Another Trip to the Pyramids

One of my friends studying here at AUC had a friend come visit, so naturally we had to visit the Pyramids. The first (and only) time I had visited the Pyramids, we went with four tour buses of students from AUC. This time it was only four of us. We hopped into a taxi and headed to Giza. On our way up the street to the Pyramids, some young boys and men were jumping on our taxi or standing in the way of our car so they could convince us to pay to use a horse, camel, or donkey for the trip to the wonder. The cab driver was yelling at all them, it was kind of crazy. I don't remember our bus having to stop, but I'm pretty sure no one wants to walk in front of a bus.

We bought our 30 EGP ($4.90) student tickets and went in. We climbed some of the steps of the two big pyramids and just enjoyed the shade provided from the massive structures.



I got to ride a camel for the first time in my life! It was so amazing. I was really surprised how strong and smart these animals are.  Anyone who has visited the Pyramids knows it can be a pain in the ass to haggle with the guys with the camels. Some tourists pay CRAZY amounts of money, but since our friend Ahmed spoke Arabic, we haggled the ride to 15 EGP($2.45) per person. They took us from the Pyramids to the Sphinx on camel.




This kid straight up kissed this camel.





We had a great time. It was cool to show someone else all these amazing places we've already seen. It's really cool to come back to all these places I saw the first couple days after I arrived here. Three months later in Cario, I can comfortably chill on the steps of the Pyramids knowing this trip will be replicated many more times before I leave.

The View from Metro Tower

For all I know the building with the Metro supermarket has a legit name, but I'll probably never find out what it is. It's the apartment building with the Metro market and everyone calls it Metro Tower. If you've read any of my past posts, you would know AUC is going through negotiations with the student union over tuition increases. So we don't have classes this week. Some of us decided to see the view of Zamalek from Metro Tower in the day, before we went downtown. The view was awesome.

Now there are many awesome roofs in Cairo, but I like this one because it's real. It doesn't have any lights, you have to be careful not to trip over wires, and there are satellite dishes everywhere. It's the realest roof you're going to get. Nothing fancy, but a beautiful view. Another awesome part about this roof: during the day you can see the pyramids.

 
 

The Pyramids!!!

So today AUC took the international students on a trip to Giza to see the Pyramids. I can't begin to explain this experience. It was literally breathtaking. I know people travel all over the world to visit the Pyramids, but I felt so lucky. It was so shocking to see the neighborhood that surrounded the area. I haven't traveled to a lot of the places in Cairo, but this was definitely the worst I've seen so far. This is a picture of a river(not the Nile) in the area next to one of the most amazing and historically significant places in the world..


While driving up to the Pyramids (which tower over the city below it), our guide warned us of the people who will try to sell you tourist gifts and camel rides. Prior to arriving in Egypt, I did a lot of research about the country, and one of the things I saw was the negative reaction from tourists towards the people selling things at the Pyramids. I've read other blogs that say "their trip was ruined" or "it was such a bad expereience". Seriously, I didn't bother me one bit. They really weren't that bad, and nothing was going to ruin my first(among many) trip there.


We got to go inside the smallest of the three Pyramids, which is called the Pyramid of Menkaure. It was so hot and stuffy, but such an amazing experience. Warning to those interested that suffer from claustrophobia, do not go inside. You have to climb up and down a makeshift staircase squatting down. It was a really good workout.


I really can't explain how amazing it was to visit the Pyramids today. All I can tell you, is that I recommend every single person in the world to visit it. It will make you realize how old the world really is. We don't have anything that can compare in the United States. I can't choose which was more amazing to see, the Great Wall of China or the Pyramids of Giza. Either way, I'd say I'm pretty lucky to have seen them both!