Cairo - 19/12 - The pyramids, Saqqara and Memphis

The day had finally arrived.  Up at 7, breakfast at 7.30 and off to Giza at 8.  We were collected  in a very comfortable minivan (and believe me there is a wide variety of these in Egypt - always be sure you know what you are getting before you get it!).  arranged by Mohamed and driven by Ahmed.  We drove past Tahir sqare (Ahmed was very much against the demonstators and felt that Mubarack should have been left in power - one of the many contradictory opinions from various people who took us places in Egypt).  We passed across the bridge and the island, with the Opera house and hotels, in to the city of Giza.  Then past the Cairo Zoo and out towards the pyramids.  I'm not sure if this was the standard route, but once we left the main city, the roads became narrow and the populace poorer.  Before too long, we could see the pyramids and soon stopped in a run down area opposite the alternative entrance gate (as it turned out, this was the gate that would usually be used for the sound and light show).  True to form, Ahmet let one of his friends show us to a bank and then attempt to sell us a camel ride.  La shocran - no thanks.

Once at the entrace, the teller gave us uphill about the 'students' and said we had to pay the full price (240LE).  I gave him 200LE and he accepted this and gave us student tickets (taking 20LE for the pleasure).  No one is below being bribed in Egypt - even when you don't know you're doing it!  
The route from the entrance went directly to the sphinx which was visitble in the mist of the morning (we couldn't actually see the pyramids at this stage).  


Once we had walked as close to the sphinx as we were allowed as well as exploring some of the tombs in front of it, we began the trek up the hill to the great pyramid.  Before going to the Great Pyramid, we found an entrance to one of the queens - much smaller - pyramid.  

There was a keeper there who ' allowed us to go in with our cameras.  We entered through a narrow passage downwards  into a small room where there had been two sarcophaguses.  Next stop was the Great Pyarmid towering high and dominating the landscape.

We climbed up the steps to the entrance to discover that we should have obtained separate tickets to get into the larger pyramids.  So out we went to get tickets  and after some discussion amongst ourselves, decided to go for the less expensive option.  Fiona and I figured that walking long distances in narrow passages to see a hole that once contained something that was now in some museum somewhere wasn't really worth the 100LE each or so extra that they wanted us to pay. The less expensive option turned out to be the smallest pyamid - the pyramid of Mycerinus. Guy was a little disappointed as he would have liked to have crawled through all the passages if he could.  We told him he could bring his children back here one day in the future!

Tickets in hand, we headed for the second two pyarmids.  To be honest the 'going in to the pyarmid' was a little disappointing.  
There was a tunnel and a couple of carved out rooms, but we did not feel that the alternative would have been much better.  After we emerged, we walked further round and very soon we reached the edge of the desert.  Photo opportunity for 3 pyramids + queens' pyramids.  We walked round the 3 smaller queens' pyramids but could not find an entrance.




 

  

  

Time to walk back to the main gate.  Knowing that Lauren was keen for a cameo ride, we happened upon a group of camels resting in the shade.  Indicating interest, there was a fairly hectic bargaining session which gave lauren and Guy a trip to the main gate - each on a camel for 50LE.  I duly tipped the camel leader and we left the area with both Lauren and Guy happy with the experience to find our driver.  

 

 

I mistook him for a guy outside a tea shop smoking a shisha.  When I spoke to him, he offered me a puff.  An old lady (selling tissuse - which seems to be a form of begging in Egypt) apprached and said that smoking was bad for me.  It was then that I realized that I had approached a stranger.  He said I should tip the old lady which I did.


We all clambered on to the minibus for the trip to Saqqara.  The trip there wa along a country road bordered on one side by market gardens of cabbages (which are huge in Egypt) , carrots and palm plantations and on the other side by a very grimy canal filled with weeds and the dreaded plastic packets.  We turned off the road into one of these plantations and came to a guarded entrance.  Suddenly we came upon a smaort entrance and parking area.  
We paid our dues (185LE - they accepted the kids as students with no problems) and went off to look at the small museum.  As with Giza, there were very few tourists around and when we then drove to the top of the hill we came into a very large car park with only a couple of buses and a small pack of stay dogs all looking hot and uninterested in life.

