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Published: March 21st 2007
The Stepped Pyramids at Saqqara
Took a shot of this pyramid on the way to the entrance.. The pyramid has 6 layers, but only 5 visible from here.. Today is my last day in Cairo, as I'll be taking the overnight train to Luxor.. and I planned to spend the entire day with the pyramids..
The Nile at Cairo Walked to the Nile before hitting out the pyramids to enjoy the Nile at Cairo. The river was pretty nice.. blue waters.. clean.. but as you can see from the photo, air in Cairo is pretty polluted. A german I met the night before told me studies have shown that breathing the air in Cairo for one day is equivalent to smoking 60 cigarettes.. wah.. dunno real or not..
There was a bridge across the Nile connecting to this island (Opera area) before reaching the west bank.. Hey, why not walk across the Nile? Sure.. why not.. but first, let's take a stroll along the Nile..
As I was walking along the Nile, a driver waiting outside the Hotel Intercontinental to pick up tourists called out to me.. and offered his service for a visit to the pyramids.. According to my 2004 edition of Africa on a shoestring, to charter a cab to the pyramids is about US$18 for an entire day, but if you
The Nile at Cairo
Nice water.. lousy air.. take the Metro to Giza station and charter a cab from there, it'd be about US9.50..
The day tour will consists of 1) Giza - where the 3 big pyramids stand side by side.. 2) Saqqara - where the Step Pyramid of Zoser. and the first pyramid ever built is.. 3) Memphis - not the birthplace of rock n roll, but once the ancient pharaonic capital.. and 4) Unknowing to me, Darshur - which i found out from other travellers later (too late, you'll see why) is a pyramid where you can decend 60m into the tombs..
I took a look at his car.. wah. .brand new Chevy, only 2000km on it.. So the driver quoted US$20, i countered US$8.. he said US$10, I said ok! (good price, by 2004 standards even) but i want to walk across the bridge first, so pls pick me up at the other side of the street.. And so starts my crazy, irritating and hectic day before I leave for Luxor..
Sidenote: Prices has indeed risen quite a bit over the past 3 years.. especially the ticket prices of the various sights.. a 25LE ticket can well cost 50LE now.. Breakfast Station!
Where I had my yummy ta'amiya for breakfast.. Stop #1 - Saqqara On the way to Saqqara, the normally-no-need-breakfast me suddenly felt hungry.. and asked the driver, Hassif, to bring me to a place to eat.. he wanted to bring me to a hotel, i said no.. i want CHEAP and GOOD local breakfast.. i stressed to him that CHEAP = 1LE 2LE that kind.. we drove till we reached a small village in Giza area i think.. and he pulled over near a small shop with a push cart in front.. ok? he ask? and ok! i said.. had the classic felafel with fuul and ta'amiya.. and woah.. it's the best ta'amiya i've ever eaten.. (not becos it's the first time i tried ta'amiya.. tried it a couple more times after that breakfast.. but none as good.. ) CHEAP - 2 fuul felafel and 4 ta'amiya felafel for the 2 of us to share.. and only 3LE total i think..
ok.. previously, when there were no pyramids.. the bodies of kings would be stored in tombs protected by walls.. however, wild animals such as jackals learn to negotiate those walls and help themselves to the corpses.. probably that's why Anubis - the jackal-head god
is the god of mummification, to protect mummies from jackals? And during Zoser's reign, there was this great architect, Imhotep, who proposed to the king (let me use king, it's easier to type than pharaoh) the concept of pyramids.. to protect the corpse from wild animals.. and so the first pyramid was constructed.. being first, it was more rough in its design.. and hence was called the step pyramids.. A pyramid is not a solitary design.. aroud the pyramids are also tombs of some people working for the royal family.. maybe engineers, workers.. etc... as well as other buildings such as funerary temples.. etc..
if I eavedropped on one of the tour groups' guide's explanation correctly, what I typed above is correct..
Ticket is 50LE for adults, 25LE for students.. and cars need to pay 5LE each to enter the place.. sadly, they recognized only ISIC and my i-card from the U of I didn't work.. =(
Some egyptian came up to me at the entrance.. and asked me if I want to go see some tombs that are not opened to tourists.. he has the key.. you can smell a baksheesh-motivated guy anytime.. but for special
Pyramid and Horse
Pyramid and horse! tombs that are still under construction / restoration and normally locked? ok.. let's go! I'll pay..
Stop #1.5 - Carpet School There were a lot of carpet schools around Saqqara, and Hassif asked me if I want to take a look..
Kelong alert! Kelong alert! so i asked him if he will get money from the carpet seller if i visit the school.. he said yes.. so ok, i'll go so that he can earn some extra money..
The visit to the school was actually pretty informational.. you can see how hand-woven camel hair/camel wool/silk carpets are made.. those expensive kind sold by arabic looking people in Singapore.. the shou3 fa3 of the weavers are very shu2 lian4.. but they said it'd still take 4 months to weave 1m2 of silk carpet, and 1 month to weave 1m2 of camel wool carpet.. camel hair carpet is very fast.. 1 week.. and so is the order of the price..
