Today was exciting. We had our first look at some Pyramids. Not the Great Pyramids of Giza, but the Pyramids of Saqqara, which include the Pyramids of Userkaf, Teti and the Step Pyramid. The Pyramid of Djoser is the oldest structure built entirely of stone, and therefore the first true pyramid.
Ev woke up at 6:45am and went downstairs to use the free wireless internet to update the blog. Dan got up at 8am and we had breakfast at the restaurant on level 1 at 8:30am. We headed down to the lobby area at 9am for our tour of Saqqara plus the Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid. The tour didn’t officially start until 4pm later in the day but the whole group was now booked into the hotel and ready for some action. This is where we met the remaining members of the group, a family from Gisborne, New Zealand. David, Nicki, Caleb, Connor and Alley. Hoda was our tour guide for the day and good thing too as she has her Masters in Egyptology specialising in general Egypt history so she could answer all of our questions. We boarded the bus for Saqqara. On the bus Alley mentioned that they were from Gisborne. Dan’s brother-in-law Daniel is from Gisborne and he and Rachel lived there for a while. It turns out the family know Daniel’s sister Emily, and his cousin Lara and also Rachel’s best friend, Jacquie. Small world.
Saqqara Tombs
It was roughly a 45 minute drive to the pyramids of Saqqara and along the way we stopped at a Date plantation and were greeted by some excited young girls selling dates. They were keen to have their photos taken and Ev jumped at the chance of this.
As we approached our destination we could start to see sand and finally the top of the Step Pyramid, the Pyramid of Djoser. Hoda talked us through the history of each of the pyramids and went to the location of the first recorded hieroglyphics which were markings from a man showing his appreciation for Djoser. The entrance doorway and first room had very high ceilings and as we entered a tomb we had our first experience of seeing clear markings and carvings of everyday life in Cairo. Scenes of hunting, fishing, dancing etc, and animals of the day. Most of the markings were in very good condition and a few had their original colours of red and blue as well. It was amazing the amount of precision and workmanship displayed in each scene and the detail was incredible.
We entered the Pyramid of Teti. We walked down a small corridor about 2mx2m with wooden planks and hand rails and the further down we went you could smell stale air. The corridor opened to a room that had higher ceilings with a 'guide' walking around inside. We were suspicious, but he took our tickets and started talking about the markings on the walls. There were amazing hieroglyphics of small animal designs and the name of the buried King in the tomb etched in the walls. We then entered another large dark room that had the tomb of marble at one end and stars carved on the ceilings to depict the night sky to allow the Egyptian God’s to come to the King’s body and take his spirit to the sky. It was so wonderful. Turned out the 'guide' was just a local who knew some stuff (that Hoda had already told us) and asked for a tip at his concluded lesson.
Red & Bent Pyramids
After about 2 hours we headed back to the bus and drove to the sight of the Bent and Red Pyramids which took about 20 minutes from the Saqqara complex. The Red Pyramid was a sight to behold. It was the first structure built to have the perfect classical, pyramid form. It is called the Red Pyramid because of the warm colour it produces at sunset. The Bent Pyramid is strange because about halfway up, the angle changes from 54 degrees to 43 degrees. The Egyptians identified that while they were building it, the angle was not strong enough to support the top as it was collapsing so they had to change the top design mid way through building the structure. The bus went to a parking space about 250m away from the Bent Pyramid so we jumped out and took some photos but couldn’t gain entry tickets due to renovations. After a few minutes we got back on the bus and headed 2 minutes in the other direction. We still couldn’t get over that we were standing in front of an Egyptian pyramid but it also just dawned on us that we were in the Sahara Desert. That’s cool.