The path from the car park lead to a temple which was in front of the Stepped pyramid.  This was Zossers funery complex and the pyramid is one of the first pyramids to be built.  It was apparently built out of brick in the same was as were the surrounding mastabas or tombs.

On the other side of the temple were a couple of old men twin camels ( also lazing in the afternoon sun - didn't even bother to offer us rides).  A guard approached us and asked if we needed help finding the tombs 'no charge'.  We politely refused when it became clar that a baksheesh was in fact part of the deal.  We wandered round the unfinished pyramid and found the entrance which was firmly closed.



There was little sineage so it took a while before we  found our first real tomb.  With the tomb came a keeper who eyed us as we entered.  This was the tomb of Idut.  I was much cheered as I was beginning to lose faithe in this area.  The walls were covered  with hieroglyphs and picture stories from 5 thousand years before.  It was wonderful to experience  these up close and to be able to feel their origins.  

Illicit photographs

The old man appeared and told us (in signs) that as soon as the other two arrivals (who had been happily videoing) had left, he would let us use our cameras.  I figured it would be worth a backsheesh for the pleasure.  He disappeared and we went ahead.  The old man returned for his cash.  I gave him 5LE and he started arguing that there were 3 cameras.  No deal had been closed so he had to live with it.  We explored the other rooms and returned outside to the fresh air.  Now that we know what to look for, it was easier to find a few other smaller (un-guarded) tombs.  We went into one other which an old keeper opened for us but by this time I was getting agro with the fact that I had paid to get in and I was now expected to pay every time I wanted to see something worth while.

   



  We returned through the open area in front of the temple and looked at some fake facades, then climbed up some stairs above the entrance to the temple where we had a great view of the area.  Suddenly a men appeared on either side telling us that we weren't allowed  up.  

On the Entrance

The Temple of Ti

Gone to the Dogs

So we came down (choosing the less aggressive looking man) ignoring the apparent requirement to pay for the pleasure, and returned to Ahut who drove us round to the mastaba of Ti.  Time was getting short so we felt a little rushed, but the tomb was well laid out with a number of rooms and lots of fascinating hieroglyphics and wall stories as well as a statue of Ti who was a rich Egyptian as  opposed to a pharaoh.  There was also a burial chamber and an entrance hall.  The keeper did not ask for a tip - so I gave him one!


Final stop was the museum at Memphis.  This should have been a 15 minute drivebut there was a traffic jam on the road (which was one way on each side of the grungy canal).  We retraced about 1km and joined the other side.  Achmut followed some other cars into a very narrow alley between the mud brick houses at the side of the road.  With his large minibus, there wasn't enough space between him and a motorbike and he ended up with a small scratch on the rear side.  Soon after we emerged we arrived at the Memphis museum.


 This features a huge reclining statue of Ramses II which was most impressive.  There was an upper storey to allow you to see the statue from above.  The rest of the ehibits were less impressive with a whole lot of broken statuettes and columns.  These were all outside in what is largely a tourist trap in the form of a market.  Lauren bought a carpet after some hard bargaining (she is a past master at this process) for 50LE.  I suspected that the young boy who sold it to her exceeded his mandate.  We finished up well before pumpkin time (4pm) and relaxed as we got into the minicab to 'head home'.


  

The home trip was uneventful as we passed through the beautiful farm lands contradicted by the rubbish along the canal. 

Eventually we came back through the crazy evening traffic.  Looking down over the region of Tahir square there was a big demonstration going on - further comments from our driver about the demonstrators.  
 




We returned - exhausted after a very busy day.  

In the evening we went across th road to a restaurant that mainly advertised pizzas, but they took us  in and gave us an english menu much of which (including beef and meat) was unavailable.  The children settled for chicken (which looked just like Kentucky Fried Chicken) and I had kofta ahd tehina (humos).  The food came with pickled veggies and was most enjoyable.  Fiona had spaggetti and an Egyptian salad.  We returned for our nightly tot of  whisky and games of rummy.


Gunfire in the distance kept us awake for much if the night - it seemed to be particularly vociferous.