Egypt Explorers: Culture Shock

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June 28th 2009

Published: September 23rd 2009

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Missy and Michele

garbage

The amount of garbage in Cairo was just astonishing.

Today was the first official day of our study tour. We met our tour leader Mayer who is an Egyptologist and a coptic christain (more later on the copts). We met the rest of our tour group, and found out that there were three ladies from Canada, a family from Oregon, a couple from California, a lady from Ireland, and a father and daughter from Australia. We would be spending the next two weeks with these people, and I hope they are laid back and friendly. So far, so good.

Mayer said Sunday is the best day to tour Cairo due to the traffic. Cairo is famous for traffic jams; it is half the size of New York, but with twice as many people. There are 600,000 people per sqaure mile, making it the world's most densley populated city. We are off to see the only remaining wonder of the ancient world this morining- The Pyramids at Giza. During our drive to Giza, Michele and I realized just how bad the culture shock was going to be. Sure we had read about Egypt and seen picutres, but until you see if for yourself, you just can't fathom that places like

Houses in Cairo

The living conditions in Cairo.

this still exist. The living conditions are pitiful. In some areas, it looked as if a bomb had exploded. The garbage is a real issue here too. The streets are filled with it. We drove alongside a branch of the Nile and the river banks were piled with garbage. Massive amounts! Our tour guide told us that people here are so poor that their main concern is with feeding their families.

When we arrived at the ticket counter, Mayer advised us if we wanted to go into a pyramid to buy a ticket for the second largest one. He said the first one was very steep and constricted. Only three hundred people per day are allowed to enter the pyramids to aid in preservation. He also told us not to let people around the pyramids help us take photos or help us with anything. At the time I did not understand what he meant. I thought that sounded a little rude, but it did not take long to see what he meant. Michele and I immediately got introduced to the tactics of the Egyptian soliciters. Where we come from, people do things for others just to be kind, but

The Pyramids of Giza

Here you see just how close the city is to the Pyramids.

here they do things and expect to be paid or tipped. As soon as we stepped out of the van, we were approached by numerous men begging us to buy things. At the overlook, men, even the tourist police, were very pushy and tried to rip the camera out of my hands. They wanted to take a picture of us, not to be helpful, but to make money. It was very hard, but you had to be rude to them at times. It was difficult to take in the grandeur of the pyramids because the people were so desperate for money. I did manage to ignore what was going on around me for a few minutes to get some great photos.

After our photo opt, we rode camels down to the Pyramids. They smelled like they really needed a bath! It was an awesome experience to be in front of the Pyramids on a camel. As we got closer, I realized just how large these structures were. Once at the base of the Pyramids, Mayer gave us a lecture on age, size, and construction of the pyramids. He disputed the belief that they were made by slaves or aliens!

The Pyramids at Giza

Some of the first photos I took of the Pyramids.

He told us if you walked around the largest pyramid, it would be about a kilometer. He also said that they have found remains of houses around the pyramids where the workers lived. He said it they were slaves they would not have had the items that were found in the digs.

During our lecture, one of the ladies on our group collapsed. It shows you just how hot the Egypt sun is. It takes the life out of you in minutes!

Next on the agenda was exploring the second largest pyramid! As soon as I started the descent into the Pyramid, I became soaked from the heat and the humidity. The guards all smiled at me like they knew a secret as I started down. I found out what the secret was. It was their own amusement of the struggle the dumb tourists would endure as they tried to go down into the pyramid. Your fears just take over. Your heart starts beating fast, and you try to breathe, but it feels like no air is filling your lungs. The descent is long, and narrow. Barely enough room to turn around. Michele made it half way and

The Pyramids at Giza

Michele in front of the Pyramids.

decided she had better turn around, but I wanted the expereince of making to the burial chamber, so I just kept telling myself to take it slow and breathe. The further down I went, the dizzier I became probably due to the poor circulation of air or should I say lack of air. But I made it! To my disappointment, the chamber was bare and only contained a modest sarcophagus. It was bigger than the door, so archeologists believe the Pyramid was built around it. On my way back up, I passed several tourists who were really strugglingng with breathing and claustrophobia. I had to step over two teenage boys who were trying to catch their breath to start the long ascent back to the door.

