The Pyramids
The Pyramids   
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Sunday morning I took a bus to Giza to see the pyramids. Taking the bus was an adventure in itself. I was on the normal city line and it took me an hour and a half to get out to the pyramids at the end of the line. Once there is became glaringly obvious that I did not know what I was doing. I was by myself and people wanting to sell me tours, camel rides, and film were constantly accosting me. To be blunt, my trip to see the pyramids was a disappointment. Now I was impressed by the grand scale of the pyramids and respected the engineering that was required to make them, but the grandeur was overshadowed by the scores of people (official and otherwise) trying to take my money. The fact that I was not part of an official tour group merely magnified this fact. That said, the pyramids, the four thousand year old solar barque, and especially the Sphinx, were all impressive, I was just disappointed in the atmosphere. From Giza I took a taxi to Saqqara, which contains older tombs and pyramids than Giza. Saqqara is more spread out and much quieter than the pyramids at Giza. Unfortunately I did not have much time to spend in Saqqara. I did manage to see Zoser's Step Pyramid and funerary complex, as well as the Tomb of Ankhma-Hor. I regret not having more time to explore this area, but I did not arrive until well after noon and the guards started pestering me to leave at 3:00 PM. I took the taxi back to Heliopolis and attempted to meet Rob at work, but couldn't find the school. Instead I just walked back to the apartment and spent the evening reading and resting. |
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