to the Great Pyramids.
When we drove up to the pyramids, my mouth dropped. After learning about them in history class growing up, here we finally were, standing in front of them. They were beyond enormous, touring over us. Mona gave us the history and background of the pyramids, including an interesting fact about how they sealed the pyramid once the body of the Pharaoh was placed inside. In order to make it difficult to come in afterwards to rob it, the door was built to seal itself from the inside. So after the body was laid to rest, the workers sealed themselves inside, then escaped through a small back door they'd built into the place. Once they were out, they sealed the back door and covered it to hide their tracks.
We walked all around the pyramid. The boulders that make up the pyramid were so massive that Shanna took a picture of me standing in front of one of them with my arms outstretched. From finger tip to finger tip, I couldn't touch both ends of one block. How they were able to stack these one by one with no modern tools is beyond me.
After walking around for a bit, we got back in the car and Mona had the driver take us to a secluded spot near by where we could take pictures of all 3 of the Great Pyramids.
Next up was a drive down the hill to the Great Sphinx. I asked Mona if the story I'd heard in history class as a kid was accurate in regards to how it lost it's nose. I'd been taught that when Napoleon came through Egypt, his army used the nose as target practice. She said that used to be the thinking, but when the nose was examined more closely, it was determined that it was intentionally removed using a chisel. Hundreds of years ago the sand in the area came up to the head of the Sphinx, and the rest of the body was buried. The current theory is that someone did not want people worshiping the Sphinx as a false idol, so they attempted to destroy it by removing the nose and the beard. Both pieces have been recovered, with the nose being in the Egyptian museum and the beard being in the British Museum in London. She said she used to be upset that the various European countries would not return the Egyptian artifacts they had, but after the Egyptian museum in Cairo was looted following the revolution, she said the European countries should keep whatever they have, because at least they'll be safe there.
When we finished up there, we had one more stop. Egypt is known for things other than pyramids, such as inventing the first process for making paper and various perfumes and oils. She took us to a hole in the wall store we never would have found that made their own Papyrus paper, and sold all kinds of home made perfumes and oils. They gave us a demonstration on how to make paper from a Papyrus reed that was fascinating. They then gave us a demonstration of all kinds of oils that they sell. Shanna ended up buying some oils to use at home in a bath or as perfume. As we were leaving, the owner of the store (who was a family friend of Mona's) took us out back to his stable to show us some of his horses, including a 2 month old horse.
Finally it was time to call it a day. The driver took us back to the hotel and we said goodbye to Mona for the day. We were wiped out, so we ended up taking a nap. That evening we went up to the top level of the hotel and had a few beers while watching the sun set over the Nile. It was absolutely beautiful. We then went down to their main restaurant, which was having Turkish night. We had our hands washed by the waiter in traditional Turkish fashion, and had a delicious multi-course meal. We've come to love Turkish food, and that night's meal was no exception.
After dinner we headed up to bed and called it a night. The next morning we met Mona in the lobby and headed to the Egyptian Museum. I was disappointed that there were no pictures allowed inside, because we saw some fascinating things. They had all kinds of mummies, including Amenhotep and Ramsey The Great. They had King Tut's mother, and the Pharaoh who drove Moses out of Egypt (can't remember his name off the top of my head). They also had King Tut's display with his burial mask, sarcophagus, and the burial chamber he was found in. The artifacts they had on display were amazing. Last week Shanna & I went up to this tiny village outside Frankfurt that was a historic village with an Easter market. They had an old brewery you could walk through, and in that brewery was a tiny statue of an Egyptian making beer. The sign said it was replica, but the real statue from 2,400 B.C. was in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo...after doing some looking, we found the original statue in the museum! I thought that was neat to see.
When we walked out of the museum, I took the picture below because it showed the burial place for the first curator of the museum. What ended up being far more fascinating was the burned out building in the background.
In the days leading up to the revolution in 2011, the building was an office building used by the Muslim Brotherhood. One night the building caught on fire, and the Brotherhood played on the people's growing anti-government emotions, and said the Government did it to try and silence them. That got people even more angry, and helped propel them towards the eventual ousting of the government leaders at the time. It was later discovered that the government did not set the fire, and the Brotherhood knew it all along, but used it to their advantage. Shanna & I remember what she said differently. I thought it was an accidental electrical fire, but Shanna thought the Brotherhood themselves set it on fire. Either way, though, the Brotherhood lied about the real cause to use it to their advantage.
