Archives for June 2010

Or the point of the trip.

The next morning we woke up to meet our taxi for the day. Our hostel helped us book a driver to take us to the pyramids for a full day of sights. Perhaps I’ve been abroad too long but in the first five minutes I was over him. Or maybe it was because he proposed buying me for merely 1,000 camels. Thankfully Molly stepped in and negotiated my freedom. Tiresome jokes.

Before we made it too far, our driver changed it up and brought us to a “government museum” to learn about papyrus. I’ll admit, it was interesting to watch the demonstration of how the ancient paper is made… but did I really want to browse the expensive pieces of art for purchase? Not so much.

After the paper store, we were taken to the stables near the pyramids where we could choose between riding a camel or riding a horse to view the ancient wonders. Having never ridden a camel before, the humped creatures were the obvious choice. After much negotiating (Way to go Hannah!)… we felt we earned a decent price. Of course, we overpaid… but we overpaid by less than originally proposed.

Up we went on our camels. The camel sits for you to mount, then stands full height to walk. Um… you sit pretty high up there. It took me some time to feel comfortable up top. Oh and wearing a wrap skirt on a camel? Not my best fashion decision.

The camel route takes you up behind the pyramids through the sandy dunes. It’s an impressive sight… although it doesn’t take you too close up. We were able to see all three of the largest pyramids at once from a distance (but not in these photos!). Read Molly’s post to learn more about the background of the pyramids.

It’s pretty amazing to think about how long these monuments have been standing… not to mention the labor required to build such massive structures.

xo, jill

A surprisingly doable suggestion.

A few weeks ago, back in May, my friend Hannah decided to spend the weekend in Cairo. After a few days of debate, I decided to join her. A few days later, we had Molly convinced and ready to go. Our principals each readily agreed to let us sneak out of work a few hours early… and off to the airport we hustled.

Having been warned that Cairo is a dirty dirty city… we didn’t have high expectations. Surprisingly, our first impressions were quite positive. Yes, it was dirty… but look at the character and history! When you live in a city that barely existed 50 years ago… historical views, no matter how dirty and decayed, are enticing.

Furthermore, I never thought I would hear the notoriously polluted air of Cairo described as “refreshing”… but we were pretty pumped about our ability to breathe! The heat of Cairo was much less intense than Abu Dhabi and absent of humidity. Bless.

Our hostel was near enough to attractions and suited our needs well. The building itself was old and had seen better days. Just the kind of place I like.

Our room was on the sixth floor and it was always a bit of an adventure taking the elevator up.

The view of the mosque next door was especially pleasing, even if it did mean we’d have front row seats for the 4:30am call to prayer.

I giggled at how my first experience in Africa came complete with a jungle themed bedspread. How fitting.

After settling in a bit we ventured out to find dinner and took a taxi to Cairo Tower.

Cairo Tower is 187 meters tall which is 43 meters taller than the Giza pyramids. It was built between 1956 and 1961. (It’s also overpriced!)

Unfortunately, the air in Cairo is smog smog smoggy and visibility was low. We were able to just make out the outlines of a pyramid in the distance! A preview of the next day’s adventure!

What’s up, River Nile?

A leisurely walk back to our hostel ended the evening. It was a promising start…

xo, jill