Day 4 - Camels and deserts and pyramids...oh my! (Nov 8)

G, Lauren, and I had a hired car take us to a camel stable in Giza, and from there, we rode into the desert to see the great pyramids! The ride cost us 220LE total, and the camel ride for 2.5 hours was 300LE each (student price). It was so much fun, and we got some great pics. Mine was named Mickey Mouse, but it seems that every camel/horse/donkey is named that or Michael Jackson for American tourists...

Our guide was a lot of fun, leading us by horse, and doing tricks like standing up on it. He took a million goofy pictures of us acting like we were holding, sitting on, and high kicking over the pyramids. We got to touch and climb on one of the smaller pyramids, and also saw the Sphinx from a short distance. The scenery was beautiful, save the hoards of tourists and the buses that brought them there (and the bit of litter in the desert...).

After Giza, he drove us to Sakkara to see the Imhotep Museum and the oldest pyramid in Egypt. Here's more info from Wikipedia because I'm being lazy...
"While Memphis was the capital of Ancient Egypt, Saqqara served as its necropolis. Although it was eclipsed as the burial ground of royalty by Giza and later by the Valley of the Kings in Thebes, it remained an important complex for minor burials and cult ceremonies for more than 3,000 years, well into Ptolemaic and Roman times. The step pyramid at Saqqara was designed by Imhotep for King Djoser (c.2667-2648 BC). It is the oldest complete hewn-stone building complex known in history. It is also the location of the newly opened (in 2006) Imhotep Museum.It is also where the tomb of King Menes, the first pharaoh of Egypt lies."

We then tried to go to Memphis, but it was 4:01 and the museum closed at 4. Bummer, but maybe when we go back to Cairo we can try to see it again.

Our driver was very sweet, stopping to buy us sodas and ho-hos along the way. We ended up tipping him 90LE altogether because he spent a few extra hours with us as well. He seemed pleased, as were we. He took us back to the hostel to chill out for an hour or so before packing up.

That night, we boarded an overnight train with four Aussies and headed to Aswan. "First class" isn't what you think...unless you're thinking in Egyptian terms. It was a 6-seat cabin with six people in it, and not all that clean. Regardless, we made it 12 hours later, and that brings me to the next post.