Hoda told us that we were allowed to go into the Red Pyramid but there are no cameras allowed inside. She also told us that it is the most difficult pyramid to access. We gave our cameras to Hoda who took pictures of us walking up the pyramid from the outside staircase from about 150m away. It was a 28m walk up the outside of the pyramid and a 60m walk inside down into the centre of the pyramid and the decent into the pyramid was tough. It was like a mine shaft, tiny, cramped and damp. It was more difficult with people trying to get back up the narrow pathway as well. We had finally reached the bottom of the 60m drop and were at the high ceiling tungsten lit pyramid centre. Again the views were stunning. There were more amazing designs and carvings. We climbed a few flights of stairs and saw the roof of a third chamber. It was an architectural masterpiece where the stone mouldings created a gradual overhang. It boggles the mind to think of how the Ancient Egyptians achieved such feats. The only thing off putting was the strong, damp smell. It was almost overpowering as there was little ventilation so far down except for an electric ventilator. Satisfied with what we had seen we made the trek back up the cramped tunnel. It took about 10 minutes to climb up out of the pyramid and by the end our legs were shaking after exerting so much energy in such hot, cramped conditions. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic experience being there.
As the bus drove away we stopped again to get some last minute photos of the Red Pyramid and then eventually began the journey back home. We noticed many top floors of houses unfinished with exposed beams and not painted in Cairo. Hoda said that up until recently home owners were only required to pay tax on a completed home, so cheekily the owners simply leave the top floor of their homes unfinished and don’t paint them with the rest of the home completely polished. No tax payment then. The owners could also continue building another empty floor on top if they needed another floor. Hoda said that recently the law changed so that any home worth over 500K EGP is required to pay tax, finished or not. There were so many unfinished houses that we came across during our drive home. There were also a hell of a lot of Carpet Schools as well. Hmm, curious. Just before we got back into the city we were able to get a glimpse of the Pyramids of Giza through the haze of the city. Great site.
We stopped off at a service station to grab lunch because all the takeaway places were closed for Ramadan. We decided we would get KFC for lunch so we took some money out of the ATM and noticed a 100 pound note just sitting in the machine. The guy before us was gone so we gave the money to Hoda and she gave it to the staff of the service station. We also gathered up the tips for the driver and Hoda for the day.
On the bus we told Nikky and David about the KFC Hoda had shown us so David and the boys Connor (16yo) and Caleb (28yo) came with us for lunch. Oh, it was good western food. We put in our order and gave the cashier 100 EGP but she had no change for our 58 EGP order. We felt ripped off, but they didn’t have any change so we decided it was a donation and had settled on that. After David paid she gave us our change back and we were a little surprised, but grateful. Dan had a Panini and Ev had a fillet burger. Mmmm chicken good. The guys are very nice and had been travelling Europe together as a family since July.
We walked back to the hotel and just rested until our team brief at 4pm where Hoda explained the itinerary of our tour from Cairo, down to Aswan via sleeper train, then up to Luxor via felucca on the Nile and then bus, then back up to Cairo on the sleeper train. We are very excited, although the heat is pretty exhausting. We filled out a sheet with our insurance details etc then boarded a bus where Hoda took us to the Coptic area.
Coptic Area
We walked together through a market area where the path was shared by pedestrians, cars and impatient scooter drivers. The vendors offered their products everywhere we looked and continued to offer even after saying ‘no’, but that’s to be expected. We arrived at the beautiful church and mosque at the Coptic are and Hoda spoke with us about the history of the place and more about the Muslim faith including where and how they pray. Hoda is incredibly passionate about what she does as a guide, and even more passionate about her religion. The stain-glassed windows are beautiful and the whole architecture of the entire place, including the Holy of Holy’s was remarkable. It was very interesting to learn more about their rituals.
We could see by this time that Ramadan was effecting Hoda, especially as it was very hot and she had not been allowed any water during the day. She assured us she was fine, but was looking forward to breakfast soon. We felt really bad drinking in front of her but she encouraged us to drink when we needed.
Hoda took us to a restaurant 20 minutes before breakfast (our dinner) and we were so thirsty and looking forward to being in air-conditioning. As we entered, not even thinking about the people who had not eaten or drunk all day, Dan walked through the restaurant sipping from his water bottle and the people stared at him the entire time. When he was seated, Dan drank some more and one guy tapped him on the shoulder and desperately said “please wait 20 minutes”. Dan apologised and felt terrible but the guy had a big smile and said it was ok. If they wait all day Dan can wait 20 minutes. Waiters were bringing food out to the people who had already order and they sat with their food and drinks in front of them and they waited the full 20 minutes until 6:40pm to eat their meals. It was painful to watch. A waiter bought out some complimentary bread and we explained to Connor and Caleb what Ramadan was so we didn’t eat, but Nikky and David didn’t know and they started eating. People at the other tables watched them drooling so we politely explained to put the bread down.
