January 2, 2010—Cairo

We got up at 7:00 and had an excellent King Hotel breakfast. Leaving soon after 8:00, we arrived at the Egyptian Museum a few minutes after its 9:00 opening. The museum was the first building that was actually constructed as a museum, rather than a reused older building, opening in 1902. It is the home of most of the famous artifacts discovered in Egypt that were not whisked off to some European capital by their discoverers/conquerors. No photos are allowed inside.

Hala led us around to the major highlights of the museum. We did not go into the rooms with the mummies because there is an exorbitant charge to do so. We did, however visit the treasures of King Tutankhamen which I had admired since I was a kid. I was not disappointed. Everything was as spectacular as I had always imagined. The gold death mask was incredible. Two entire halls were filled with loot from the tomb. King Tut was a minor Pharaoh. Imagine what the tomb of Ramses II must have been like before it was plundered!

Of course, there were innumerable statues and sarcophagi but the other display that really stuck in my mind was that of the mummified animals. Most were pets but there were also a few beasts of burden and a few wild animals such as crocodiles.

When we left the museum, we proceeded to Andrea’s Restaurant, an outdoor establishment in Giza, for a fine Egyptian lunch. We had been pretty much sheltered from traditional Egyptian dishes so the meal was a welcome change. No one, that I am aware of, had any adverse reaction to the food. I ate everything, including the salads.

After lunch, we boarded the bus and drove to the pyramids. I first decided that I wanted to see the pyramids when I was 5. That childhood desire was finally fulfilled. They are stunning in their size. The Great Pyramid of Khufu is enormous. The limestone casing at the peak of the Khafre Pyramid made me wonder what these magnificent structures looked like before they were robbed of their casing stones for buildings in Cairo. The Menkaure Pyramid still has some Aswan Granite casing stones at its base.

The bus took us to the overlook for photos and a group picture. Many of us returned to the pyramids on camels. Elena and I rode together. The ride was comfortable. The last two times I rode an animal, the horses threw me (Iceland and Costa Rica). I was happy to not make it a hat trick. Although we were told that the camel driver’s tip was included in our fee, our guy was really nice so I gave him an extra L.E. 10. He immediately relapsed into Egyptian vendor mode and wanted 20. I put the 10 back in my wallet and started to walk away; he changed his mind and said that L.E. 10 would be fine.

Next was our descent into the Khafre Pyramid. We lined up and walked into the trash-covered entrance, crouching down in the low, narrow, hot passage, descending a runged ramp. A few people decided that was too much and quickly made their way out. After a few minutes of uncomfortable descent, we hit a flat area and then ascended up to a horizontal corridor that took us back to the burial chamber. Like the corridor, it was hot, humid, and crowded. There is nothing really of note in the chamber but we could all say we had been inside a pyramid.

Our return to the outside seemed easier than our entrance. Returning to the bus, we next drove over to the entrance of the temple to the side of the Sphinx. It was packed solid with people trying to get in before closing time. It took awhile but we all made it to the observation level before the guards started blowing whistles and ushering everyone out. I would have liked to stay longer but that just wasn’t in the cards—at least we got in.

Once we were all back on the bus, we drove to a fragrance establishment for tea and a talk about the Egyptian fragrance business. I was prepared to be bored but I found it really interesting. They brought numerous samples and eventually gave us their sales pitch. I had never smelled myrrh or frankincense so I tried those. To my surprise, when I sniffed the frankincense, images of my father’s mother’s upstairs bathroom rushed into my mind—something I haven’t thought about in decades. She apparently always had frankincense in there! I ended up buying $100 worth of fragrances: mint, myrrh, eucalyptus, and Arabian Nights. Many others bought something too.

Next we went to a papyrus establishment and got a quick demonstration on how papyrus paper is made. We were then turned loose on the shop which offered many exquisite papyrus prints. Again, I succumbed to temptation and bought an ancient Egyptian calendar print.

By this point, we were beat and headed back to the hotel. Dinner was ready upon arrival and we gobbled it down, chased with Egyptian Obelisk wine. After that, it was off to bed for this kid. I doubt if anyone had trouble sleeping.