Some thirty plus years back I was fortunate enough to spend three weeks in Egypt. Of course visiting the great pyramid (Khufu) was seriously on the itinerary. It was the most claustrophobic experience of my life!
That ascending corridor nearly gave me a panic attack. Totally irrational but I could the mass and the weight of the whole structure above and around me. I had the absurd notion that after thousands of years the pyramid was about to collapse, simply because I was in it. The air inside was heavy and stale. What it must have been like labouring inside when building it defies imagination, no electric lighting either!!!
On the way out I felt a pushing and nudging from behind, there was a young Egyptian lad with his hand over his mouth and a green face, he looked as if he was going to be sick at any momentā¦
Wow incredible I watch documentaries on the Pyramids , Pharaohs , Queens and yes I would have also been bit claustrophobic but amazing to have walked in such history .
It was an amazing trip allround. Cairo is a fascinating place, crazy!
Crossing the busy roads is quite an experience. There were traffic lights but nobody takes a blind bit of notice. You have to quite literally walk out into two or three lanes of moving traffic. The cars slow down just enough to let you weave your way through. It goes against everything you ever learnt about road safety!
Yep. thirty plus!
Not so very long after the first Gulf war. There were huge exercises/manoeuvres going on, desert pattern DPM everywhere. I remember sitting on the terrace drinking beer chatting to the young American GIās. I was struck with how polite they were.
The entire trip was expensive, pretty much a once in a lifetime thing for me. Spent the first week in Luxor before flying Egypt Air to Cairo for a couple of weeks, then flying back to Luxor for a day before heading home. The idea was to get around sightseeing etc independently rather than being shepherded around on coaches by a guide. I think the government was fairly stable at the time although there were ongoing attacks on tourists. One reason why I didnāt take the train up north to Cairo.
That must have really been a memorable trip Chili, three whole weeks!
We went on a family holiday to see the pyramids, for 4 days, way back in 2007. I experienced the same claustrophobic feeling when walking through the great pyramid of Khufu, or should I say, crawling through! When I came out the only words I had to say were: Never again!!! Iām glad we went, though, Giza with its pyramids is a place everyone should visit during their lifetime. I remember everything was cheap, we stayed in a five star hotel but the cost was the same as a three star hotel in Europe!
We didnāt like the food unfortunately, we ended up in a McDonaldās one afternoon.
Fascinating and yes suspected expensive in fact as you know cruises leave for Egypt well used to not sure if anymore and even they are expensive .
Did you like the hotel accommodations ?
I used to love well still watch the reruns of Anthony Bourdain and his episode in Egypt he commented on it was not cheap but as you know back then lots tourists .
The tipping was expensive wasnāt it, if you forgot they soon let you know!
Baksheesh!
Yes I felt exactly the same as I left that pyramid, never been so grateful for fresh air in my life
I donāt remember tipping being expensive, maybe itās something to do with currency exchange. I actually recall giving a few euros which would be normal here, as a tip, and for them it seemed like an enormous amount! A big smile on their face. Also, we had a private taxi driver taking us around everywhere and did not cost much at all, not compared to how many euros youād spend here for hours of taxi service.
The average tip for small things was one Egyptian pound.
I think one pound sterling bought five Egyptian at the time. I guess it all added up at the end of the trip but Iām probably just wearing my Scrooge hat.
But yes the taxis were very cheap, unlike London black cabs
Been there to to Cairo museum ( no photos allowed) and seen the King Tuts display
Also the pyramids . What put us of was all the pestering from street traders that follow you about, ruined what would have been a pleasant experience.
They hand you a trinket then demand money for it
Luckily, we were protected from all that, as we had our own personal guide. I remember a little girl who kept staring at my daughter who was nine years old at the time, I thought perhaps because of her long, fair, wavy hair.
At the pyramids, there were many Egyptians insisting on taking photos for us and expecting to be paid.
Another trick was to produce a letter. They would insist it was from a relative in England and that as their English was so poor would I help them write a reply. It was incredible how many people in Egypt had an aunt in Basingstoke or a brother in Norwich!
If I had been American no doubt they would have had family in New York or Dallas
November 25th 1922, archaeologist Howard Carter wrote in his diary. āNoted seals. ā¦ Opened the first doorway; which comprised rough stones built up from the threshold to the lintel, plastered over on the outside face, and covered with numerous impressions from various seals of Tut.ankh. Amen and the Royal Necropolis seal. ā¦ As we cleared the passage we found mixed with the rubble broken potsherds, jar seals, and numerous fragmentsā¦ These were disturbing elements as they pointed towards plundering.ā The next day, the second doorway was opened
When I came out the only words I had to say were: Never again!!! Iām glad we went, though, Giza with its pyramids is a place everyone should visit during their lifetime. I remember everything was cheap, we stayed in a five star hotel but the cost was the same as a three star hotel in Europe!
