On my first day in Cairo, a trip to the Pyramids at Giza was my first priority. Getting out to the pyramids was an adventure of its own, as I refused to be gouged by taxi drivers and went by public transport. I ended up lost in Giza twice, but eventually found my way there.
There were remarkably few tourists out at the Pyramids, but you couldn’t go anywhere without being harassed by someone who wanted to give you a camel, horse, or carriage ride. I was offered no less than a dozen such rides, and the drivers push tourists until they can’t say no. Partly to revel in my independence and partly out to spite the persistent camel ride salesmen, I walked everywhere that day. I was the only tourist doing so.
There are five main attractions at Giza: the three Pyramids (of Khufu, Khafre, and Menakure), the Sphinx, and the panorama viewpoint that has a view of all three pyramids with the modern sprawl of Cairo behind.
My first stop was the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the earliest and largest of the three. I paid extra to go inside this one, which meant a long climb up a narrow passageway with an extremely low ceiling. I was bent nearly double on the way up. At the top, you’re greeted by an empty room. There’s nothing here. It’s all in the Egyptian Museum, where I went the next day.
Next to the Pyramid of Khufu is a building housing what is known as the Khufu Ship (alternatively, the Cheops Boat). It is a disassembled boat that was buried next to Khufu’s pyramid, where it lay u disturbed until 1954. It was unearthed and reassembled (the planks are tied together with rope!) and placed here. It’s truly spectacular to see the Pharoh’s 4700 year old party barge for the afterlife.
I walked around the other two pyramids – of Khafre and Menakure. At its tip, Khafre’s pyramid still retains some of the original white limestone sheathing tha would have made it gleam in the sun. The other two pyramids have lost their original exterior.
From there I walked out to the panorama point, a spot in the desert from which all three pyramids are visible. The views from that spot are much more impressive than my photos reveal.
Finally, I headed for the exit, which took me past the famous Sphinx. Across the street from the entrance is a KFC, so I had the novel experience of eating fried chicken with this view:
