Alexandria & Pyramids - April 16, 2012

Once you’ve seen one set of four-thousand-year-old great pyramids, you’ve seen them all.  Literally.  And now we have!  More on that below.

Alexandria

Docking Alexandria

The ship arrives at sunrise in Alexandria harbor.  Off the ship by 7 AM and on to a bus for today’s tour.  It turns out to be one of those perfect, Forrest-Gump kinds of days.  Remember Forrest, the guy who always seemed to turn up at the right place at the right time to witness something momentous?  Well, ours perhaps was not “momentous” but it certainly was spectacular.  First, it is Queen Elizabeth’s maiden visit to Alexandria.  Second, it is an Egypt-wide holiday called Spring Day – falls on the Monday after the Coptic Easter and is the annual somewhat-belated-but-traditional celebration of the first day of spring – so the city traffic is light and the Egyptians are out in force, enjoying their holiday.  Third, it is one of the first tours of the pyramids conducted by our tour guides since last year’s events leading to the Egyptian version of “Arab Spring”.  Fourth, our bus, the first of a long convoy, has as its onboard tour guide “Hany”, who was previously selected to guide Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Majors of the UK through the pyramid complex.  Hany made it a very special day indeed! 


The tour began with a brief drive-by tour and Cliff-Note history lesson of Alexandria, followed by a two-and-one-half hour bus ride to Cairo and Giza.  Hany loaded us up with information during the bus ride, about Egypt and its history, people and culture, the pyramids, the forthcoming shopping opportunities and how to avoid the hassling by the local vendors.  Amazingly, tour guides are able to talk non-stop for hours!  Did you know?  Cairo has a population of 18 million people (80 million in Egypt) making it the second largest capitol city in the world behind Mexico City and the largest city in Africa.

The sights along the highway between Alexandria and Cairo include refineries, irrigated farms, orchards and vineyards, abandoned buildings, billboards announcing new communities being built not too far from Cairo and lots of pigeon towers.  Pigeons are a popular food item here, which is good from our perspective because they are noticeably absent from Alexandria and Cairo.  Perhaps it should become a menu choice in Chicago and New York City.

The Pyramids

 


Standing next to a pyramid

Lynn w/Pyramids



Steve just outside boat museum

Sphnix

The Cheops Boat

The Camels for riding

As we reach the Giza plateau, the pyramids come into full view, the last remaining wonder of the 7 ancient wonders of the world.  A one-day visit allows only for quick touring around the complex.   The tour guide reminds us about the vendors as we disembark the bus to take our photos.  (The saying “in your face” must have come from here.)  First, we view the three Great Pyramids (with young Egyptian boy in red standing in everyone’s picture).  Next we view the huge (125 foot-long) wooden boat, inside a building next to oldest of the Great Pyramids, that of Cheops.  The boat was discovered, in an unconstructed kit form, in a separate crypt-style enclosure in 1954, to be assembled and magnificently displayed thereafter.  There are also six smaller pyramids, those of various queens and one for a king’s mother, in various states of disrepair.  Last we visit the Sphinx, the guardian against evil spirits for the pyramids, looking small in comparison to the pyramids.  At this time in the day and accentuated by holiday and cruise-boat visitors, it’s a circus atmosphere, making for some interesting cross-cultural people watching.  It’s also an attention-grabbing, time-contrasting view – the ancient pyramids on one side, the semi-modern city of Cairo on another and the seemingly timeless/endless Sahara on the third.  Rides on camels or horses are available into the desert for improved photo opportunities.  No time for this today…..maybe we’ll come back someday for the light show at night; it must be spectacular to see these ancient desert structures, at sunset, in the encroaching night shadows.

Locals enjoying holiday

Perspective

Off we go to our lunch at a local hotel right next to the pyramid complex.  We didn’t catch the name; the hotel was built in 1869 and is where many of the celebrations for the opening of the Suez Canal were held. 

Next stop is a papyrus store attached to a souvenir shop.  Gold, papyrus paintings, Egyptian onyx statues, etc. all available to buy and yes, they take dollars!



El Tahir Square

American University

Next our tour guide wants us to see some more of Cairo, especially El Tahir Square, the stage on which “Arab Spring, Egypt Edition” dramatically and memorably played out.  Driving there he takes us along one of the streets where vendors are allowed to sell just about anything – including small herds of sheep and goats –  right on the street.  This, after all, is the largest capitol city on the African continent, our tour guide says, so anything goes!  Once we arrive at El Tahir, the bus circuits the surrounding traffic circle so we can sense the atmosphere and see the tents and residents still present.  Across from the square is an American University building and not so much further are many embassies.  We are left wondering – is the strange mix that Cairo is, modern r not?

Artichokes for sale

Crossing the Nile

Entertainment

It’s now time for our Nile cruise experience, one-hour Readers’ Digest version.  Those who have taken a shortened river cruise in almost any world venue can picture the boat and the related experience:  Inside and outside seating, average-or-worse snacks, coffee or tea, cheap wine with extravagant pricing.  The value of the experience increases geometrically when the small band starts playing and wailing ancient Egyptian standards while a quite accomplished belly dancer and a youngish whirling dervish entertain us.  After the show, there is time to sit outside and enjoy the sights along the Nile.  Fairly modern structures – office buildings, apartments, hotels and restaurants – all along the sides of the Nile and disappearing in perspective into the enormity of Cairo.  So much history on this river – and we note the Nile River is quite clean considering the streets here are quite littered.

Vision down the Nile River

Along the Nile

After the Nile Cruise, back on the bus for the three-hour ride back to the ship.  Scenes along the way – a mosque attached to a gas station, buildings that aren’t finished on purpose so the people only have to pay tax for the portion they live in?!

Buildings unfinished along road

Sailing away from Alexandria, we reflect on our leaving the Middle East & Africa part of the world for the Mediterranean Sea and Europe – what we tend to think of as “civilization”!