Memphis (Cairo)

It was another hazy start to the day, dear reader. I would have settled for lazy but we had to be bus-ready by 7:30am. The breakfast offerings were the same, although a little less chaotic due to a decreased number of patrons. We dined al fresco in the cool Cairo air.

Good morning Cairo. *cough cough

First stop today was the stepped pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara. It was some way out of the city and at stages, we drove parallel to an irrigation canal. Its other use was as a dump. There were floating islands of plastic and other rubbish stretching from one to the other. In other parts, it was a thick weed that carpeted the surface. Garbage spilled down the embankment. We were told only catfish survive in the filthy water. Diggers were positioned in varying spots pulling bucket loads of mud/rubbish/silt from the depths and depositing it on the side of the road. Our guide informed us that the government was in the process of covering the canal in to stop local children swimming and fishing in it. The thought of falling into its murky depths made me shudder. The concept of voluntary entry was inconceivable.

The stepped pyramid was obviously an early version of the great pyramids, a time before limestone capping was utilised. The haze detracted from the view, but icon images were still available. We also walked through a funerary and were able to see collapsed pyramids and a temple nearby. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Stairs leading down into the burial chamber.

Cobras.

Iconic shot of the vendor looking for a sale.

The funerary.

A stone door hinge.

A hazy view.

There was an opportunity to see inside one of the smaller pyramids. A chance not to be missed. The ramp in was low and narrow and levelled out into a passage way that had a standing space midway to the two rooms. The hieroglyphics were in remarkable condition and the colours were still clearly evident. The rooms were very small and hot and there was precious little air.

Inside the second chamber.

Hieroglyphics in the first chamber.

The ramp.

We then visited another building where the pharaohs sought approval from the gods for another thirty year tenure, if they made it through the first thirty years. Or, if the population was unhappy they would go through the process to prove the gods approved of them. All with the help of the powerful priests. Religion for controlling the masses and maintaining power. Not a lot has changed has it?

There was another offer to go inside a pyramid. This one had a longer, steeper ramp before accessing the tunnel. I was at the head of the line when one of our group came out and suggested it wasn't worth the effort. A quick glance at his photos confirmed this and I returned to the bus.

Our last stop in Saqqara was at a carpet school. Egypt is very proud of its cotton and its carpets. This school produced carpets of cotton, wool and silk. We were treated to a demonstration of how they were had made. The local children attended the 'carpet school' to learn the skills but were also provided with a general education. The speed with which they threaded the fabric through the strands of the loom was amazing. The carpets were undoubtedly beautiful, well most of them; there were some weird designs. It required months to make one square metre so needless to say they were extremely expensive.

After Saqqara we headed for Memphis, a former capital of Egypt. Most of the display was in the open air. Apparently they began excavating foundations for a building and came across a number of statues of Ramses II. Excavation stopped and digging commenced to unearth the find. The larger most complete statue of Ramses II is now in the Grand Egypt Museum.

There were many songs about Memphis that came quickly to mind, but Memphis by Joe Jackson was the winner for today.

En route to the hotel, an afternoon visit to the markets was discussed. It was pretty obvious our guide did not want to go. An hour's drive for an hour at the 'trashy, souvenir' style markets and then a possibly longer drive back. We had a 3:30am start tomorrow and sensibly opted not to go. There will be other market opportunities later in the trip.

The tower is a different colour again.

Sunset or sand?

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Pyramids (Cairo)

Breakfast wasn't quite the debacle of yesterday, dear reader, because we had been through the pain (not the French bread) once and knew, sort of, the system.  That did nothing to lessen the impact of the chaos that we witnessed. Our timeline was tight, of course, as we had to be at the bus before 8:00am. Clearly many tours had departed earlier than ours and the staff was struggling to keep up with demand. The choices were far more limited and many of the food stations were bereft. Despite assurances more food was coming, many remained empty while we were there. Also like school staff rooms, someone had snavelled all the spoons so people were eating their cereal with forks ...

We were on board the bus at the appropriate time; we have a punctual group it would appear. I was so fortunate to be next to the water station. Who would have thought that so many adults would be unable to operate such a simple mechanism. The floor flooded regularly and my shorts, well the right leg, scored a free shower more than once.

The air was once again hazy. It is a mixture of dust and particle pollution from the cars. I'm sure there are more cars than humans. The roads are anarchy. Many vehicles would not be considered roadworthy in Australia. And there are no road rules that any observer can discern. Except obeying drive on the right on divided roads. A rule that disappears when you leave the major thoroughfares. If there is a space, fill it. Horns blare constantly to warn other drivers they are there, to say thank you, to signify you are passing. It is endless. It is loud. It would be terrifying if I was not riding high in a bus.

Today is the day where I reluctantly, unhappily cast my morals aside and join that most feared and hated of things, the tour group. I am not happy about this. There are some countries I would not tackle as an individual tourist and Egypt is one of them. Our group numbers around 36. Too many for my comfort but it is what it is.

Khufu or Cheops.

First stop was the pyramids of Giza complex, where we were able to witness the logic defying procedures for entry. If you thought Greece has perfected the concept of over employment, you haven't seen what the Egyptians can do. And as we are regularly reminded, they did it first.

All three and the funerary house.

