After we got back to Cairo we made our way to Giza. Our hotel room had a view of the pyramids that were right across the street. We also visited the famous period style Mena house for a tour and lunch. It was beautiful and we wish we had stayed there instead.
We went early in the morning to avoid the lines. Although the great pyramid was already sold out we got tickets to go inside of one of the smaller ones. The entrance was maybe a 4×4 tunnel with slates for climbing up and down while bent over to fit in the tunnel. Half way in there was a shaft for ventilation, it was hard work so we took a break there to stand up and cool off. Once we made it all the way to the burial chamber, the air was quite stale and the room was not impressive at all. There was nothing there but a granite coffin. After the hard work of climbing all the way back out, the dry desert air felt like an air conditioned room we were so hot. We then took a camel ride around the pyramids. My camel was named Obama because (or so the owner said) it was the camel Obama rode when he went to Egypt.
We headed over to the Sphinx after. Who knew that the best view was from the pizza hut directly across the street from him. Although parts were closed off because of excavation, it was still very crowded with school children and tourists.
The next day we had free so we decided to go to Makkatum aka garbage city. This was where the Copts in Egypt live. They owned many pigs and collected all the trash for Cairo. When the swine flu broke out, the government slaughtered all the pigs, so there was a bit of a garbage overflow. Such a sad place, but many make their living recycling trash there.
There and back again 