CAIRO - FEBRUARY, 2014 - PART 1

This was my first trip to Egypt. After flying from Los Angeles to Istanbul, Turkey, where I spent the night, I flew into Cairo. Because of the political turmoil that was taking place in Egypt with the overthrow of the government and violent protests, the tourism industry in Egypt was almost non-existent. On my flight from Istanbul I was the only westerner, and except for a group of about 15 Chinese tourists, the only tourist. The remaining passengers that I spoke with were businesspeople who were flying to Cairo for the day, then returning on an afternoon or evening flight. After picking up my baggage and clearing immigration and customs I entered the arrivals hall, and was the only arriving passenger there. Needless to say, I was a very popular target for taxi drivers and tour group salesmen.

I spent three days touring the historical and tourism sites in and around Cairo. I had arranged for a private driver and tour guide which was essential because of the distances between tourist sites, the lack of public transportation, the never ending traffic congestion, and the threat of political unrest and violence. My guide for the three days was Amany Salem, who was excellent, and who provided me with not only a tour guides perspective to the tour sights, but also a perspective on Egyptian life and the current political situation in Egypt.

On my first day of sightseeing we began the day at the ancient capital of Egypt for a period of three thousand years, Memphis. Not much remains of the city itself, but a small museum with a stone statue of Ramses II and a small Sphinx. I did enjoy the drive there as we drove through a more rural area outside of metropolitan Cairo, so I had a good chance to view what life is like for many Egyptians today outside of the major cities.

From Memphis we drove to the pyramids at Saqqara. Here are located the step pyramids of Zoser [Djoser]. The step pyramid of Djoser, located in the center of the funerary complex of Saqqara, is the oldest structure in the world entirely built of stone. Besides the largest step pyramid of Djoser, there were several smaller pyramids, and tombs of various pharaohs and noblemen. We were the only tourists there, and I had the run of the place to myself. Being out in the desert, without crowds, the silence was deafening!

This is the entrance to an underground tomb. For a small price the guard unlocked the security door and I followed him down into the tomb through a small tunnel. The tunnel was only about five feet high, so I had to duck-walk several hundred feet down into the tomb and then back up. I could tell how out of shape I was because my thighs hurt for days afterwards.

From Saqqara we drove into the suburbs of Cairo where we had lunch at a local Egyptian restaurant. Walking into the restaurant we passed the entrance where chickens were being grilled, and flatbread was being baked. The food was delicious. Also, a picture of one of the busboys at the restaurant.

After lunch we traveled on to the pyramids at Giza. These are the largest pyramids, and generally the pyramids that we see in pictures. Although this was the height of the tourist season, when normally thousands of tourists would be crowding the entire pyramid area, there were only local Egyptian tourists and their families. I was the only western tourist there that I saw. These are pictures of the pyramids and the surrounding area.

These are pictures taken from the base of the pyramid of the area surrounding the pyramids, where you could ride horses or camels. The suburbs of Cairo are expanding right up to the edge of the plateau where the pyramids are located.

Adjacent to the pyramids at Giza is the Sphinx, which was the first colossal statue constructed in ancient Egypt.

These are pictures of the street scene in Giza, just outside the entryway to the Sphinx.

After visiting the pyramids my driver returned me to my hotel in the eastern suburb of Heliopolis which took about one hour. We crossed the Nile River, and you can see the mix of the old, more rural, and the newer, more modern areas of Cairo.