We are handed our tickets and disembark. We line up to go through the one open turnstile. There is a man waiting and he takes our ticket and scans it for us. It must be a more complex task than I thought. (Later in the day I reconsidered this after seeing some of our group unable to use a QR code on a turnstile). On the other side is not freedom but a metal detector. Once we have demonstrated we are not hiding any weapons, we get to queue up again and get back on our bus (where we could have left our weapons) that drives an insignificant distance to a car park where we are once again disgorged. I apologise for the champagne analogy, some of group was not bubbly. 

 A close up of Cheops.

This is the pyramid viewing centre. There is a civilised toilet which costs £20EGP to go in and then there is a man loitering inside, who hands you paper towels to dry hands and then expects a tip. As if. Don't run up stairs, never back a 2 year old in the wet and be kind to your mother.

Local colour.

The viewing platform housed any number of 'vendors' trying to sell junk and any number of 'helpful people' offering to assist you to find the best view, a place to stand, a camel or horse cart ride, a stairway to heaven, eternal life, whatever. The vista was of the pyramids of Cheops, his son and grandson. 

The original entry.

The haze had not lifted to the extent where I was having difficulty using auto focus on the camera. Most photos were compromised by those tourists who ignored the concept of the viewing area and had gone over the edge onto the sand to get closer to the pyramids so they could take endless moronic photos of themselves holding the pyramid between their fingers.

The crowd queueing to look inside.

Obligatory photos taken, we boarded the bus and drove to a second car park where we were able to walk to the pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops or Khufu as he was known to his friends. It is a massive structure, the original height being 146m with each side at the base being over 230m long. The blocks are not regular in size or shape and any rough edges would have been covered by the limestone cap.

The Giza site is close to Cairo.

Behind the pyramid are two massive trenches where boats were discovered. One in perfect condition, the other one not so much. We were told the Egyptians had found the way to preserve wood for thousands of years. I wanted to ask why it only worked for one boat and what impact the bone dry, oxygen starved sand played - but I'm being a good tourist. Anyway both boats reside at the Grand Egyptian Museum which we will be visiting later today.

Where the boat was discovered.

We wandered around the perimeter of 2 sides, watching tourists slip money to security guards to let them inside the rope fence so they could take their photos touching the actual pyramid stones.

On the bus once again, we drove around the other side of the pyramid which, from my perspective, looked more interesting. There were pillared constructions in the ground that were obviously associated with the grand design and I would have loved a closer look. Being on a tour, we had to follow instructions.

Next stop, the sphinx. Here's a lesson, dear reader. A sphinx applies to the position of the statue, not the statue. It is the face of a pharaoh on the body of a lion and many were constructed for numerous pharaohs. After all the mythology, I was underwhelmed. Much like the Little Mermaid and La Giaconda, I thought it would be larger. Anyway, we dodged the vendors and joined the crush of people mindlessly taking selfies to prove they exist. No, I did not take a selfie.

The money shot.

The money shot, from my perspective, was from directly in front of the sphinx, with the Great Pyramid in the background.

Again back on the bus, we spent a little more time there than the last two trips. Next stop was at a papyrus paper store where we were shown how papyrus reeds are turned into the durable but flexible paper upon which scrolls of hieroglyphics have been recorded for millennia. Of course there was the opportunity to purchase with a special discount various artworks although they would require a particular kind of decor.

The outside of the museum.

Then we were on our way to the Grand Egyptian Museum. Grand it is. Larger than the Louvre, we were told on many occasions. It seems it is important for the Egyptians to have everything big and new and be the first at everything. Maybe that is their 'first' because there are certain western countries that have slavishly followed that concept in one aspect or another.

The boat shed.

OK, the building, sorry, buildings, there are two, are both expansive with soaring ceilings and massive open spaces. There is of course a shopping area, this is Egypt, and a variety of food options that would embarrass any Australian tourist attraction. Sadly a Starbucks was amongst them. The exhibition is organised in chronological order through the periods of Egyptian history. Except for the King Tut exhibition. It has its own section because it was the only tomb that was uncovered before it had been raided.

Before our guided tour we were released to have lunch. We walked to the far end of the eatery row where it was less crowded and found a little café that made a passable coffee to go with a panini. It was also where our guides had lunch so we made a good choice. The sight of the day there was a couple who proceeded to floss their teeth at the table after they eaten. Classy.

Back in group land, we hopped on the travelator that transported you up four levels to the top of the museum. Gradually we toured our way back towards ground level before we were released to spend some time on our own.

After visiting the main building we crossed the very large courtyard to see Cheops' boat. One was in perfect condition the other had fallen to pieces. The latter was shaped by a metal structure so you could see how big it was.

I have taken a lot of photos, I know you are not surprised, dear reader, and I am not going to make any attempt to caption all of them because I really can't remember. Although, the scribe is one of favourites. The eyes were made of crystal so when the tomb was opened and a flashlight hit the eyes they sparkled and it appeared that someone was looking straight back at you. 

Enjoy the photos.

King Tutankhamen's funeral chair.

The golden mask.

The box holding the sarcophagus.

A scene from a more modern display.

Mitri the scribe.

The grand foyer.

Eventually we went back to the hotel for dinner and found Harry's Pub. Allegedly an English style pub. The decor said yes. The screens on every available surface said American sports bar. Regardless the food was good and the wineglasses fine.

One of the curiosities of Egypt, well, at least the Marriott Hotel, is the number of staff we had to pass on the way back to our room. They seem to be employed to stand at the end of a corridor and say good morning or good afternoon when you pass by.

A different colour every night.

The song today was a simple choice, Pyramids by Radiohead.

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