Mummies, Pyramids, Camels, and Funky Trains

October 31, 2010 will be a Halloween I will never forget!! I can't even begin to express in words how I felt this day that was just one adventure after another. 

It all started out at midnight at the Victoria Hotel. Lisa and I had prepared our day bags for the next day and we were headed to bed. Or so I thought. Lisa slept like hibernating bear throughout the night but unfortunately that was not my case. For about two hours, all I can do was think about the trip and everything I was going to see the next couple of days. My mind was going a mile a minute with all sorts of questions; will Egypt meet my expectations, am I going to like this tour, am I going to like the food, will I survive haggling in the markets, did I pack enough socks, is Ramesses II really that annoying of a pharaoh, will I fall off the camel. In between all the questions, I kept going through my knowledge of Egyptian history and making mental notes of questions to ask Sherif. Yeah, at this rate I wasn't getting any sleep but I was slowly starting to doze off. At about 2am, these roosters start crowing and will not shut up!!! Finally at about 2:30am they stopped and again I attempted to fall asleep. Roosters 1 Sleep 0 I tried doing everything I could to fall asleep including counting camels but nothing will work. At around 4am, I was starting to fall asleep....yup you guessed it, the roosters are back!!!! Roosters 2 Sleep 0 Then at 4:20am, the first call to prayer could be heard over speakers located near the hotel. It wasn't loud as most slept through it but I am glad I got to hear it because it was an interesting experience. The opening prayer lasted a few minutes, then there was a moment of silence that lasted about 10 minutes, and then the closing prayer could be heard. I unfortunately did not record the call to prayer on this trip but on my next visit to Egypt, I will definitely make it a point to capture it. (During the trip, I learned a lot about Islam which was great because I was in Egypt to experience not only the history but to learn about the country, its culture, its people, and its religions.) 

At around 5am, I gave up trying to sleep and decided to start my day!! I headed to the shower but this morning I wouldn't have the luck I had the night before. I had to run the water for about 5 minutes before I got some decent warm water but it was nothing like the hot water I had the previous night. Since my roommate was still sleeping, I was able to take my time showering and getting ready. I was all set and ready to go by 6am and about 30 minutes later Lisa woke up! We were supposed to have received a wake up call by 6:30am but that call actually came in at 7am. It is a good thing I always set the alarm on my phone because the Victoria Hotel was not the best when it came to those calls. A few tour mates never received a call. They had told us the night before to leave our luggages in front of our doors but since Lisa and I were a bit weary that our luggages will be left behind, we actually grabbed them and started going in circles looking for the elevator. After a while, we gave up and just left the luggages in front of the door. Although we couldn't find the elevators, we found the stairs rather quickly. Down we went for our first breakfast in Egypt!! We had breakfast at the hotel and it was pretty good! It was an all you eat buffet with breads, cheeses, eggs, veggies, juices, etc. I had a croissant with some slices of cheese and I found it to be great. The coffee was from a pouch which you added hot water to and that was not great. 