After that experience, Michele and I decided to visit the boat museum. The fact it was air conditioned made the decision for us. We started the short walk to the museum, but it seemed to take hours because of the intense heat. Half way there, two men with camels approached us in a secluded area. The short cut we took did not seem like such a good idea at this time. They insisted

The Pyramids at Giza

Missy in front of the Pyramids.

to wrap our heads with scarves just to make friends with us. Then, they snatched my camera and wanted us to get back on the camel. We insisted we already had taken a camel ride. Then, they wanted us to pose while they took pictures. of us. After we let them snap a few shots, they insisted we give them money. We gave them a dollar and they became very angry and wanted more. I took off and told them that was all I was giving them. I tried to walk as fast as I could to get to the open area near the museum. I could still hear Michele arguing with them about money, but being the true friend that I am, I just abandoned her and tried to save myself! Ha, Ha. If you are wondering if she made it away safely, she did!

The boat museum was awesome. I learned on the sides of the causeway were rectangular pits that contained the dismantled plankings of a boat. There were 1,224 separate cedarwood parts that were reassembled and reconstructed and is hanging in the middle of the museum. No one knows for sure how the boat was

The Pyramids at Giza

Missy, with the help of a pushy tourist policeman, picking up the pyramid.

used. One theory said the Khufu needed the boat in his after life to cross the Nile. Another theory states the Boat was a funerary bark that carried Khufu's body from Memphis to his pyramid tomb.

The last site in Giza we toured was the Great Sphinx. You always see the pyramids photographed in the middle of the desert, but that is very misleading. The town comes right up next to the Sphinx. It is a mysterious creature with a lion's body and a human's face. It is dwarfed by the Pyramids, but is still pretty big. Its body is 172 feet and the height of the head is 66 feet. No one really knows what the Sphinx represented to the ancient Egyptians. Another mystery remains concerning the loss of the beard and nose. One theory states that the French soldiers shot it off, but drawings before the time they invaded depicts it without a beard and nose. Anyway, the Egyptians would like to restore it, but the British will not give it back from the museum even though the Egyptians have long demanded its return. While we were at the Sphinx, an Egyptian boy convinced us to let

The camel ride

Michele and Me on camels!

him take photos of us. He had us doing the craziest things like kissing the Sphinx and giving him water. We had no idea how cute they would turn out! On our way to the bus, we were bombarded by children begging us to give them money or purchase their souveniers. We couldn't refuse them, so we ended up giving them money.

After visiting the sites a Giza, we went to a farm restaurant on the outskirts of Cario to sample authentic Egyptian food. When we arrived at the front door, there were women making bread in brick ovens outside. We were also met by a band who played authentic egyptian instruments. We dinned in a huge patio area outside that was covered by a pergola. The waiter brought out numerous dished, but my favorite was some type of eggplant recipe and humus. The bread was very good too. It is not like the bread we eat. it was thin and crunchy.

To conclude our tour of Cairo, we ended it with a trip to the Egyptian Museum. We only had a couple of hours here which was not an adequate amount of time to explore thousands of

The Solar Boat

Funerary bark or transportation in the after life?

years of Egyptian history. It was built during the reign of Khedive Abbass Helmi II in 1897, and opened on November 15, 1902. It has 107 halls divided into seven sections, each section devoted to one era in Egypt's history. The building is not air conditioned, and it was very hot on the inside, but worth it. It was amazing how these precious treasures were just sitting out unprotected from the heat and the toursits. The displays were not labeled adequately, but with the help of our personal Egyptologist, Mayer, he informed us of the most special pieces in the museum. The most spectacular exhibit was the treasures from King Tutankhamen's tomb. Mayer gave us some free time to explore parts of the museum on our own. Michele and I decided to buy the extra tickets to see the mummy exhibits. We could not travel to Egypt without seeing mummies. It was amazing how well preserved they were. They just looked a little dehydrated. You could still see their hair and even could tell what color it had been! We also went to see the animal mummies. The Egyptians had preserved crocodiles and numerous other animals. This was our favorite