Then the sales part came in.. the price he quoted was pretty expensive by 'factory' standards where the carpet has yet to sit aeroplane to Lucky Plaza Maui & Son.. I didn't want to buy anything so did
The carpet school
Stole a shot inside the factory not discuss with the sales guy on the price.. i just want to look interested for 10mins so that Hassif can earn some extra money..
When we left, I asked Hassif how much did he get.. he sadly told me none.. turns out he'll only get commission if i buy something.. oh well, we wasted 15mins.. but ok lah.. we both had a free cup of chai..
Stop #2 - Memphis Not much to see at Memphis.. just a small outdoor museum.. the usual stone displays - statues.. sarcophagi.. etc.. 2 things worth going there tho is a gigantic statue of Ramses II, the great builder, that is lying on the ground in a covered shed-like building.. macam we go see buddha we also go see the sleeping buddha.. so in egypt, we see statues, we also go see lying statues.. another thing of interest in an alabaster sphinx.. quite nice.. but that's about it..
Stop #2.5 - Nena Papyrus When I got out of the Memphis museum, I could find Hassif in the parking lot.. so i looked around.. and found him drinking tea and smoking chicha in front of a papyrus art shop..
so let's join him.. why not? i can use some chai..
The place was pretty nice.. under the shade of the trees that are found oh so commonly in Egypt that I should probably know their names.. so we just sat there.. drink tea.. and i chatted with the shop owner.. the shop owner was real nice and friendly.. after some chat.. and some free chai.. he invited me to take a look at his shop.. and referred me to his shop attendent.. the shop attendent first gave an excellent presentation in very good english on how papyrus paper is made.. using live papyrus plants to demonstrate.. how they remove the sugar and water from the plant.. and press the papyrus strips together to make papyrus paper..
Very informational again, as in the carpet school.. and disappointing for them again, i did not buy anything.. sigh.. sorry man.. it's your luck to meet cheap tourists like me..
Stop #3 - Darshur.. NOT!! Ok.. by the time we leave the papyrus shop, Hassif was pretty dejected.. i think he very sad he did not earn any commission from me.. then has asked me.. now do you want
Chai and Chicha
Nice place.. shady, birds chirping in the trees, good chai.. Nice.. to go Darshur or Giza.. i was like wasn't the plan to go Darshur next and then Giza? and he said no.. if go Darshur, US$10 not enough.. need to add another US$10.. woah.. snake suddenly turn around.. argued for a bit.. in the end, i also a bit frustrated and told him, just go Giza.. dun want to go Darshur anymore.. am surprised he can refute whatever agreements we had before the trip just like that..
but on hindsight, ya lah.. US$10 is a bit cheap from downtown lah.. maybe if i throw in US$5, he'd agree.. some travellers i met on the train later said they paid 100LE (about US$15) for their cab to go the 4 places.. and i didn't know i can decend 60m into the tomb at Darshur!! grr.. oh well.. too bad.. sorry lah, Darshur, today you and i, no fate..
Stop #4 - Giza Arrived at the Giza pyramids.. did not talk to Hassif throughout the trip.. once arrived at Giza, Hassif kept telling me to ride horse or camels to see pyramids.. i said no.. but he still brought me to one of the stables there nonetheless..
These
False Door in Tomb
Not supposed to take pictures in the tomb.. but the guy say ok (baksheesh-oriented).. all pictures are taken without flash... so i didn't destroy/accelerate anything.. horse people are really crooks.. very aggressive in pushing sales to you.. two words they use very very often, and very strong.. "EXCUSE ME!" and "LISTEN!".. walau.. really wanted to tell them f off.. but managed to contain myself.. in the end, i walked off and told driver to just drop me at the entrance to pyramids and he can go home.. no need to wait for me cos i plan to spend the rest of the day at the pyramids.. it was about 130pm then..
If you really want to ride horse.. dun go with touts or drivers.. cos prices will definitely be more expensive! LP said it's about US$3.50/hr (in 2004).. turns out after driver dropped me off.. i went for lunch.. and met the same stable guy on the street.. and he agreed to my initial offer of 30LE / hour (US$5.50) for a horse after allowing for 'inflation'.. then he pulled out his next trick.. 30LE/hr for one horse.. but you need guide to ride with you, and you must pay 30LE/hr for his horse too.. ahh.. whatever.. dun want to ride horse anymore..
By the time i entered the pyramid grounds, it was
Tomb Mural 1
No flash used! Setting ISO 1600 f/3.5 1/40.. max exposure i can manage without tripod. already 230pm.. long lunch.. also sat down with another shop owner cos he said he's going to Thailand.. so he want to talk to me.. another nice guy i met.. no push sales.. just sit down.. and chat.. so in the end got into the pyramid grounds quite late..
wah.. long post again!! ok.. details on the Giza Pyramids and aftermath on next entry...
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