We placed our orders. Dan had shewarla beef pizza and Ev had shewarla chicken and baba ghanooush. Spinach, garlic bit spicy but it was all very tasty. Ev ordered the Baba Ghanooush because it had a really cool name! ‘One Baba Ghanoosh please waiter’, and Dan said under his breath to Ev “I’ll have what she’s having”.
Night Markets
After dinner Hoda took us back the same way under the subway and we walked to Bazaar (market). Hoda showed us our meeting place at El Fishawara cafe and we had our first cold Hibiscus tea which is very sweet tea, kind of like a cranberry juice. Ev loved it. We walked through the market for about 30 mins on our own. It was a chaotic, wonderful place with hundreds of stalls selling millions of trinkets and souvenirs. The vendors were very persistent, all wanting your business and it was really hard to just look and enjoy without being harassed to buy someone.
So here are a few opening one liners the vendors used to reel us in:
“Look, No hassle.”
“What you looking for, spices, scarfs, magnet?”
“I give you good deal”
“Where you from?”
“You dropped something... My heart.”
“You have broken my heart.”
“He is very lucky man.”
“Everything for free!”
And our favourite: “How can I take your money?”
After 30 minutes of walking we got lost until we were given directions from Denise and Richard who we thankfully bumped in to. The cafe was very full upon our return so Hoda asked us to wait near a grassy area for the bus. This was also where a Tourist Security Police office was and our van driver was being pushed to move along but we were all there quickly and didn’t get into trouble. On the bus Hoda talked more about Ramadan. She was 8 when she started fasting during Ramadan and she is now 30. Hoda has never broken her fast although there are exceptions: women who are breastfeeding or menstruating, people who are sick and need medication, the elderly and young children and labourers are allowed to drink water if they work in the sun all day. She was close to breaking her fast just recently due to extreme heat. They are allowed to wet their mouths but must spit the water out. We find it difficult to understand that the population can’t drink water during the day, especially in the extreme summer heat of 45+ degrees, but, this is what travel is all about.
We passed the busiest bazaar in Cairo, mostly locals trading 2nd hand clothing, and during our drive we noticed some areas experiencing rolling blackouts to conserve energy due to everybody cranking their a/c. The city really comes alive at night, particularly during Ramadan as the people have breakfast at 6:40pm then stay up for dinner at 2am. Hoda said she often has only a few hours of sleep every night during Ramadan because she drinks so much water and is up going to the toilet when she should be sleeping. We think shift workers would find this time of year easier than others.
We fell asleep almost as soon as we got home after our long day, but it was such a good day.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dan-ev/collections/72157624677997272
Ev woke up at 6:45am and went downstairs to use the free wireless internet to update the blog. Dan got up at 8am and we had breakfast at the restaurant on level 1 at 8:30am. We headed down to the lobby area at 9am for our tour of Saqqara plus the Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid. The tour didn’t officially start until 4pm later in the day but the whole group was now booked into the hotel and ready for some action. This is where we met the remaining members of the group, a family from Gisborne, New Zealand. David, Nicki, Caleb, Connor and Alley. Hoda was our tour guide for the day and good thing too as she has her Masters in Egyptology specialising in general Egypt history so she could answer all of our questions. We boarded the bus for Saqqara. On the bus Alley mentioned that they were from Gisborne. Dan’s brother-in-law Daniel is from Gisborne and he and Rachel lived there for a while. It turns out the family know Daniel’s sister Emily, and his cousin Lara and also Rachel’s best friend, Jacquie. Small world.
Saqqara Tombs
It was roughly a 45 minute drive to the pyramids of Saqqara and along the way we stopped at a Date plantation and were greeted by some excited young girls selling dates. They were keen to have their photos taken and Ev jumped at the chance of this.
