I Think I Saw the Pyramids

written Thursday, Oct. 7th.  Internet has been a pain so couldn't post earlier.


Alexandria, Egypt. Got on tour bus. 2 ½ hour drive to see a famous mosque in Cairo. Covered my head and went inside. Interesting and pretty and simple. Back in bus. Stopped for lunch on a boat on the Nile. Surrounded by city. No reeds or bullrushes. Lunch show belly dancer. Everything shook but her store-bought boobs. Back in bus. Eventually pyramids appeared behind the high rise buildings. Tour guide says 10 minutes then back on the bus. Dodged souvenier hawkers, camel ride offers, horses, and a million other tourists. Rode bus to lower pyramid. Paid extra to take an inhumanly crouched walk inside the pyramid. Back on the bus. 15 minutes to see the Sphinx. Ernie leaves ticket on bus. Bus disappears. Get in line to pass through arch shoulder to shoulder with people coming in and going out. Sudden nausea. Get out of line and give ticket to Ernie. Find some fresh air and another view of Sphinx. See Ernie who gave up on line also. Find bus. Stop at bazaar. 40 minutes. Hmmm. Why so much time now? Bought stuff. Back on bus for 3 hour ride back to ship. Meantime, learned about how wonderful Egypt and Islam treat women, as well as the freedom headcovering brings.

Egypt's city buildings were all grey stone rectangular highrises.  The only color seen was the laundry hanging off the balconies.  So much trash and poverty.  And more trash.  All over the streets, sidewalks, parks.  Cars stream down the 6 lane highway along with mules pulling carts and people in the median plying their wares.  Sellers of trinkets are agressive -- the $2 they might make from a sale makes a huge difference to the family income.  We were warned to watch out for the camel rides -- make sure you have negotiated the entire price before you hop on because they will charge you extra to get down!  Bargain, bargain, barbain for anything you might want to buy and don't touch it until you are sure you want it or they will considere it purchased.  I don't get why the cradle of civilization is so uncilivlized!  There wasn't much redeeming about Alexandria or Cairo.  I was happiest when we made it back safely to the bus!  Seeing the pyramids and sphinx made it worth the trip, but we have no desire to return.  We were surprised to find the pyramids sitting right outside the city -- not out in the desert as we imagined.