Ancient Cairo
Cairo, Egypt
Most people head straight to the pyramids of Giza when they arrive in Cairo. Our first stop, however, (after checking into our "no star" hotel - a very pleasant place but with no frills...) was a visit to the Cairo Marriott. Unfortunately, we were unable to stay there.... (the place is gorgeous but a bit... okay,... quite a lot out of our price range!) BUT, we did have family staying there! Bob and Pat Hillerman just happen to be touring Egypt and Jordan the same time we are... so, of course, we had to say Hello! After a wonderful reunion, we made plans to meet up the next day for lunch and an afternoon of exploring the Egyptian museum.
We ended up having a wonderful day together! Bob and Pat share our love of travel.... (they have been some amazing places!!) so, we had a great time sharing travel stories and catching up on family news over lunch! And the Egyptian museum is absolutely incredible... although somewhat... well, jumbled. The contents are exceptional but at times the places feels like a warehouse. We had to chuckle at several large boxes and crates sitting in the middle of main hallway. (We wondered just how long they had been there since their return from Shanghai??) But the warehouse feel isn't all bad... in many ways it makes you feel a if you're discovering something new in every deep, dark corner!
By far and away the best exhibits in the museum are the finds from the tomb of King Tutankhamun. Discovered in 1922, the tomb was untouched by grave robbers -- so the extent of the ancient pheronic burial rituals can be admired! Gold coffins inside coffins, inside boxes, insider more gold boxes! Wow! Mark has decided that this is how he wants to be buried when he goes! (Without the gold, of course, which should be used for one HUGE party!)
We did finally make our way to the Pyramids of Giza today, on our 4th day in the city of Cairo. In a word, they are massive. These extraordinary, 4 sided, pointy beasts are like nothing we've seen before. Perhaps they can be compared to the mayan "pyramids" of the indigenous burial mounds in the Americas but in the end, the Pyramids of Giza are on a completely different scale,... and the advanced engineering concepts are impressive for structures that are 4500 years old.
While in Giza, we had no intention whatsoever in doing business with a horse of camel vendor because camels are smelly and Mark is not so fond of riding horses. However, after some time we were "convinced" that a ride out into the desert on horseback to see the Pyramids from a distance was a "necessity." Making sure to choose animals that were well-fed, and appeared to be un-abused... we mounted our steeds and rambled along in the sand. The view was spectacular... and in the end, even Mark was glad we made the trip.
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