As we approached our destination we could start to see sand and finally the top of the Step Pyramid, the Pyramid of Djoser. Hoda talked us through the history of each of the pyramids and went to the location of the first recorded hieroglyphics which were markings from a man showing his appreciation for Djoser. The entrance doorway and first room had very high ceilings and as we entered a tomb we had our first experience of seeing clear markings and carvings of everyday life in Cairo. Scenes of hunting, fishing, dancing etc, and animals of the day. Most of the markings were in very good condition and a few had their original colours of red and blue as well. It was amazing the amount of precision and workmanship displayed in each scene and the detail was incredible.
 |
| The Step Pyramid |
 |
| Hoda, Our Tour Leader |
 |
| Pyramid of Djoser |
 |
| Inside the Saqqara Tombs |
 |
| Pyramid of Teti |
Red & Bent Pyramids
After about 2 hours we headed back to the bus and drove to the sight of the Bent and Red Pyramids which took about 20 minutes from the Saqqara complex. The Red Pyramid was a sight to behold. It was the first structure built to have the perfect classical, pyramid form. It is called the Red Pyramid because of the warm colour it produces at sunset. The Bent Pyramid is strange because about halfway up, the angle changes from 54 degrees to 43 degrees. The Egyptians identified that while they were building it, the angle was not strong enough to support the top as it was collapsing so they had to change the top design mid way through building the structure. The bus went to a parking space about 250m away from the Bent Pyramid so we jumped out and took some photos but couldn’t gain entry tickets due to renovations. After a few minutes we got back on the bus and headed 2 minutes in the other direction. We still couldn’t get over that we were standing in front of an Egyptian pyramid but it also just dawned on us that we were in the Sahara Desert. That’s cool.
 |
| Bent Pyramid |
Hoda told us that we were allowed to go into the Red Pyramid but there are no cameras allowed inside. She also told us that it is the most difficult pyramid to access. We gave our cameras to Hoda who took pictures of us walking up the pyramid from the outside staircase from about 150m away. It was a 28m walk up the outside of the pyramid and a 60m walk inside down into the centre of the pyramid and the decent into the pyramid was tough. It was like a mine shaft, tiny, cramped and damp. It was more difficult with people trying to get back up the narrow pathway as well. We had finally reached the bottom of the 60m drop and were at the high ceiling tungsten lit pyramid centre. Again the views were stunning. There were more amazing designs and carvings. We climbed a few flights of stairs and saw the roof of a third chamber. It was an architectural masterpiece where the stone mouldings created a gradual overhang. It boggles the mind to think of how the Ancient Egyptians achieved such feats. The only thing off putting was the strong, damp smell. It was almost overpowering as there was little ventilation so far down except for an electric ventilator. Satisfied with what we had seen we made the trek back up the cramped tunnel. It took about 10 minutes to climb up out of the pyramid and by the end our legs were shaking after exerting so much energy in such hot, cramped conditions. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic experience being there.
 |
| Red Pyramid we walked inside of. |
 |
| Us first to exit the Pyramid |
 |
| Exhausted from our hike. |
 |
| Front: Unfinished houses avoid taxes, Background: Giza Pyramids |
We stopped off at a service station to grab lunch because all the takeaway places were closed for Ramadan. We decided we would get KFC for lunch so we took some money out of the ATM and noticed a 100 pound note just sitting in the machine. The guy before us was gone so we gave the money to Hoda and she gave it to the staff of the service station. We also gathered up the tips for the driver and Hoda for the day.
On the bus we told Nikky and David about the KFC Hoda had shown us so David and the boys Connor (16yo) and Caleb (28yo) came with us for lunch. Oh, it was good western food. We put in our order and gave the cashier 100 EGP but she had no change for our 58 EGP order. We felt ripped off, but they didn’t have any change so we decided it was a donation and had settled on that. After David paid she gave us our change back and we were a little surprised, but grateful. Dan had a Panini and Ev had a fillet burger. Mmmm chicken good. The guys are very nice and had been travelling Europe together as a family since July.
