See Part 1 where we discuss our decision-making funnel which led to the trip and how we initially made our way to Jordan, and ultimately Petra, here. These are the important decisions before our Jordan and Egypt Trip Review. (link)
See Part 2 where we meet our tour group and visit the Dead Sea, Jaresh, and Mt. Nebo here. (link)
See Part 3 where we pretend we’re Indiana Jones and visit Petra here. (link)
See Part 4Â where we follow the ghost of TE Lawrence through Wadi Rum. We fly from Jordan over the Red Sea to Egypt and experience the splendor of the Old Cataract Hotel. Both Agatha Christie and Winston Churchill (among others) stayed here! (link)
See Part 5 in which we visit several temples, including a big stop at Ramses tomb! (link)
See Part 6 when we finally visit the Temple at Thebes and more! (link)
We arrived at our hotel in Giza , the Mena House Hotel, well after dark. It was so late that we saw nothing besides our room and then a few seconds later, the back of our eyelids. We knew that these were even more epic accommodation. Our guide, Debra, had mentioned that this Marriott property was “across the street from the pyramids.” We’ve seen photos of the pyramids with only sand in the distance. Hundreds of pics. How close could we actually be?
The following morning Joe made has way to his favorite meal of the day, breakfast. Like all the hotels before, these accommodations included a first-rate breakfast buffet.
Joe likes to tell this story: Walking from my room it was easy to see that I was lost. A hotel employee kindly asked me where I was going, and I said, “To breakfast. Which way is it?” He asked, “Have you been yet?” I replied that no, I had not, and that we’d gotten in late the night before. He smiled. “How late?” he asked. “Did you see the pyramids yet?” I shook my head. He pushed through an “employees only” door. “Follow me. This will give you the best view.” We marched down a long hall. He paused at a door for dramatic effect. “Ready?” he said. I nodded, smiling, thinking he was overdoing it.
Wow! Bam. The Great Pyramid at Giza!
And here is the view from that breakfast!
I know, right?
The buffet at the Marriott Mena House in Giza truly is huge. You want European, Asian, or Middle Eastern foods? No problem. They’re all present, along with the standby American breakfast items. If you’re a breakfast fan, This. Is. Heaven. If you’re looking for first class accommodations, great access to the pyramids, AND three fine restaurants, book this place.
Time for your friendly pyramid FAQ:
When Should You Visit the Pyramids?
It’s best to visit the pyramids, like all of the other antiquity sites along the Nile, early before the crowds arrive. Our tour was one of the first three busses in the lot. After a short talk from our knowledgeable local guide about the details the precision it took to make them stand and endure, we were allowed free time to wander among them.
Did We Go Inside the Great Pyramid (entrance fee required)?
No, we did not.
We were disappointed at first when our guide Debra told us that Tauck had decided against buying tickets to enter the Great Pyramid. We’d come this far! However, once she explained what the inside of the pyramid was like, we were both happy NOT to go in. While the Valley of the Kings and Queens were full of underground passages, these were generally wide and airy. The Great Pyramid is neither. From the entrance you could see that tall people bent down to descend down a long, narrow hallway, trying to step aside for others coming back out. It’s claustrophobic. Inside, there isn’t anything to see beyond tiny rooms. After Ramses temple, Tutankhamen’s tomb, and the Thebes temples, we were happy to avoid this and still don’t regret not doing it.
If You Didn’t Go In, What Did You Do Instead?
We walked along the side of Khufu’s Pyramid (better known as the Great Pyramid). It was the tallest building in the world until the 19th century; the stone blocks weighed tons and were amazingly precise. We then strolled toward the two smaller ones, the Pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure. While you’re walking out toward the desert, you don’t feel the city pushing toward you. That hits when you turn around. The city is literally RIGHT across the street, but if you keep your view pointed the other way, you feel like you have stepped out of the 21st century and into antiquity.
Did You Ride Camels At the Pyramids?
Back to the bus, we made our way to some Bedouins with camels. We were told that Tauck had already tipped the men, and were advised against tipping them again. My friend on the camel next to us tipped big anyway. Our guide got wind of it and begged us for a tip. When I finally gave him a little extra money, he scoffed and told me I didn’t know how to tip and literally threw the money back at me. Well, we didn’t completely leave the modern world behind! Here’s a photo of us looking like we’re having fun.
Did You Visit the Sphinx?
