“How you spend your time is more important than how you spend your money. Money mistakes can be corrected, but time is gone forever.”
― David Norris
Go-Date: Day 58, Thursday. March 21
Lesson Learned: Travel may not always be easy, but it should always be rewarding.
After a Lifetime; Finally, the Pyramids
The first thing we did after arrival at our hotel is set up an interview with a personal tour guide. We’d decided not to do a group tour, so this was the next logical step. We were connected with a degreed, very knowledgeable guide named Andrew. He’s a sub-contactor that works for a company that has a contract with a hotel. The bigger and fancier the hotel, the more experienced and qualified the guide (and more expensive). We were at a 4-star hotel, so Andrew didn’t necessarily have the experience that a guide you would get at the Ritz or the Four Seasons, but with 12 years on the job and a double degree from Cairo University, we found that he really knew his stuff. We told him what we did, and did not want to see, and he did a pretty fair job of setting that up. I really didn’t want to, but we did the Pyramids in the morning and the Egyptian Museum in the afternoon, along with lunch and an obligatory stop at a papyrus shop to try and get us to buy some wares. It was a great day, and Andrew was a wealth of information.
We left at 9 and got back late. Costs through the hotel were over $100 plus you tip the driver and the tour guide as well. I tried to get a reading on what was appropriate, but the only answer you will get from them is “What-ever you feel is right for you.” I think you should do about 10% for the driver and 20% or 25% for the guide. I’m not sure if they get anything from the hotel, so they could be working for just tips. It was a long day for these guys, but I suspect that is the norm.
Everybody knows about the pyramids, or at least we think we do. The Giza pyramid complex is on the Giza Plateau right on the outskirts of Cairo. Now, this isn’t like driving from Washington, DC to Tacoma Park, even on a bad day. I mean Cairo is big, I mean incredibly big. It’s like when a flea looks at an elephant, that’s a whole lot of real estate to consider for re-location. When people here tell you how many people live here you will hear 19 million on the low side, and 29 million on the high. It’s probably somewhere south of 25 million, but I think after seeing how everything else runs in Egypt, that I wouldn’t expect a census to be anywhere close to being accurate.
The complex includes the three Great Pyramids (Khufu/Cheops, Khafre/Chephren and Menkaure/Mykerinos), the Great Sphinx, several cemeteries, a workers’ village and an industrial complex, two 7-11s, 65 curio kiosks, 2 toilets with 6 stalls, a camel stable, 53 thousand guys trying to sell you toy pyramids, papyrus paintings, or King Tut Spinxs. Though its only about 9 km (5 mi) west of the Nile river at the old town of Giza you’d better plan on about an hour to hour and a half commute to it on your visit, unless you are staying in Giza.
The pyramids are considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World which is well deserved, and it’s the oldest of the ancient Wonders and the only one still in existence.
Pyramids and Sphinx
You won’t find the pyramids listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site by themselves, instead they are lumped into the heading of “Pyramid fields from Giza to Dahshur” part of Memphis and its Necropolis. Confusing, and I think a cheat to Egypt but this grouping includes the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur which has Great Pyramid of Giza, Pyramid of Khafre, Pyramid of Menkaure, the Great Sphinx, Giza itself, West Field Giza, East Field Cemetery, and GIS Central Field. No, we didn’t go to all these places. We didn’t even look up what they are and where they are. My bad.
The Pyramids of Giza that you see when you pay your entrance fee consist of the Great Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Cheops or Khufu built around c. 2580 – c. 2560 BC), the slightly smaller Pyramid of Khafre (or Chephren) which appears taller since it was built on a hill a few hundred meters to the south-west, and the relatively modest-sized Pyramid of Menkaure (or Mykerinos) a few hundred meters farther south-west. These were built by the father (Khufu), the son (Chephren), and the grandson (Mykerinos).
The Great Sphinx is over on the east side of the complex. Current thinking among Egyptologists is that the head of the Great Sphinx is that of Khafre. I don’t know if that’s true, and I’m not sure how they would know either, but I do know that it has its nose chopped off just like half the statues in Egypt (supposedly done by grave robbers or jealous descendants that thought this desicration would prevent the dead from breathing after death (?) and hinder their return to effect their revenge on the offenders). I do know that after reading what the priests did to the dead during the mummification process, expecting the dead pharaohs to be breathing would have been the least of my worries. Along with these major monuments are a number of smaller satellite structures and out buildings, known as “queens” pyramids, causeways and valley pyramids. You can’t have a pyramid unless you build it in the right neighborhood.
Khufu’s Pyramid
Khufu’s pyramid complex consists of a valley temple, which is now buried beneath the village of Nazlet el-Samman; basalt paving and circular limestone walls. The valley temple was connected to a causeway which was largely destroyed when the village was constructed. The causeway led to the Mortuary Temple of Khufu. The basalt pavement is the only thing that remains. The king’s pyramid has three smaller queen’s pyramids associated with it and five boat pits. Believe it or not, the Nile ran right next to the pyramids when they were constructed (or close anyway). The boat pits contained a ship, and the 2 pits on the south side of the pyramid still contained intact ships.
Khafre’s Pyramid
Khafre’s pyramid complex consists of a valley temple, the Sphinx temple, a causeway, a mortuary temple and the king’s pyramid. Khafre’s pyramid appears larger than the adjacent Khufu Pyramid, (but it’s not) by virtue of being built on a higher elevation, and the steeper angle (pitch) of the walls. Khafre’s pyramid also has a great deal of casing stones at its apex, sort of like chocolate syrup on an ice cream cone.
Menkaure’s Pyramid
Menkaure’s pyramid complex consists of a valley temple, a causeway, a mortuary temple, and the king’s pyramid. The king’s pyramid has three subsidiary or queen’s pyramids. Of the four major monuments, only Menkaure’s pyramid is seen today without any of its original polished limestone casing. It’s thought that most of the casing stone was stolen to use in other structures built in the past 4,000 years or so.
Sphinx
The Sphinx dates from the reign of king Khafre. During the New Kingdom, Amenhotep II dedicated a new temple to Hauron-Haremakhet and this structure was added onto by later rulers. Personally, I think the Sphinx is pretty cool. It’s got personality while the pyramids are just massive. Together, they are a sight to behold rising out of the drifting sands.
This was a fabulous day. Its a sight everyone should witness at least once in their lifetime. Be sure to see the light show one evening. It’s kind of campy, but the pyramids and sphinx are beautiful lit up.