Ride Camel - Check! Visit Pyramids - Check!

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*yawn*

Last night was not an ideal sleep. I spent all night will terrible stomach cramps and this morning I keep running back and forward to the bathroom because im having a debate with my body... I don't want to spew, but it wants to. I just want these terrible stomach cramps to go away! I have a little bit of water left, so chow down some ammonia tablets because on the back it says it gives a fast effect of relieving stomach cramps... And all that other stuff. Im really hoping it just stops me from spewing! Ya know, I thought because I'm a tough kiwi girl I could have handled this awesome Egyptian food!

I head downstairs and have a cup of tea with Kai and Shantelle, grab some water and head back upstairs for a shower. I get ready and pack my bags. Today we are to head to the Egyptain Museum and to the Pyramids of Giza. We meet at 8.30am in the lobby with our luggage. We all barrel into the minivan and head to the museum.

Everyone is excited! Our tour is starting officially today! Once getting through Museum security and trying on one of the security Guards hats, Mohamud explains a couple of things outside and we head in. Mohamud explains so much! About the Old Kingdom, about certain kings and famously about Ramses and King Tut. After these awesome stories we have free time. This time I decide to check out the Mummies, this will be the only chance we get to see mummies! It costs 100egp, which is roughly $20 nzd. Ereni and I head in and awe in the mystical sights. This is so crazy! Looking at mummies, these were once human beings now they are like dried up jerky to put it frankly. The thing that freaked me out was the hair and teeth. It takes 70 days to be mummified and includes having their brain pulled out through their nostrils and a small incision on the left adomen where the organs are taken out and put into separate containers. After checking out mummies such as Ramses the second we head outside and meet up again. Im mobbed by many school children on the way out. Its hard work being me I tell ya!

Now we are going to the Pyramids!!! It takes roughly 30-40 minutes to get to them. On the way Mohamud talks about the revolution and other landmarks around the city. We cross the Nile over a bridge and snap some pictures. By now we can see the pyramids in the distance. I can't get over the fact that I can see them, I only ever saw them in pictures when I was at school!!

We drive past unfinished houses, ones without windows etc. Mohumud explains that if your house is unfinished you do not have to pay taxes. We pass a canal close to the piramids, it's full of rubbish, It's really disgusting. Mohumud explains the people have asked the government to fill it in because the canal is so dirty and brings many diseases and sickness. Further down the canal is filled over some, but the rest needs to be done.

We stop for lunch but I do not eat. I need to get my stomach into working order again!! By now we are very close to the pyramids. So we are just casually eating lunch and looking at them. "Yala" Mohamud stays... (Let's go). Driving up to the pyramids is like a big lead up... I get so excited. I can see camels, horses and other tourists and tour buses. We hop out, grab our tickets, Matt and I buy a Pyramids Giza ticket (means we get to go into the big one!!) and we head inside the gates. On the way in I get told I look like cleopatra. Ok, I'm starting to get the idea that the egyptains say this to everyone now lol. At this point the biggest pyramid is maybe 200 meters away from me, this is unreal! It's a nice clear day and the heat is mild, just perfect. As we stop to click some photos we gasp at actually how massive this creation actually is! So beautiful and bold.

Vendors around the piramids are annoying as ever, Mohamud has told us to ignore all of them and just don't make eye contact. I feel so rude... But the things they are selling are cheap knock offs. Matt and I head towards the steps to go inside the Giza Pyramid. This pyramid is the largest. As we go in there are no hieroglyphics on the walls or anything, we head up approximately 100 meters of a boarded ladder. You know like those ones you play on in the playgrounds, where it's board, but has like square wood bits as the rungs sorta deal, to stop you from slipping? Ya that. It's hard work clinging these and Matt and I have our sweat on, it's very hot.

As we reach the top we enter a square room, with a surcoficace inside it. It hits me, I'm actually in a pyramid that was built in the BC times , which still is a mystery as to how this was actually built. I'll be honest though being in this room, I expected way more.. it's a very plain room and dark. We head on out, going down is much easier than coming up! Ahhh, fresh air! Thank goodness!

