The oldest and only remaining of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are the Great Pyramids of Giza. Few structures in the world, if any, have inspired writers, artists, historians, academics, archaeologists, photographers, filmmakers, and ordinary people as much as the Pyramids. The Great Pyramid of Khufu, at 480 feet in height, was the tallest building in the world for more than four millennia! Like the Parthenon to Greece, the Pyramids all but require one to get out there and see them as quickly as possible. My plan this morning was to wake up early but I ended up sleeping in until close to noon again. Finding a CouchSurfing host in Cairo was relatively tricky, and my current host Belal, lives close to 50 kilometres east of Central Cairo. As the largest city in the Arab world, Cairo stretches for many kilometres across the desert. It has rubbish-filled shantytowns that would rival those in India or Ethiopia and glittering shopping malls that you’d be forgiven for thinking would be in Phoenix, Arizona. A massive gap between the haves and have-nots you see as in the east of Cairo you see groups of teenagers and young professionals skateboarding, rollerblading, and showing off their custom-made cars whereas in the city you see people picking through rubbish bins for food and asking for baksheesh. Humanity still has a great deal to learn. Taking transport to Giza would take the better part of two hours, and then a gentleman named Mahmoud sat next to me on a minibus. He quickly noted how most people visit the Pyramids on organized tours in flashy tour coaches but pointed out how I’m getting to the Pyramids the way the Egyptians do it. Mahmoud would lead me to an office where they organize trips where you ride a camel. Going to Egypt without riding a camel would be like going to the Grand Canyon and not looking over the edge. I was offered a two-hour trip for $80 (US) but I asked for a student discount and they said “OK, we can do it for $60.” At first I thought it was too much but then I relented, but I later learned I should have just stuck to my guns and did it my own way. I was shocked to find out that the entire complex closes at 4 PM and it was already after 3 PM. I had to hurry to get into the interior of the Pyramid of Khafre. It is incredibly claustrophobic as you go down, and at the bottom I only had about three centimetres between my head and the ceiling; a tall person wouldn’t be comfortable at all in here. Photos aren’t officially allowed but I did manage to sneak one or two with my phone. Back outside, it was an amazing feeling being so close to the Great Pyramid of Giza (Khufu).
Built during 26th century BC, the Great Pyramid was originally smooth, covered with a limestone casing. The height is now 454 feet due to the casing being removed. The Pyramid of Khafre is slightly smaller but is built on a higher bit of ground, making it appear taller. The Pyramid of Menkaure is the smallest of the three. The blocks used to construct the Pyramids weigh more than two tons each, and were moved up thousands of years before any motorized construction equipment. The setting of the Pyramids will make you feel like you're thousands of kilometres out in the middle of nowhere but you're really only a stone's throw from civilization.
On the guide's suggestion I did a photo that could either be iconic or stereotypical. I'll admit I have no desire to try and "hold up" the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
If I had known the Pyramids closed this early I would have aimed to be awake early tomorrow and gone then. The guide and camel man would suggest that I do a photo where I’m standing on the camel’s back but when I did it the camel went nuts and I had to jump off quickly. Had the camel stood all the way up I could have seriously hurt myself. "Not again, I'm scared" I said to the guide. When I was about 12 I used to work with my friend’s father, Daniel, at his home. Daniel is paralyzed from the chest down due to a mountain climbing accident from when he was young. When we'd do projects at his house he would say “this is how they built the Pyramids…a guy in a wheelchair and a little kid.” After 4 PM we were practically the only people left in the complex. The guide and camel man started asking me for baksheesh but I explained at the office that I have very little cash and that I have to pay with a card. They seemed annoyed, and I was annoyed when I had only about five minutes at the Sphinx.
I have to admit I didn’t have the most enjoyable time at the Pyramids today. Why didn’t I just stick to how I normally do things rather than simply giving in? Horses and camels (and their excrement) are both in abundance around the front of the complex but many of them appear injured, abused and malnourished, and the same animal is likely ridden several times a day by camera-toting visitors. I was also annoyed at the guides when they wouldn't allow me off the camel when I asked to go get something to drink. I look happy here but I feel somewhat ashamed of this photo.
I left the Pyramids $60 poorer and somewhat disappointed...not at the Pyramids themselves but the experience. The Pyramids on their own are spectacular and are perhaps the oldest tourist site in the world. Long before cameras, drones, iPads, paper, paintbrushes, and pencils, tourists have travelled from near and far to see the Pyramids. This also means that touts and guides have had equally as long to perfect the part of hustling.
At home I told Belal all about my experience, and I really wish I had waited until tomorrow. I feel like now I have to go back and see the Pyramids again, but next time I'll getting up early and using two legs instead of four.
