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Published: April 11th 2012
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It was another early departure to make the 10 hour drive from Dahab to Cairo. Due to the same security risks on the Sinai, our route had to be changed, adding an additional three hours to the drive.
As we chugged along slowly around the winding, mountainous roads the smell of burning fuel blew through the bus and we came to a sudden holt. I had to laugh, we had only been on the road for about 30 or so minutes and were already having engine problems. Our driver thankfully got the bus moving again quickly, so there was no major hold up. After a long and hot ride, we eventually made it to the outskirts of Cairo. Driving through the chaotic and packed city, it was easy to see just how populated the Capital is. There are approximately 20 million plus people who live in the city alone, with a further 2- 3 million traveling in to Cairo each day for work. That evening we took taxis's to old Cairo, near Khan El Khelili souq for dinner and to check out the markets. Of all my travels, it was the craziest and scariest driving i have experienced. The driver would
accelerate to high speeds then zip across three lanes to suddenly need to brake behind a semi tailor. Several times I thought I might die!!! After yet again another delicious meal we walked the souq see what treasures we could find. I had already read about the markets and was prepared for the comments we would receive being females. Still, it was hilarious as every shop we passed, the sellers would try their charm on us hoping to get a sale. There were too many to mention, but my favorite was " your eyes are like the brightest of stars in the night sky", I was also asked a few times if I was Adele? The following day was one we had been looking forward to - exploring the Pyramids. Our first glance of the Pyramids was traveling through the city. I had always imagined they were further out past Cairo, in an almost rural location. Not so, the Pyramids literally lie between run down apartments blocks and various American fast food chain restaurants right in the middle of the city. We explored the three Pyramids (Khufu, Cheops & Mycerinus), climbed down through Mycerinus Pyramid and toured the Sphinx. That
afternoon we visited the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Our tour leader Mohammad has a masters in Egyptology, so the wealth of information he was able to provide us was price less. I think now everyone in our tour is appreciative of having him as our leader, even our hard to please British travel companion! Though King Tutankhamun didn't really accomplish anything worthy during his rein, the King Tut room with sarcophagi, death mask and various jewels was the highlight, of course along with the Mummies Room. It is unbelievable that the Mummies are in as good condition as they are, still intact with teeth, hair and nails. This evening we are boarding a night train to Aswan, said to be a sleepy town on the Nile. Considering it is the third largest city in Egypt, I'm not exactly sure how sleepy it's going to be, but looking forward to it all the sameX
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