Cairo

Wow

It's the end of our second day, and soon we're taking a sleeping train to Aswan.

We arrived two days ago at midnight, and got into our hostel without experiencing any of Cairo so far. We then ventured out in the morning and experienced Coptic Cairo, Islamic Cairo, The Citadel, and the Egyptian Museum. The sights I have seen have been some of the most amazing things I have seen in my entire life. At the museum they have Tutenkhmens tomb and everything in it, he must have had a big ego. It's almost unbelievable until you see some of these things, and then learn they're 3000+ years old!

Today we got up at 4am, and got on some camels and went to the Giza Pyramids and watched the sunrise. What an experience, it just seems so surreal what we did this morning, it was dawn, in the desert, just sand dunes and us, until we saw some guys riding and yelling on horses. They weren't a threat though. Then we went to the Pyramids and climbed one of them, they're really big. We saw the Sphinx, which was OK, and then rode the camels some more. Parts of the Pyramids are really close to the city, it's odd actually.. We then went to some other tombs, and I have to tell you, I am getting sick of the way here people try to get your money. They act as a tour guide, show you a few things, then ask, or try to persuade, you to give them money. We tell them from the start "we don't want a guide, we have no money to give you" but they come along, and then ask for money and get really angry when you don't give them money. Frustrating. And people ask for tips all the time, I mean, we do have more money than them, but we soon wouldn't if we gave stuff to everyone that has asked us over this entire trip so far.

The sleeping train should be nice, first class apparently. As long as it's air conditioned, because the done near Aswan and Luxor is hot. Can't wait though. It's such a unique place. Cairo is completely mad, 22 million or so they tell us...

-Andrew

What a crazy place. We got up so early thismorning and our lovely taxi driver was waiting for us to take us to Giza. We get there and start riding out to the desert while its still dark. My camel was called Ali Babar. The area around the pyramids is now fenced off and they close the area until 9am everyday. Well, our 'guide' knew some guy whole lived in a shack just inside the fence and bribed him to let us in. Then he bribed the tourist police (such a joke in this place) to climb up the pyramid and inside one of the tombs. We were there for 2 hours and it was just us and these amazing structures. He even gave Andrew some souvineer rocks from the pyramid. After we got back we went to some more pyramids that are less know but the insides are a bit more intact. We are so thankful for our tour guide because he told us exactly how to go about getting tickets. Its crazy because ou get your tickets at one place then you drive to the site and the police tell you you have to buy more tickets, you dont. I quite like the struggle with the hagglers, its fun just sticking up for yourself all the time if you know how to do it.
Anyways tomorrow we are starting this crazy hard core non stop tour of Egypt. Highlights incluse a miltary convoy to Abel Simel and waking up on Mt Sinai on Andrews birthday. The spray from my work pressie is awesome in this heat- thanks guys!! Love you all
-Alice