Well, the trip started out very slowly. Day 1 was supposed to be a travel
day with two long flights and losing two hours, and the trip was supposed
to start on day two. However, due to weather delays, we couldn't take
our direct flight from LAX to JFK, and we had to stop over in Salt Lake
City. Then we got delayed getting into JFK and missed the only Egypt Air
flight to Cairo, so we had to spend the night at a hotel in JFK. We finally
caught up with our tour group on day three, but not before Wade got to
make an extra stop to file a claim with Egypt Air, because his bag did
not make it out of JFK. They only had 22 hours to make the transfer.
Here we are taking a bus through Cairo. We are actually not in the city
center, more like a ring road around the outskirts. Everything looks pretty
shaky here, with small concrete frames filled in with stacked brick. Notice
though, that no matter how primitive the building looks, they all have
satellite dishes on top. Atef says nobody wants to miss The Bold and
the Beautiful.
One story is that the buildings all stay officially unfinished, because
once they are finished you have to start paying property taxes. The other
story is that these are illegally constructed buildings anyway, because
the farmers have found out that they can make more money putting up a
building than farming. I'm not sure how these two stories align.
And for every hundred buildings, a mosque. Not too different than here
with churches.
Our first glimpse of approching the pyramids.
More street life. Here is a donkey-driven cart selling roasted potatoes.
Getting closer...
Kimberly outside the ticket gate into the pyramid area.
These small photos cannot do it justice, but when you get the people
standing at the base of the pyramids, you get a sense of the size and
scope.
Obligatory picture of the two of us in front of the three pyramids.
Now to find a camel and driver...
Pick me! Pick me!
Over on the side, some of the locals stopping for afternoon prayer (one
of five daily servings).
Here are some of our other tour members...
Here you go, Hans. Here's that picture you wanted of us in front of the
pyramids. Even the camel made a nice face.
Kissy, kissy.
You can see that Wade was the model for the sphinx.
And day three is coming to a close...
