Wednesday, March 4th:
I woke up around 6:15 a.m.; Brenda had already gotten up. We met our group for breakfast at 7:00 a.m. in the hotel dining room.
We then boarded the bus at 8:00 a.m. and headed to the Egyptian Museum. We arrived there at 9:10 a.m. and it was already very crowded (and it had only been open for 10 minutes). Our tour guide, Nala, took us directly to the 3rd floor to see the King Tut exhibit - it was very cool! Pictures were not allowed inside the museum. We then had about 1/2 hour to see whatever else we wanted to on our own. We did take a restroom break (they call them water closets) but Nala told us to only pay 1 pound ($1.00) for 5 people. Brenda and I walked around to look at a few more things. 
Sights in Cairo:
We then headed to a "bazaar" so we could purchase some souvenirs. Nala suggested that a good souvenir would be a "cartouche". A Cartouche was a loop of rope with a knot at one end. It was thought to represent the universe. The custom of writing the Pharaoh's name inside the Cartouche represented his rule over the universe. It gives you and the name of whom you love the immortality and eternity by writing his or her name together with your name on each side of the cartouche in hieroglyphics. It is a piece of jewelry- like a charm to put on a chain. The gold ones were VERY expensive so I purchased a sterling silver one. It had my name on the front and Tracy's name on the back. I also got Tracy a t-shirt with a cartouche on it with his name in it.
Sample of a cartouche:
Sights along the road:
Brenda has started a charm bracelet to show all the places she travels to. I decided to do the same. So I purchased a charm of King Tut to represent my trip to Egypt.
It was then time for lunch. We voted and decided on a light lunch. So Nala took us to get "felafels". For $5 I got a coke and a felafel: mashed chickpeas with parsley, fried, and served in a pita with a sesame mustard. We did not get lettuce on it per Nala's recommendation. It was very good - I love felafels!
Our next stop was the Pyramids of Giza. What a cool place! The Great Pyramid of Giza (also called the Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Cheops) is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was constructed over a 14 to 20-year period concluding around 2560 B.C. Brenda and I climbed down into the Great Pyramid. When we first got to the entrance, I said there was no way I could go down in there. Brenda just kind of pushed me on in and said I would be fine. I was. It was steep climbing down - you had to bend over and it was a tad smelly because there was no fresh air. There wasn't really anything to see once you got to the main chamber- it was just a big room. But it was cool to be able to say I was in The Great Pyramid of Giza! After that we walked around and took pictures of the pyramids. 
While there we went to see "Cheop's Boat". The Khufu ship is an intact full-size vessel from Ancient Egypt that was sealed into a pit in the Giza pyramid complex at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Giza around 2500 BC. The ship was rediscovered in 1954 by Kamal el-Mallakh, undisturbed since it was sealed into a pit carved out of the Giza bedrock. It has been reconstructed from 1,224 pieces which had been laid in a logical, disassembled order in the pit beside the pyramid. It took them 20 years to put it back together.
Next, anyone who was interested, got to go on a 15 minute camel ride. Of course, I decided to do it. It was a bit scary at first but riding toward the pyramids across the desert sands was very cool!
After the camel ride, we went to see the Sphinx- what an awesome sight! The Great Sphinx of Giza (or, commonly, the Sphinx) is a staute of a reclining sphinx (a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head) that stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile. It is the largest monolith statue in the world, standing 241 ft long, 20 ft wide,and 66.34 ft high. It is the oldest known monumental sculpture, and is commonly believed to have been built by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom in the reign of the pharaoh Khafra (c. 2558–2532 B.C.). BUT the vendors there were relentless! One followed Brenda from the Sphinx, all the way to the bus. We even stopped for a restroom break and he waited for her to come out. Finally one of the men in our group had to make him leave her alone. Vendors seemed to be just about anywhere we went. Selling their "wares" is how a lot of them make a living.
Our next stop was the Relax Perfume Center where we got to smell different essential oils. They also served us peppermint and hibiscus tea or some type of very strong coffee. Their prices were rather expensive so Brenda and I decided to buy one bottle and share it. We were able to find one we agreed on: "Bride of the Nile".
After the perfume center, we went back to the Sphinx for a light and sound show. It wasn't that great of a show and a lot of people in our group kept nodding off. It was just lights and laser pictures on the pyramids and they told stories. I expected a lot more.
It was then time to head back to the hotel to eat dinner. It was after 8:00 p.m. before we were eating. Brenda and I went back to a shop at the hotel so we could purchase some bottles for our essential oils. We were in bed around 10:30 p.m. It was a very full and tiring day.
No comments:
Post a Comment