From the museum we went to the Cairo bazaar. It's been running continuously for over 700 years. Remember how I said tourism had taken a big hit, and most of the sites were empty? The bazaar was no exception, which meant the vendors were even more insistent than usual to try and get you in their shops. We'd both gotten to the point where we were just ignoring people if we weren't interested in what they were selling. If you spoke to them, that was their opening and they'd keep insisting you come look. We ended up talking with one vendor who sold pillow cases that could be used for other things. Shanna, for example, bought a few that could be used as table cloths.
It was getting warm at that point, so we stopped at a little cafe for drinks. Mona asked if we minded if she headed to a few shops to pick some things up, and we said no problem. So Shanna & I sat there, with her sipping Mint Tea, and me sipping Hibiscus juice. I'd discovered this the day before and LOVED it...I hope I can find some for sale here in Germany. There's an international Market Hall downtown that I'm hoping will carry it if I can't find it in a normal grocery store.
We had people walking up to us trying to sell things, but a casual no and continuing our conversation was usually enough to send them on their way. Eventually Mona met back up with us, and we left the bazaar. On the way out she pointed out a large Mosque that is famous all over Egypt, because the grandson of the Muslim Prophet Mohamed is buried there.
At this point we we were ready for lunch. Mona recommended a place in a park near by that had a great view of Cairo. When we got there, she wasn't kidding...the view was amazing. She'd talked earlier about how delicious pigeon was, so we decided to try it. Shanna ordered the grilled pigeon and I ordered it stuffed with something called "Freek". It's a type of wheat cooked in a way that resembles rice. One thing we'd learned is that there are all kinds of fresh fruit grown along the Nile, and the fruit juices there were incredible. With lunch, I had strawberry juice and Shanna had mango juice. I don't like mango, but even I had to admit the juice was good.
Eventually lunch came out, and the pigeon wasn't bad! My only complaint was there was not a lot of meat on it, but the taste was good. We also ordered flat bread with this dipping sauce called Labne. We'd found that the first night with dinner and fell in love with it. Basically it's a yogurt based dip mixed with olive oil, garlic, and some other herbs. It's absolutely amazing. From the deck we were eating lunch on we could see the pyramids in the distance, as well as some of the larger mosques in the city. We couldn't help but feel Middle Eastern at that point.
After lunch we drove back to the hotel. On the ride back I was lucky enough to get a clear picture of a street sign that pointed towards the infamous Tahir Square. There was no chance we would go there, but I was glad I got a picture of the sign. Mona told us how much that area had changed. Three years ago before the revolution her daughter and friends used to go there all the time after school and not come home until 11 or 12 at night, and it was no problem. Even during the first uprising, when thousands of people camped out there, it was a peaceful atmosphere, filled with hope. Over the last two years, though, it's been taken over by gangs, and even she as a native of the area wouldn't go there. She said it was the first time she'd seen people openly carrying guns and other weapons in the street. At one point we were driving through an intersection, and it was a free for all. There were no lights, and while there were cops there trying to direct traffic, no one was paying attention. She said that in the days of Mubarak, people feared the cops and it kept them in line, including simple things like obeying traffic laws. Once Mubarak was ousted, the police force lost a lot of it's authority, and people stopped caring what they said. Now people drive however they want, and we saw that everywhere we went. With all the driving around in the city we did, I only saw one stop light...and that's for a city with 22 million residents.
One of the main reasons I like a personal guide vs. a book or a recorded audio guide is because in addition to all the history and facts, you get a personal side. Talking with her about her thoughts on the failure of the revolution and where she thinks her people need to go was fascinating. The best part about traveling is talking with local people and getting to know them and their culture.
Finally we made it back to our hotel and got things packed up. We had dinner at the chocolate lounge (they served normal food, not just chocolate), then called it a night. The next morning we were up bright and early, and had the hotel driver take us to the airport. I was worried about things being a hassle, but at that time of the morning the airport wasn't busy, and it was a breeze going through customs and getting to our gate.
Over all we had an amazing time. Egypt ranks up there was one of our top trips since moving here, and visiting the Pyramids and the Sphinx is something everyone should do once in their life time. Nothing makes you feel small quite like standing next to a towering pyramid, knowing it's been standing there for thousands of years.
To see pictures, click here or any picture above. We don't have any more trips planned until early July when we go to Russia, but we might take some last minute trips here and there, so check back often!
