Cairo

The day started with one mission: see the pyamids.

Step 1: getting there.

We knew haggling was the name of the game. You walk off the ship and there is a parking lot filled with blue taxi cabs. The cabbies are standing in a big bunch chatting. We had decided ahead of time that we were aiming to pay $150 US roundtrip. Negotiatons started at $200. We started at about $120. The guitar player did most of the talking and we ended up at exaCtly $150.
If you've never driven in Egypt, now is not the time to start. Many of you will try to picture being in a cab in Manhatten. That is not a helpful image. There were traffic lights at intersections...sometimes. But it didn't matter. People ignored them anyway. There were lines on the road showing where lanes were, but it didn't matter because people didn't really stay within them anyway. At some intersections it wwas just a mass of cars trying to all go in contrasting directions as they could manage. Some cars coming across the intersection from the left ended up on the shoulder of the road facing us, trying to turn their trip straight across the intersection into a right turn from the wrong direction. Pedestrians were on their own to cross the street in between moving cars.
Once on the open highway, our driver's technique was as follows: drive fast in the left lane. If you're about to pass cars, honk and flash your lights in case they might decide to switch lanes. If there's someone in front of you, honk and flash your lights to get them to move over. Honking was more to anounce his presence than anything else. The driver, William, spoke English quite well. He was about 25-30 years old and had spent a year in the Egyptian army, which is mandatory if you're educated. If not, you are required to be in the army for 3 years. After 3 hours, we (somehow) arrived in Cairo.

Step 2: seeing the pyramids

Just as we were arriving, William informed us that he had a friend there that gave camel tours. For $40 (plus tip) we would be taken to see all the pyramids, a panoramic view of the entire area, and the sphynx. Another $12 bought us tickets inside a building right next to the Sphynx.
When you see pictures of the pyramids, it looks like there's desert for miles. In reality, there's a parking lot with shops and a sand-colored Hard Rock cafe right at the edge of the desert. We paid the guide ahead of time and before I knew it, I was on a camel with a white sheet covering my head from the sun. My two friends began the day on horses.
As we hit the sand, the tour guide reminded us that we were on the very edge of the Sahara Desert.
Although the tour took almost 2 hours, it's hard to describe it in detail. Keep in mind that for the majority of the trip, there was a 10 year old boy leading the camel on foot. At one point, we slowly rode up to the biggest of the three big pyramids. We dismounted our transportation and walked up to the pyramid. The 5,000 year old pyramid built by 100,000 slaves in 30 years. The guide had us climb up about 3 steps. At the base, steps are about chest high or so. After climbing 3 steps, the tour guide took pictures of us. I saw a loose piece of the pyramid that had fallen down and was sitting on the ledge. This soon became my souvenir for my dad. A small piece of a 5000 year old pyramid.


Top 3 surprising things about the pyramids that you doni't see in pictures:
1. Next to the 3 giant pyramids there are smaller pyramids about 1/3 the size.
2. There is a parking lot and Hard Rock Cafe no more than 200 yds from the pyramids.
3. The Sphynx is considerably smaller than you might think. It does not tower over the desert but is only maybe 1 or 2 stories high.

Step 3: Getting home

After 3 hours on the way up, William's driving had become uneventful. It was getting dark and we were tired. I slept a little of the way, but mostly watching the desert scenery (including Ali Baba's palace of "and the 40 thieves" fame.
We arrived back on the ship and I had an amzing hot shower. One of the top 5 best hot showers I've ever had, not that I can name the other 4.

So, in the span of 6 days, I saw the Collosseum in Rome, the Acropolis in Athens, and the pyramids in Cairo. The three of us, who had gone on all of these trips, agreed that this might be the most incredible week any of us will ever have. And my trip to the pyramids was the most amazing day I've ever had.