Cairo/Giza, Egypt

Surreal…I think Egypt may be the most heavily researched and written about civilization in the world…and still there is much more to discover…I’ve read about every article and book that I could get my hands on (at least the ones that were credible)…I booked a hotel at Pyramids View Inn…inexpensive lodging…small…quaint…family run…but comfortable enough…the draw though…the Pyramids are literally right outside of your doorstep…every morning I could go to my small balcony and look at the Giza plateau…so close it seemed like I could throw a rock and hit the sphinx…or better yet…sunrises and sunsets from the rooftop bar and restaurant were majestic…I ordered warm hibiscus tea and would just gaze…think…gawk…breathe in the dust that swirled…at night I had a free lightshow…the monuments would be lit up different colors while a brief history of Egypt could be heard playing on the loud speaker in different languages…the restaurant had a decent selection of food…I usually went with the tawook…I passed on the pigeon that was offered…Anthony Bourdain is one of my heroes…but my palette is fairly limited…just outside of the entrance of the pyramids you will find plenty of men and young men offering to get you tickets and guide you…a few beggars hassling and following me…apparently I stand out…some try to coerce you to visit “their” jewelry store…a Kentucky Fried Chicken…and then lots of other businesses line the streets…perfume shops, rugs, shisha…etc…I imagined the surrounding area to be less commercial but, everything is monetized that can be monetized…state of the world…my first day I went to Sakkara…this is where the practice was done for the building of the Giza pyramids which are considered be perfected in both craftsmanship and their alignment with the sunset on winter solstice…Sakkara is home to the Step Pyramid and a few others which are still huge in scale…tributaries of the Nile River flow through…although it looks like the management of the system is non-existent…outside of the plateau, we stopped at a rug making warehouse which is one of the largest industries in the area…I was told that the kids making the rugs do not go to school…needing to help their families…and lack of opportunity sway them to go work at the factories as young men…I did not see any young women working in there…some of this I assume is related to Arab and Muslim culture…I entered one of the pyramids through what seemed like a never ending rectangular shaped hole…you have to walk backwards almost 200 meters…the heat outside is already above 90 degrees and no air enters from this angle…at least I didn’t feel any…I walked around and took a few pictures inside readying my mind for the steep climb to go back up…from the bottom all you can see is a small glimmer of light…it seems like your climbing towards the sky…It takes a solid 5 minutes to climb to the top, nonstop…I’m 6’2 so I have to not only bend over but walk on all fours, which actually helps because there are running boards placed to allow for better footing…but the top just never seems to arrive…by the time I did reach entry/exit which is about halfway up the pyramid…I was gassed…the gentlemen working at the door offered me some hot hibiscus tea…I really didn’t want hot tea while I was sweating profusely but right now anything that wets the whistle is appreciated…I sat down to catch my breath…I have a picture of this moment posted…I was also out of shape which didn’t help…

I could write about the Giza Pyramids at length…but I will spare you all the burden…what I will say is that the energy is indeed real…taking a camel back ride around them…climbing them…standing next to the massive stones, each at least 2 tons…they are truly wonders of the world, man-made…a testament to ancient African ingenuity…as hard as it is to imagine, the pyramids were originally white…they were encased in white limestone, polished smooth…there were no lines, crevices, or separation…the sunlight would reflect on them…and they would glow…at the top…they were capped in solid gold…invaders couldn’t resist…the pyramids even today can be seen from outerspace…I can only imagine what they would have looked like had they not been defaced…to see pictures of them shining bright from space would be remarkable…

History Museum…this place could be a 1-week tour by itself…so many artifacts documenting almost 5,000 years of history…just look at the pictures…I was upset that I did not get to see the one statue that I had my heart on seeing…it’s the full or ¾ body statue of Akhenaten…he was the son of Queen Tiye and Amenhotep III…credited with changing Egyptian religion/spirituality from polytheism (having multiple gods) to monotheism (worship of one god)…also reunifying upper and lower Egypt….the New Museum of Cairo was being built with plans of being opened in 2020…

Dinner Nile Cruise at Cairo by Night w/ Mido

https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/383474

ATV and Camels in Giza Pyramids lunch included hosted by Mido

https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/381165

Brassbell l peaceful studio in zamalek “102-B”hosted by Brassbell

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/996289150878011912?source_impression_id=p3_172253

9110_P3IXHteW7ISjzUi5