We meet the Others that are sitting at the base of the pyramid and head off towards an area where you can take awesome panoramic's and ride a camel! Mohmud explains it costs 100egp to ride a camel, get photos and a scarf! Cool! While exiting the van a man greets us with a head scarf, we give him 80egp and save 20egp for tipping for when we get off the camel. Contiki have got all the camels so we head over to take some Jumping photos in front of the pyramid. Gosh this was a laugh!!

After we are finished we head off to the camels!! #3 on the bucket list of things to do in Egypt! We approach the camels and are assisted with getting on to them, this isn't the hard bit, it's when they stand up that's the harder bit. I lean back and up he goes. OMG! These camels are tall!!! My camel is the leader and everyone is tied in a line to me. A lovely Egyptian fellow walks us along making sure we are reassured and feel confident in these camels. I'm honestly buzzing, this is the best experience! We stop at a bit where we can see 9 piramids behind us and he lines us all up side by side for a photo. Cool! Then individually he takes photos. Time to head back! This time I'm actually holding the rains - jeepers. This dude must have a lot of confidence in my abilities! Coz I don't lol.

Once we get back I can honestly say that was once of the best experiences I have had so far. Right, time to visit a little Pyramid and the famous Sphinx. We drive to a little Pyramid which Mohamud has the hook ups with. The security person allows us to take photos inside! This Pyramid isn't that big and it actually goes down instead of up like the other. I lie in the surcoficace and they take a photo of me Haha. We go back out and walk down to the Spinx. The Spinx is huge and Mohamud tells us about it and its history. We head through the temple and take some funny pictures then head to a good point where we can take some good pictures of the Spinx. A little Egyptian boy is being a pester. He is funny though. But he's taking the piss out of James at one stage I think he nipple crippled James, oh and checked under James sleeve to make sure he was all white!! He's calling us girls, Shakira, which isn't the first time we've heard that, everyone calls the girls Shakira because that's the name of a hot girl kinda deal. We snap some pics of the spinx and head back towards our bus .

Now we are off to a place that makes perfumes etc. We enter this place and it feels warm and comforting. We sit down in a lounge like shop and a gentleman greets us and tells us what he is going to show us and let us try some of his aromic perfumes. He explains that they are made naturally without alcohol and that we are welcome here whether or not we buy anything. We are his guests.

We try various perfumes, some of which are similar to label brands such as Christian dior etc. there are some oils that help aid in specific stuff such as chest coughs, immunity, and sexual activity lol. I buy a box of four, Jasmine, Christian Dior, Sandle wood (good for itchy bites) and Black Seed oil good for immunity and coughs. I need this lol. We leave and by now it is dark.

To the train station! In my group I am the only one that upgraded from the normal passenger train to a sleeper train. So I join with the Contiki group for the night. I meet a nice couple that are New Zealanders, Evan and Rochelle. I end up spending the evening with them playing last card, kings and arseholes, speed etc. While we are minding our own business, Contiki being Contiki are just worried about hooking up and crap, so we watch the school like behavior and laugh.

The sleep was good, it was a 12 hour train ride from Cairo to Aswan, didn't feel long at all. Very bumpy and the toilets are gross as. You do your business then hit a foot pedal to flush and your business goes straight out onto the tracks, toilet paper and all. It's very gross. Dinner and breakfast is included, but because my tummy is wheezy I have decided to only stick with bread stuff.

Such a full on day, but definitely tops, from spending lunchtimes in the library as a kid trying to get my head around all of this now I have actually experienced all of this... I guess that's what ya call living the dream or something? Or is it just starting?

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Photos

Pyramids - Tick!
Repping my Egyptian.

We're going in!
Matt and I heading into the biggest Pyramid!

Yay for Egypt!
Jumping photos, the best!

Camel - Tick!
My Camel was gorgeous! Behind you can see the Pyramids. You can tell from this photo but there is actually 9 of them behind me!

Camel Groupies!
From the left.
Jamas (James), Tilly, ME, Ereni, Matt and Jasmine.
This photo funnily enough dictated out group. Jamas Camel goes the other way (hes gay), Tilly's, Ereni;s and mine are just chilling single like then Matt and Jasmines are together (they are a couple). Haha

Heeelllppp meeee!
Casual Sarcophagus

Temple for Mummies!
This is where one of the famous Kings got Mummified.

The Spinx
Its huge and amazing

The whole Shabang!
Sun setting over Giza