After breakfast, we all made our way to the bus for our journey to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities! It was this morning that we learned Sherif's famous catchphrases: Wakey Wakey Contiki, Yalla Yalla Habebi (Yalla means lets go and Habebi means sweetheart/beloved). We also learned that Sherif is very hyper in the mornings and once he grabs the microphone on the bus, there is no stopping him! The ride to the museum was rather uneventful so that gave us a chance to talk and for a few, take a quick nap. Then we arrived! At first glance, the museum doesn't seem all that spectacular; it's painted a pale pink color and covered in scaffolding. Sherif gathered the group to give us a history lesson (we got one of those before entering each site), this time it was a crash course on Egypt 101. Since I knew the basics, I took the time to read the inscriptions on the museum walls and look at some of the statues in the garden. Upon entering the museum, I learned another valuable lesson; each site has a metal detector and/or bag scanner but 60% of the time they don't work. (Lesson 1: Egyptians are crazy drivers. Lesson 2: Egyptians love their bread. Lesson 3: Egyptians love their metal detectors). Once inside the museum, the Egypt nerd in me burst with happiness....the statue of Djoser, the Menkaura Triads, stones filled with hieroglyphs recounting stories of conquests, and so much more! I felt like a fat kid in a candy shop!! :) What made this visit that much more amazing was Sherif and his knowledge for some of the pieces; I greatly enjoyed the stories he shared on some of the best artifacts at the museum. One of my favorite pieces was the statue of Seneb and his family. You see so many statues of the pharaohs, their queens, and the gods that is is refreshing to see another side of ancient Egypt. After an hour tour, we had some free time to explore exhibits we were interested in. The group I was with decided on two, the exhibit that housed King Tutankhamen's greatest treasures (including the famous gold mask) and the mummy room. It was difficult to enjoy King Tutankhamen's treasures because the room was so crowded and people kept bumping into each other. I did get to stand in front of the gold mask and words can't even begin to describe it!!!! Afterwards, we headed to the mummy room which was an additional 100 Egyptian Pounds (LE) ($17.30 USD) but worth every penny. The mummies in this room were unwrapped so you got to see every detail: the hair, the eye lashes, the nails, and in one mummy, his eyes. After reading so many books and articles on Ancient Egypt, it was quite the experience to be standing before some of the greatest leaders of the ancient world. Some of the mummies I saw were those of Ramesses II, Ramesses III, Amenhotep III, and Thutmosis II but the most amazing was that of Queen Hatshepsut whose mummy was just identified three years ago. Before leaving the museum, a few of us decided to use the restroom and boy was that a mistake!! With our luck, while waiting in line, someone decided to really stink up the place. I don't think I have ever been so traumatized in my life. :( 

We couldn't take pictures inside the museum but I later purchased the "Official Guide to the Egyptian Museum" which is a very detailed, 600 page book. I'm glad I purchased the book because it has images of almost every item in the museum and tons of information. 

Back in the bus and off to one of the highlights of our trip....the pyramids and the Sphinx!!! On the drive to Giza, I caught my first glimpse of the Nile along with the middle class apartments that line the river. You might think that apartments near the Nile will be nice but many were run down and obvious signs of the poverty that is prevalent in Cairo. Other things we saw on the drive were the American Embassy, the British Embassy, the American University in Cairo, several Nile Cruise boats, and tons of beautiful trees. I was amazed at the amount of beautiful trees and flowers there was in Egypt; it wasn't all desert! As we approached Giza, we saw farmland were wheat and corn was being harvested. Giza is a small city and it is rather poor. Most homes are multi-storied since families live together and then the next generation will add floors. A lot of homes are very run down but were "decorated" with brightly colored clothes hanging from clotheslines. None of the roads were paved and the stores I saw were rather small. I got a laugh at the taxis; they were these real tiny cars painted bright yellow with black highlights. After 10 minutes of driving through Giza, we caught our first glimpse of the pyramids!!!! At first I couldn't believe it but there in the distance you could clearly see the peak of Khufu's pyramid. I of course started taking pictures every time we could see one of the pyramids even if it was just sliver. 

