On Saturday 17 November, I flew from Istanbul to Cairo. I arrived at the Cairo airport near sunset and actually saw the sun as a big orange-red disk over the horizon due to all the dust in the atmostphere. A representative from the tour was in the secure area waiting for me and walked me through the visa and passport process, which was very efficient and only cost $15. On the ride back to my hotel, it was fun to see all the Arabic signs, billboards, and license plates. (The one to the left is 512173.)
The hotel I stayed at was a little tourist compound near Giza on the west side of the Nile
. (The pyramids were huge tombs and west was associated with the setting sun and death in ancient Egypt.) It had a gym, several restaurants, ATMs inside, and armed guards at the gate.
Less fun, and a reminder that I was in the third world, was the state of my room's toilet. Seems someone had gotten sick and the janitor hadn't noticed and cleaned the side. (The main part, though, appeared clean to be fair.) Needless to say, I had to request a recleaning.
The rest of the tour was fun and free from any such hygenic problems.
I got my first brief look at the pyramids on the morning of Sunday 18 November as we drove from Giza back over the Nile to downtown Cairo to tour sites there during light Sunday Cairo traffic. The picture on the left is of the tallest one -- the Great Pyramid of Giza.
