Cairo 3

The Egyptian Museum
Chris, Mike's son, flew in from New York late on the second night that we were in Cairo around 2:00am...just as we were getting home from a long night out. The next morning he was up and about early, so we went to the Egyptian Museum. Chris and I went to the same museum I had visited 30 years ago as a student...and was a little surprised to see that it had not changed at all. In fact, there were artifacts seemingly tossed in corners of the rooms...with crates strewn about in the middle of the exhibit floors. The signage that identifies the artifacts was probably produced before my last visit to the museum...it was just as I remembered...sheets of paper typed on a typewriter and taped to the glass cabinets. Signs everywhere said "No Flash Photography"...so I started taking some reference shots without flash - after a few photos I was approached by security who asked me to erase the photos from my camera...and stood there while this happened. Obviously the rules have changed...but not the signs.

The Pyramids at Giza
On our way back to the hotel we walked across the bridge that spans over the Nile and met up with Mike and Jake who were anxious to visit the ancient Pyramids. So, we hopped in a cab and headed towards Giza.

We were dropped off at a side gate...in front of one of the many establishments that offer horses and camels. Each of them assures you that they are the best deal in town...and not to trust anyone else. We spoke to a couple of different operators and got quotes that ranged from 70LE per hour to 120LE per hour. By the time we got there, it was around 4:30 and the Pyramids close at 6:00...so we opted to purchase our entry tickets and take a walk around them.

At first we were greeted by the Sphynx...which is not as large as it appears on most pictures...but it is still a sizable monument. Behind it the three large pyramids of Giza stood tall, as they have for millenia. These monuments to humanity and past civilizations are a truly remarkable experience...and I was glad to share it with Jake, Michael and Chris.

The camel pictures.
As it always happens, there were many vendors aggressively hawking water, postcards, and souvenirs...as well as pictures with camels. Chris and I walked up to catch up with Jake who was ahead of us, and we noticed that Jake was standing by a camel and getting fitted with a turban by one of the locals. The man invited Jake to saddle up on the camel...which Jake did while the camel emitted the kind of guttural sounds that only camels can do. As the camel got up, Jake held on to the saddle...and I captured the episode on film. After that, it was Chris's turn...then mine. At the end, the man asked for "bakshish"..and when we gave him 20LE he grabbed Jake and said that he had told him 20LE per person. People are much more aggressive and more physical in the Middle East than we are used to...so Chris and I stepped in and told the man that 20LE is all he was getting and we walked away. At the same time another man on a camel....who might have been a member of the tourist police approached us and told the man to back off...which he did...and we shook hands and walked away.

This type of confrontation is quite typical in Egypt...and for us westerners that are not used to it, the reaction can range from annoying to intimidating....but as we got more used to the general approach, we learned to dismiss it as just a part of the experience.