Day um... ?: Saqqara & Giza, Egypt (January 19, 2011)

Yay Pyramids!

Who doesn't want to see the Pyramids? I sure did, and I'm so glad that the lack of direct flights between Ghana and Tanzania meant I had to stopover in Cairo, because I finally got to see them. They are as impressive as you'd think, maybe moresore because the sheer bulk of them is much more apparent when you are 20 feet away.

My hotel arranged a driver, Sayed, to drive me for the day. If you're ever in Cairo, I recommend you do the same. For about $35, he was all mine from 8am until 4pm, and was prompt and gave me some tips (I unfortunately ignored one of them, which I'll tell you about below).

We started at Saqqara, the site of Egypt's oldest pyramid, circa 2600 BC. I know you recognize it:

While the restoration happening somewhat mars the aesthetics (spelling?) of the pyramid, it gives it a sense of proportion. I was suprised at the size of this pyramid; I expected it would be smaller.

It was designed by Imhotep, some high official at the time who apparently did everything: architecture, medicine, advising the king, card tricks, you name it. I don't know for sure that he is the first artist whose name is known to history, but he might be. I'd look it up in my Gardner's Art Through the Ages, but since it weighs 8 pounds, I left it at home.

As in Ghana, one can wander nearly anywhere they want to within the ruins, both at Saqqara and Giza. I was really psyched about that, especially considering how many people visit them each day. The only thing people are prevented from doing is climing the pyramids themselves.

Also at the Saqqara site are some tombs that can be explored. None of them are in pristine condition, but a lot of the original artwork (remember, 2600 BC!) is still on the walls and even retains its original paint. One of the tombs was only accessible through a low and sloping passageway, which I had to navigate by basically half-crawling backwards downhill. /shrug/ ... It added to the adventure. And when I reached the bottom I had the tomb all to myself; it was very spooky and mysterious.

On the way to the Pyramids, we stopped at an art gallery specializing in paintings done on hand-made papyrus scrolls. About 10% of the art was really cheesy (like any art fair), but most of it was quite beautiful. I found myself another inexpensive piece that will need an expensive frame (haha). And I haggled down the price a little bit, too, so it still met my definition of inexpensive (under $30).

The Pyramids and the Sphinx were, of course, fantastic. You can't tell from photos how vast the whole area is... I'd estimate at least one mile in diameter? Also missing from Gardner's Art Through the Ages is the mention that the city of Gaza comes right up to the perimeter of the Pyramid compound. The closest buildings might be as far as 1/2 mile from the Pyramids, but when you're in the city looking towards them, they are right there. That would be a nice perk to living in Gaza, although the tourists and the traffic would probably completely negate the pleasure of having the Pyramids outside your window.

Like in Saqqara, people can walk anywhere except on the Pyramids. There were a few paths, but most of time I walked off of them, which was sometimes a good idea because I saw some out-of-the-way non-Pyramid ruins, and sometimes a bad idea, like when I sank a foot deep into an enourmous pile of red dirt. (I really wanted a certain shot!) Despite the hundreds of people at the site, there are large expanses where you can be totally alone. In one such spot, I glimpsed a young couple tucked away in a hidden corner, with the girl in a head scarf, having what appeared to be a lover's chat... it was very charming.  There were a few stretches where I walked for several minutes without hearing other people, and only seeing them in the distance.

And now for the bad, and by bad I mean annoying and eventually funny, not bad bad. The hawkers at the Pyramids, especially the guys offering horse rides and camel rides... Oh. My. God. They are without question far and away the most annoyingly aggressive hawkers I've ever encountered.  (When my trip is over, I'll let you know whether they are the most annoyingly aggressive hawkers in the whole wide world.)

I'd been warned about them ahead of time, by pretty much every guide on the internet. And my driver warned me too, but through his moderately thick egyptian accent, I thought he meant "don't bother with the camel rides." What he really meant was "don't talk to the guys who offer camel rides." Because once you respond to their entreaties to ride the camel or the horse or get your photo taken, even with an emphatic no, they will keep walking beside you, asking over and over, dropping the price, cajoling, etc. After two of three times, I began responding to each cheerful "Hello! Where are you from?" with "I'm from Not Interested!" I was hassled, oh I don't know, maybe 12 times? Maybe more? One guy did it three separate times. After maybe five of these encounters I learned that if I didn't respond at all, they gave up pretty quick. And then I started messing with them, and responding, just to see how long I could get them to tag along with me and deliberately waste their time. I wasn't in a hurry, and I was certain my resolve not to ride a camel would remain unshaken. So it was something to do on the long walks between Pyramids. But man, were they annoying. Shit. By the end, I was fantasizing about breaking a horse's leg so its owner would have to kill it and would then be out of a job.

That's the real me, not a photoshop!