Henry, who is a real expert on this stuff, about to publish a book on it, briefs us outside about the pyramids. The pyramid of Cheops contains over 2,300,000 limestone stones, weighing from several tons to nine tons each, quarried from the Giza area. The pyramid is larger than St. Peter's and St. Paul's combined, and took 10,000 men twenty years to complete. Most astounding, to me, was the statement that, from the time it was built, in 2600 BC, until the Eiffel Tower was built in the 19th century, or for some 4,400 years, the Great Pyramid of Cheops was the tallest structure in the world.
We walk a little ways up to the entrance, the, inside the pyramid, crouch very low and climb the narrow, sloping path up to the burial chamber. It's a bit challenging and gets warm and tight, especially squeezing past the other 148 coming down, all of whom appear to be Japanese. After we descend, we drive a short distance for views of all three Great Pyramids, including Chephren and Mykerinos. Another short drive takes us to the sphinx, half man and half lion, with faces of the incumbent king or of noblemen.
We visit the boat museum, where we see an absolutely fabulous wooden boat that was found not long ago, and which took 29 years to reconstruct. Made of cedars from Lebanon, it days to the time of Cheops. It is marvelously displayed, elevated high above the ground and surrounded by a walkway.
We stop at a cotton place, but do not buy anything, as there's fixed prices, and so no fun for Carol.
We lunch at Mena House, an Oberoi Hotel, at the Kahn el Khalili Restaurant, enjoying an excellent Indian meal in view of the pyramids. After lunch, we continue to the old Egyptian capital of Memphis, where the principal attractions are a great reclining and two standing statues of Ramses the Great (II) and an alabaster sphinx. We end our day at the step pyramid of Zoser (2700 BC), the oldest stone structure ever built.
Given our short night's sleep, we are happy to return to the room to rest. We have dinner at Al Azhar Park, which, though it affords lovely views of the lit Muhammed Ali Mosque, is very disappointing in both food and service. Return to the hotel, where I blog in the bar, and Carol reads in the room.
Cairo is something of a surprise to me. We'd heard of the horrific traffic and filth, and certainly that reputation is not made out of whole cloth. Traffic is very heavy and, as Kimo said to us, the lane markers appear to be "for decorations.". And, yes, Cairo is dirty. A canal we drove along was filled with garbage. People throw trash out of the windows of their vehicles. But I don't think that I would have made traffic and dirt the cornerstones of my description of Cairo. While there are certainly donkey drawn carriages along the roads, Cairo has a modern flavor to it that contrasts strikingly with the antiquity of the pyramids. And the Nile, particularly at night, is quite beautiful.
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