Museums and Pyramids

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Wednesday, MAY 30

Today we began the first day of our organized trip from Cairo to Istanbul by visiting the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and then driving a few miles to the pyramids and the Sphinx at Giza.

The Egyptian Museum is full of what you would expect; mummies, sarcophagusses (burial boxes for mummies), statues of gods, kings, pyramid architects, and other period items from the period of Egyptian history when the pharohs rulled. And the best part is the exhibition of gold and silver objects from King Tut’s tomb; very spectacular stuff.

Unfortunately, they don’t allow cameras so I couldn’t take any pics to send. Not sure why that is, as camera flashes aren’t going to damage the stone figures or gold jewelery.

The museum itself is old and musty, but this doesn’t dissuade the throngs of visitors from flocking to the exhibits. It appears that most people hire a guide, as you can see numerous groups of people clustered around statues and other objects with rapt attention to their guides description of ancient history.

Egypt is serious about security too, with two xray stations to get into the museum, no sharp objects allowed (so I had to check my Swiss Army knife), no cameras, and you walk through metal detectors twice on the way in. Guards are everywhere, and carry automatic weapons and they look like they are quite serious about using them.

From the museum we drove to the pyramids and Sphinx at Giza. Like most people, I have seen pictures of these pyramids and I was prepared to be somewhat nonchalant about seeing them in person, but they are very, very impressive. It would be a massive undertaking to hoist and place those huge stones, even today with modern equipment.

I was also struck by the way the city has nearly encircled the pyramids and the Sphinx; one can almost imagine the day when they will be in the way of urban development, a symbol of a little understood past jutting up from the sands. It is already strange to see people getting out of a bus, holding their cel phone while they climb on a camel to ride across this small section of desert. Kind of like a Disney ride without the music.

Of course I went on a camel ride. A trip to the pyramids wouldn’t be the same without it.

Thursday,, May 31, 2007

We are riding an Egyptian train from Cairo to Aswan where we pick up the expedition “Truck” (see Oasisoverland.co.uk) for a picture. But first we have to get to the airport, and that takes maybe an hour of hair raising traffic through Cairo. We get there ok, and then spend an hour waiting for the train to arrive. From the trip description, I expected we would be in sleeping compartments for the 12 hour overnight trip, but no we are booked in coach seats in the only carriage with no air conditioning. Oh well, this is adventure travel.

As I write this, we are about 2 hours out of Aswan, traveling over bad track at about 30 MPH. Quite a contrast to see farmers with grub hoes working along electric irrigation pumps, horse dawn wagons sharing a road with busses and cars, mud walled brick huts with straw roofs. The appearance is that these farming methods haven’t changed much in a thousand years.

It is supposed to be hot today, too. Maybe 110 degrees in Aswan. I guess I will know in a couple of hours.

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Photos

Guards at the Egyptian Museum
Serious guards here

pyramids in the distance
Pyramids are almost surrounded by the city

old and ancient
As you can see, it was quite smoggy here today