Cairo – Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
Unquestionably the trip that gave me the travel bug for life. Prior to arriving in Cairo, I had a 12-hour visit in Amsterdam, which I was able to enjoy. Link to that page can be found HERE. Anyways, getting to Cairo was super exciting in that after years of seeing the pyramids and Sphinx in movies, TV shows and school textbooks, it was finally time to see it in person. Pretty much the sole purpose of the trip was to see the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx in person. The first day in Cairo was mostly spent walking around the city and getting acclimated to things. I definitely stood out like a sore thumb amongst all the locals and military folks patrolling the streets with automatic weapons, AK-47s. It was pretty awesome to walk around the Tahrir Square area knowing fully that just 3 years ago in 2011, the Arab Spring uprising happened here in Cairo right where I stood. It was much quieter when I went but the remains of destruction and military presence was very palpable everywhere in the city. I stayed at the Intercontinental Cairo which was very close to the embassies of many western nations so security was extra tight everywhere.
Getting to the pyramids in Giza required taking a taxi which I did. Being one of the first visitors to enter the complex that morning was awesome given how iconic everything there was. It was remarkable to see how big the pyramids were and overall just the sheer size of the rocks that the ancient Egyptians used to construct the pyramids. The complex had 3 gigantic pyramids along with 3 smaller ones in addition to the famous Sphinx. Everything lived up to expectations and it was something that you truly can’t enjoy unless you put yourself there and see it in person. As expected, it wasn’t very crowded given the security concerns of visiting that region of the world in addition to the Egyptian tourist economy suffering tremendously as a result. I was able to barter for a 30-minute camel ride excursion with a guide around the area for some great photos. Camels and guides are abundant around the complex, offering foreigners like me their services so be ready to bargain if you want the experiences and not get swindled too much.
The other cool thing they offer is you can pay extra and climb inside the biggest pyramid and visit the tomb that is in there. The climb was up a maze of narrow stone shafts that eventually led to a room in the middle of the great pyramid. The room was extremely bare with just the stone tomb. Everything about the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids of Giza was enchanting, from the history behind it to the engineering marvel that it is.
I also visited the Egyptian National Museum, which contained an endless amount of historical artifacts: more mummies, sarcophaguses, pottery and ancient pieces of artwork than one can wrap their heads around, all densely packed in the museum. The highlight there was by far King Tutankhamun’s mask, so astounding to see it in person right in front of me instead of a textbook during my school days. The amount of gold on his mask was simply overwhelming along with the craftsmanship of the mask. In addition to his mask, there were several layers of his coffin on display, plated with gold and intricate Egyptian carvings. Unfortunately they confiscated cameras in the museum so I wasn’t able to get any photos. The one thing I didn’t do was go sailing on the Nile River on a traditional felucca sailboat, maybe next time as I want to return to Egypt and explore cities such as Luxor and Alexandria. However, just walking along the banks of the Nile River and eating some local street food was relaxing and thinking of how important and well known the Nile is to the world.
Cairo (Great Pyramids of Giza) Photos