The schedule for the afternoon consisted of a camel caravan through the desert to get great pictures of all three pyramids, the opportunity to go inside one of the pyramids, and the opportunity to climb some of the stones of Khufu's pyramids. The camel ride and the journey into the pyramid were optional but there was no way I was going to pass on such great opportunities! As we got off the bus, there were some vendors selling Bedouin headpieces, the scarf with the black band, and quite a few purchased one since it just added to the experience. I was very anxious at this point and my fears were confirmed when I figured out I got the drunk camel. It wasn't difficult to get on the camel but holding on to dear life was another thing. My camel was stumbling all over the place and enjoyed making sudden stops. After about 5 minutes, I finally got the hang of things and was able to start taking pictures and videos. Something that made the camel caravan so memorable is not so much the amazing views but the terrified look on some of my tour mates!! When we got back to the bus in one piece, and smelling like camel, we were off to the pyramid of Khafre! What makes Khafre's pyramid special is that it contains a piece of the original limestone covering; the pyramids in antiquity were completely covered in a limestone coat. This made the pyramids shine in the sunlight and be seen for miles. You had to pay 30 Egyptian pounds to enter this pyramid and they warn you beforehand that there is nothing in the burial chamber but just the opportunity to actually go inside one of the pyramids makes it all worthwhile. The journey into the pyramid is quite an adventure since the ramp is narrow, steep, and you need to walk crouched down because of the very low ceiling. I am a very short person but I still managed to bump my head several times; I felt bad for the giants we had in our group. It was pretty cool walking around the burial chamber and being inside the only surviving wonder of the of the ancient world!!! :) It also gives you the ultimate bragging rights because now when I see a picture of the pyramids I can say...ha I went inside! Once you are done walking around the burial chamber (unfortunately pictures were not allowed) it was back down the ramp for some more head banging. We then headed over to Khufu's pyramid, the largest of the three, to climb up a few stones to take pictures standing on the pyramids!! (You could pay 100 pounds to enter Khufu's pyramid but just like Khafre's there is nothing inside, the only difference is that you pay 70 pounds more.) The height of those stones was overwhelming and just to think that the mighty pyramids were built with basic engineering. You truly get a sense of appreciation for the ingenuity of the Ancient Egyptians once you have entered and climbed the stones of a pyramid. Next stop was the Sphinx!! I was honestly underwhelmed by the statue. It seems so BIG in pictures and on TV but when you see it in person it is not that big. After about 15 minutes and a few pictures, I was headed back to the bus still in shock and amazement at everything  I had seen that day. And it was just the beginning! 

Since we had not had lunch (we finished site seeing at about 4pm) and dinner on the train is dangerous, Sherif took us to a "resort" where we could unwind and relax a bit and then have a huge meal. The resort was not what a lot of us pictured; we had in mind a big place, with a nice pool, decent bathrooms, etc. This was a run down place, with a half filled pool, and funky bathrooms. On the plus side, the lounge chairs were quite comfortable so it was a nice way to end the day and to relax before boarding the train. We had all thought the highlight of the day was the pyramids until these guys show up with this adorable lion cub! They were charging 20 pounds for a picture of the cub and of course I couldn't resist. It (I can't recall if it was a boy or girl) was the cuddliest, cutest thing ever!! After relaxing for a bit, it was time for dinner. I was placed in the vegetarian table with three other girls and a whole lot of food. On the menu was hummus, pita bread, stuffed cabbage leaves, rice, vegetables in a tomato sauce, falafel, French fries, and a few other items. The meal was really good and very filling. One thing I greatly enjoyed was the pita bread; Egyptian pita bread is very soft and thick, not like the American pita bread purchased in the stores which is dry, thin, and crumbly. And since the pita bread was always baked fresh, it was nice and warm. I also enjoyed the veggies and falafel and couldn't get enough. 

Once dinner was over, we boarded the bus to head on over to the train station. This was a moment no one was looking forward to especially after all the horror stories we had heard. Lisa and I were assigned to Car 6, Cabin 7/8. Upon entering the cabin, I could confirm that yes, they are the size of a closet. But the cabin was clean, the beds were decent, and I did not find any bugs or rodents. The cabin manager knocked on our door to offer us dinner trays but we declined since we were warned not to eat the dinner food. Luckily we had eaten a big meal at the resort and I had a few snacks in my luggage in the event I got hungry later in the night. For our first night on the train, I got the top bunk and Lisa claimed the bottom one. The top bunk was nice since there was a storage compartment so I had a bit more room. After relaxing and getting used to our cramped quarters, I headed over to the club car where the party was! There was quite a group in there and we had a blast dancing while flying around every time the train will brake. My legs and back were covered in bruises the morning after. At about midnight, I was getting tired so I head on over to my cabin just to be welcomed with a surprise. When I opened the door, Lisa goes "there is someone on your bed". Yup, she was right. Apparently one of my tour mates had had a bit too much to drink and winded up in the wrong cabin. After a while, she found her way to another bed and I was in mine. Unfortunately, between the rocking of the train and the sudden braking, I once again managed to get no sleep. I think I slept for about 2 hrs that night! 

The infamous roosters

Egyptian Museum of Antiquities

Nile River

Nile River

First glimpse of the pyramids

Taxi in Giza

Camel caravan

Pyramids

Sphinx

Meal at the resort

Giza Train Station

My bunk bed

The train