Cairo - September 2, 2008

Arrived in Cairo, passed through passport control and customs with no one there to meet us from the hotel as expected. We were sort of hi-jacked by a tour company who was licensed to work inside the airport by the Ministry of Tourism. We ultimately purchased a package for slightly less than the two airport transfers would have cost if arranged by the hotel. And the tour company included admissions to the pyramids/sphinx at Giza, the Egyptian Musuem, a faluccah cruise on the Nile and the evening light show at the pyramids, plus a guided tour of the old bazaar.

We checked into the Marriott resort and casino with little difficulty and were assured that we would not be charged for the driver and car that were not at the airport. We unpacked and were ready long before the tour company arrived to take us to the pyramids. We were annoyed and concerned at the late arrival until we learned that Cairo had just gone off daylight saving time, so it was an hour earlier than most clocks showed. We simply had another hour to wait.

Here are some photos of our hotel - a former palace converted and enlarged so that it has been and may still be, the largest hotel in Egypt - the Cairo Marriott.

































The pyramids were amazing, huge, awesome , dusty from blowing sand, and much bigger than I imagined. Our guide (Shima) was very good and clear with her explanaions about the theories of how they were built, where the stone was quarried, how long they took to be built, and how many servants it took to complete the tasks.












There were souvenir sellers everywhere and people who had camels to ride around the pyramids, horses and horse or donkey pulled carts. We walked to each pyramid after our van moved us from place to place. The pyramids are also farther apart than I thought.

And there are 9 pyramids - not 3. Two of the largest (the most recognizable ones) have 3 small ones behind them for the 1st wife and 2 other favorite wives because no one but the king can be buried in the pyramid.














































The sphinx sits below all of the pyramids and is only a few hundred yards from the town of Giza. Right next to the sphinx is the remains of a funnary where bodies were prepared for mummification.












It's practically impossible to take a photo of any pyramid without civilization or tour buses in the background. Giza sits on the west bank of the Nile because sunset represented death and the tombs are all one the west bank. The east bank is where the palaces are as the sun represents life, and is modern Cairo.

Anita and I passed on a perfume and oil factory/museum because both of us are sensitive to strong scents. These are the oils used during the mummification process. We were taken instead to a papyrus museum where we learned about the process of making paper from papyrus, and purchased original Egyptian style paintings on hand made modern papyrus.

Finally we went back to the Cairo side of the Nile - the east side where all the palaces are - the sun gives life and rises in the east. All the tombs are on the west bank where the sun sets and takes like with it.

As I stepped on the fallucah for our hour cruise, I slipped and wrenched my left leg again - the one just recovering from a fall I took about a week before we left. The cruise on the Nile was wonderful and peaceful with only the wind in the sail moving us along. I was hurting quite a lot by the time we returned to the hotel. Anita took charge and called guest services who sent the house doctor to see me.

After the Ramadan fast was broken at sundown, he arrived at our room. He gave a rather complete examination and confirmed what we thought. I have pulled a muscle in my thigh and a bruise is beginning to form behind my knee. He gave me two shots - one for pain and one to relax the stressed muscles. He also prescribed two medicines for pain and muscle relaxants, an analgesic cream and an ace bandage.

I am to rest tomorrow, take hot showers to slowly stretch the muscles and can attend the light show at the pyramids tomorrow evening. Anita will go to see the Egyptian museum and the old bazaar while I stay in the room.

My first impressions of Cairo are mixed. It's much larger and more cosmopolitan that I expected. According to our guide, it has 30 of the 80 million Egyptians living in this country. It is quite dirty and old looking, most with modern satellite dishes on their roof. Many buildings appear unfinished -- we learned this is deliberate because there is a 14% tax on finished buildings and none on unfinished ones. So families live in the finished areas. Some look as if there is still damage from the earthquake in 1993.

And much of the land near the Nile is under cultivation - date palms which are ripening now, and other food stuffs plus papyrus and reeds.

Traffic is chaotic with lots of horn blowing, few traffic rules apparently and fewer stop lights. Some intersections have police officers to help move traffic jams along. Drivers move from lane to lane with a hoot of the horn to let the next car know they are coming. Add camels, donkey-pulled carts, horses and pedestrians darting across crowded streets, it's a wonder that there are not constant accidents and deaths.

There is heavy security at the hotel and other public places. Sniffer dogs move around every incoming vehicle and all bags go through an xray machine as individuals enter the hotel or other public building.

We are in a room with a balcony overlooking the inner courtyard of this old palace built expecially for guests coming for the opening of the Suez Canal. We are enjoying Cairo.

Anita is already asleep and snoring. I'm off for a hot shower as prescribed by my new doctor, and then to bed for the night.