On the other side of the property, though, back in the fun zone, the Sphinx was both majestic and mysterious. According to our guides, experts believe there are still hidden areas inside of the Sphinx which have been unexplored. Apparently the Sphinx was also built in the image of a king, who apparently thought we was a cat. It’s hard to believe now, with desert all around us, but at the time the Sphinx was built, the waters of the Nile flowed in front of it. This could be how the stone used to build the great monuments in this valley arrived.
What Did You Do After Those Pyramids?
Of course, we went further back in history to see even older pyramids.
Our final destination that morning was the step pyramids in Saqarra. Built earlier than the pyramids on the Giza plateau, they are sort of a prototype for the final product we’d seen earlier (you know…over breakfast, as you do). These are the earliest known pyramids. Have you seen The Mummy movies? It turns out that Imhotep was the architect of these original pyramids, and not just an ugly Hollywood bad guy.
What Was Cairo Like?
We opened with Giza for dramatic flair, but the reason we were late to the hotel is because we’d arrived in Cairo via plane from Thebes earlier in the day and had toured the Egyptian museum. While a shiny new 2.0 version of the museum had been scheduled to open by the time we arrived*, construction was FAR behind (it looked nowhere close to being ready when we saw the new building in Giza). Perhaps we were lucky to see the old building before the move happened. But hopefully the new museum will be more organized and not contain hand written explanations on index cards faded yellow by time. If you go, don’t miss the treasury of the Pharaohs exhibit, showing some of the most beautiful and ornate jewelry you’ll ever witness, and Tutankhamun galleries. Also, don’t miss the mummified animals. Cats. Dogs. Fish. It’s weird, fascinating, and fun. Well, way more fun for us than those animals, because we hadn’t been mummified just because our owner died.
*Since the writing of this blog the new Grand Egyptian Museum has opened!
While in Cairo, we were allowed to leave the group (who were headed for the hotel) and experience one of the big bazaars in the city. Getting off the “tour train” and into the actual humanity of Egypt was something we truly wanted to do but had been warned against by our guides. They told us about pickpockets and the fact that it was generally not considered safe for Westerners.
A note from Joe: I remembered an interview I’d had with award-winning PBS travel show host Joseph Rosendo. (You can hear it here) Joseph told me that the BEST part of travel was to meet the people. I had yet, during our whole time in Egypt, to actually FEEL like I was meeting any locals. Mohammed was a local. Joseph said that if you’re willing to maybe get ripped off for a few dollars, meeting the locals is still a great time. I agree. Our friends were afraid that Mohammed was ripping us off. He didn’t rip us off, and we saw parts of Cairo that I’d never seen. Although we finally did have to tell him to leave us alone, and he left in a huff, I loved our time with him.
From the bazaar we made our way to an island in the middle of the Nile which is full of restaurants, bars, and parks. Our restaurant had a roof which could be rolled back, and because it was a beautiful, breezy night, they did. It featured a wide menu of many international options (all horribly made, but so good after eating most just Mediterranean food for the last two weeks!) and some of the most affordable beers we’d come across in Egypt. We appeared to be some of the only foreigners in the place. It was great. It was also the first time we felt like we were experiencing everyday Egypt and Cairo. We highly recommend getting away from the touristy areas when able– we always do when traveling and this makes it so much more interesting and rewarding.
On the final day of our tour, we visited a hidden Christian church known as the Hanging Church. Christians would have been killed if they’d been exposed, so this church was hidden in the walls of other buildings. We also visited one of the biggest and oldest mosques in the city. Later, on our own, Cheryl and I took an Uber to a place called The Citadel. We visited a police museum and another huge ornate mosque and enjoyed the sites of Cairo far below us.
Getting Around Cairo
Uber is alive and well in Cairo and makes moving from place to place easy. There are also many taxies everywhere. Our experience with Uber was fantastic, with two of the three drivers we used being gregarious, outgoing, and friendly. One blared local music loudly for us when we told him we liked it. Another told us about his life and religious upbringing (he was Christian in a land with very few Christians). Uber drivers helped us learn to enjoy this very foreign city.
Pictures from the Citadel:
Cairo had now gone from a city we disliked (as much of the rest of Egypt), to a city we’d love to return to and get to know some more. Our Uber drivers and “friend” Mohammad really turned this foreign land into a place of friendly, real people and hidden fun.
Our amazing adventure ended with a farewell reception dinner provided by Tauck and a chance to say goodbye to new friends. Perhaps this sounds cliche, but it was truly the epic vacation of a lifetime.
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