Giza

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Hi all.

I arrived in Cairo a few days ago and met a New Zealander in the pub of my Hotel. Jan is on another tour and had a few days free as well, so we agreed to get together the following day and head to Saqqara. Saqqara is where the oldest pyramid in Egypt is, its over 4600 years old, and is different from the pyramids in Giza in that it is a 'step pyramid'. It was really amazing and the first Ancient Egyptian site that I have been to, so I was just in awe. And the tombs there.. we saw 3 different tombs and they were all spectacular.. just amazing.. You could still see the paintings and the heirogyphics on the walls, the colours were still bright in so many places, and one tomb had statues carved all into the wall.. it was so so cool.. To be standing in something that incredibly old, with so much amazing history.. well I still can hardly believe that I was there. Our next stop was Memphis to see the sites there, nothing spectacular except a HUGE statue of Rammseys the II, which really was HUGE!!

I met with my tour group that evening, they are mostly all from Australia and New Zealand so it should be an incredibly good trip. We met the first morning to head off to Giza and the Pyramids!! OK WOW!! I really can't describe them.. They are spectacular, and although I have seen pictures a ton of times, it's not until you are standing in their shadow that you really get a sense of the amazing feat of engineering required to build these monstrous tombs. They are 147, 136, and 66 meters high. We were able to go inside of the second pyramid. I had NO idea and was totally thrilled that I was about to go into the tomb. So you walk down through a very narrow and low tunnel, it couldn't have been more than 3.5 feet high. It was really something, then you come out to a corridor, walk along that for a bit, then go back up a similar low, narrow corridor until you are in the tomb. Of course all the tombs have been robbed and there was nothing left in it except for the stone sarcophagus, but it was so amazing to me to be inside the pyramid. We wandered around and got into trouble from the tourist police for standing on some stones for pictures and then we headed to the sphinx. The sphinx is 20 meters high and 70 meters long and when you look directly at it with the pyramids in the background, well it was a spectacular site.. There is also the ruins of the sphinx temple and I wandered around that for a while. The site of the pyramids and the sphinx is right in the city of Giza, which is basically the city of Cairo. I had NO idea it was that close.. You are looking at the sphinx, wandering around it and 250 meters away are guest houses and shops and restuarants. It was crazy and not what I expected at all. Very interesting and amazing, just a fantastic introduction to Egypt.

We then packed up and went to the train station for our overnight train to Luxor.

Tami

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Comments

[Cristie]

Wow
Hey Tami, Glad to hear you are still having such a great time. Are you at all looking forward to coming home? Doubt it! Cristie

[Tracy]

Coming Home
I know you are having a great time, but we are anxiously awaiting your return. It has not been the same without you!!!!!!