We walked back to the hotel and just rested until our team brief at 4pm where Hoda explained the itinerary of our tour from Cairo, down to Aswan via sleeper train, then up to Luxor via felucca on the Nile and then bus, then back up to Cairo on the sleeper train. We are very excited, although the heat is pretty exhausting. We filled out a sheet with our insurance details etc then boarded a bus where Hoda took us to the Coptic area.
Coptic Area
We walked together through a market area where the path was shared by pedestrians, cars and impatient scooter drivers. The vendors offered their products everywhere we looked and continued to offer even after saying ‘no’, but that’s to be expected. We arrived at the beautiful church and mosque at the Coptic are and Hoda spoke with us about the history of the place and more about the Muslim faith including where and how they pray. Hoda is incredibly passionate about what she does as a guide, and even more passionate about her religion. The stain-glassed windows are beautiful and the whole architecture of the entire place, including the Holy of Holy’s was remarkable. It was very interesting to learn more about their rituals.
 |
| Coptic Area |
 |
| The Holy of Holies in the Temple |
We could see by this time that Ramadan was effecting Hoda, especially as it was very hot and she had not been allowed any water during the day. She assured us she was fine, but was looking forward to breakfast soon. We felt really bad drinking in front of her but she encouraged us to drink when we needed.
Hoda took us to a restaurant 20 minutes before breakfast (our dinner) and we were so thirsty and looking forward to being in air-conditioning. As we entered, not even thinking about the people who had not eaten or drunk all day, Dan walked through the restaurant sipping from his water bottle and the people stared at him the entire time. When he was seated, Dan drank some more and one guy tapped him on the shoulder and desperately said “please wait 20 minutes”. Dan apologised and felt terrible but the guy had a big smile and said it was ok. If they wait all day Dan can wait 20 minutes. Waiters were bringing food out to the people who had already order and they sat with their food and drinks in front of them and they waited the full 20 minutes until 6:40pm to eat their meals. It was painful to watch. A waiter bought out some complimentary bread and we explained to Connor and Caleb what Ramadan was so we didn’t eat, but Nikky and David didn’t know and they started eating. People at the other tables watched them drooling so we politely explained to put the bread down.
We placed our orders. Dan had shewarla beef pizza and Ev had shewarla chicken and baba ghanooush. Spinach, garlic bit spicy but it was all very tasty. Ev ordered the Baba Ghanooush because it had a really cool name! ‘One Baba Ghanoosh please waiter’, and Dan said under his breath to Ev “I’ll have what she’s having”.
Night Markets
After dinner Hoda took us back the same way under the subway and we walked to Bazaar (market). Hoda showed us our meeting place at El Fishawara cafe and we had our first cold Hibiscus tea which is very sweet tea, kind of like a cranberry juice. Ev loved it. We walked through the market for about 30 mins on our own. It was a chaotic, wonderful place with hundreds of stalls selling millions of trinkets and souvenirs. The vendors were very persistent, all wanting your business and it was really hard to just look and enjoy without being harassed to buy someone.
So here are a few opening one liners the vendors used to reel us in:
“Look, No hassle.”
“What you looking for, spices, scarfs, magnet?”
“I give you good deal”
“Where you from?”
“You dropped something... My heart.”
“You have broken my heart.”
“He is very lucky man.”
“Everything for free!”
And our favourite: “How can I take your money?”
We passed the busiest bazaar in Cairo, mostly locals trading 2nd hand clothing, and during our drive we noticed some areas experiencing rolling blackouts to conserve energy due to everybody cranking their a/c. The city really comes alive at night, particularly during Ramadan as the people have breakfast at 6:40pm then stay up for dinner at 2am. Hoda said she often has only a few hours of sleep every night during Ramadan because she drinks so much water and is up going to the toilet when she should be sleeping. We think shift workers would find this time of year easier than others.
We fell asleep almost as soon as we got home after our long day, but it was such a good day.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dan-ev/collections/72157624677997272
2 comments:
"Ëverything for free" sounds like an offer you can't refuse! hehe. Interesting post guys! x
hilarious - every time I see Babaganoosh on a menu I order because I like saying it too!- Bec
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