As Cairo grows, it spreads out onto the desert and encroaches on the ground around the pyramids. No where else in the world can you stare at the one remaining wonder of the ancient world while you are munching on KFC nuggets. I decided to skip that experience.
This is NOT the great pyramid. The easiest way to tell is that this one goes all the way to the pointed top (called the apex). This is the second pyramid, built by Khafre (son of Khufu who built the great pyramid). It is nearly as large as his father's pyramid and still has some of the limestone casing stones at the top.
Imagine, all the pyramids on the plateau, encased in smooth, highly polished white limestone and the apex covered in electrum (a mixture of gold and silver) catching the first rays of Ra (ancient name of the sun god) as he rose over the Nile in the east. No wonder the men who caused such as these to be built were worshipped as gods.
THIS is the Great Pyramid. Khufu (the Greeks called him Cheops, they didn't speak Egyptian) was the grandson of Djoser who built the step pyramid at Saqqara. Remember that the step pyramid was the first large stone structure ever built anywhere. To go from that beginning to this in 100 years staggers me.
The long white building on the right, at the base of the pyramid, is a museum built for a solar boat found buried at the base of the pyramid. Pictures on that later. Just a note about sand and rocks. Please notice that the ground upon which these very heavy stone monuments sit is not sand but stone. Stone solid and deep enough to carry the weight of about 2,300,000 stone blocks that average about 2.3 tons each (there are some blocks in the kings chamber that weight about 50 - 80 tons). These builders chose carefully when they decided to build here. They wanted these building to outlast humans. So far, so good.
A close up of some of the stones in the Great Pyramid.
Looking up the side of the Great Pyramid, the blocks get smaller as you get closer to the top.
One short Oregonian standing at the foot of the second pyramid (note the casing stones at the top). No one is allowed to climb on any of the pyramids. Guards with rifles are a strong deterrent.
Jessamy and I at the foot of the Great Pyramid. The white stones are modern. CORRECTION!! These white stones are NOT modern, they are the original white limestone casing stones. They are still white because they have spent most the past 4,500 years covered in sand.
A couple of guards hanging out. If they see you take their picture you have to pay them a couple of Egyptian pounds per picture. You can see that I was sneaky and they are both looking away. All the guards in uniform are with the Antiquity/Tourist Police. There are other police and security people around but they are plain clothes. You can still tell who they are because they are wearing coats or suits to hide their very large automatic pistols.
OK, here are the camels. Jessamy said, "Mom, you have to ride a camel, it will be fun." "Mom you will enjoy it." "You can't leave Egypt without riding a camel." Lots of people go to Egypt and never climb on a camel. Unfortunately, I was not one of them. I told myself, "Self, you can do this; no camel is going to get the best of you." "You have been on the back of many horses, one unwilling cow and a couple of donkeys; how hard can it be?"
Look at this face. Would you buy a used car from this camel? Would you trust your 60 year old bones with this face? Really, look at this animal. It looks like it was assembled by a committee. I know why they put all the colorful rugs and blankets on his back. They are trying to distract you from the fact that this is the most obnoxious excuse for transportation ever devised.
Camels are big. They are tall even when sitting down. There is no graceful way for me to get up onto a camel. I was told, this is your camel, climb on. You notice that there are no stirrups (the camel saddle being invented before stirrups and not changed since). For persons with short legs this poses a challenge. I managed to throw my body across the camel and pull myself across the blankets by holding onto the little (very little) wooden posts sticking up from the saddle. By wiggling around and thrashing with my legs I managed to get one leg over the saddle and hang onto to the front pegs. Just as I was getting a good grip, the camel straightened his hind legs and the camel boy says to hang on. The problem was of course that I was falling forward over the neck of the beast, the boy finally takes a look at me and starts to scream for me to lean back as far as I can. So I lean back as far as I can just as the camel raises his front legs. Now instead of falling head first over the front end, I am now in danger of falling back over heels off the tail end. This was not a good beginning.
The camel boy is shaking his head and muttering in Arabic. Sometimes it is good to only understand English. At least I am up on the camel. Now it is time to get my picture taken. Neither the camel nor I am thrilled with this photo opportunity (no I don't have a copy of the picture). Next we get led away and tied to two other occupied camels and start our ride through the desert. We were the last to join this little trio and beast is crabby about having camels in front of him so he starts to crowd against one camel so he can smash my left leg against his bony body. That doesn't work as well as he likes (I managed to swing my leg up out of the way and pointing straight out front) so he decides that it is a better idea to try to shove my foot up the back end of said camel who objects. I am busy trying to get parts of my anatomy out of harms way when the camel boy finally strolls back, smacks beast with a rope, shouts appropriate Arabic words and beast settles down to behaving like a good little trail camel for unsuspecting tourists. Meanwhile Jessamy is out in front having a grand ole time bopping around the desert and loving her very well behaved camel. I am busy thinking that I still have to get off beast in one piece. Disembarking from beast was almost anti-climatic.
I survived my ride on Beast as you see.
In spite of the camel episode, we are still friends.
Here is Jessamy on her camel (I am sure that this camel's name translates as "Oh, another tourist, I just love tourist's.").
This is the entrance the tourists use to the Great Pyramid. It was made by a caliph in the ninth century looking for treasure (he didn't find any). Next time we will go inside the pyramid, visit the solar boat and visit the Sphinx. All in all it was a busy day.
Until next time.
kate
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