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back in Cairoback in Cairo Everyone has been asking me if things feel or look any different here in Cairo after the revolution.  When I left, there were tanks in my neighborhood, a curfew, lots of gunfire, there was no internet, and Mubarak was still president.  Now, Mubarak is gone, the police are back on the streets, the tanks have rolled out,...

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from ancient to medieval in Cairofrom ancient to medieval in Cairo On Tuesday we started our day with a cab ride to Tahrir to see the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. We spent a few hours enjoying the Tutahnkamun exhibit, Akhenaten collection, and other ancient art and artifacts of Egypt. We then took a taxi to the Citadel. The views of the city were stunning. We...

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weddles in luxorweddles in luxor This past week has been a whirlwind!  After seeing some sights around Cairo with Ryan, my parents arrived and we left for Luxor.  We arrived in Luxor around midday and decided to check out Luxor Temple in the afternoon sunlight.  It was incredible.  The city of Luxor creeps right up to the edges of these ancient sites,...

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Mount SinaiMount Sinai Last weekend we went on a faculty trip to Mount Sinai.  After a 9 hour bus ride through barren, empty, desert, along the eastern coast of Egypt and across the Sinai Peninsula, we made it to Dahab where the best thing about our hotel was the coral reef meters from our room.  Another 2 hour bus ride through a forbidding...

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Unfinished ObeliskUnfinished Obelisk Once we got to Aswan and after a crazy taxi experience that entailed some serious driver rivalry, keys stolen from the ignition, a chase involving a tire iron, and a group of tourists, ahem, us, quietly unloading our luggage and finding another cab... (yeah, I know, OH EGYPT!) Anyhow once we got to Aswan, we decided...

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and last but not least…

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Category : Family, Mom and Dad's Visit, My Life in Cairo

the Pyramids!

On Wednesday we finally made it to the pyramids of Giza.  We decided to try to get there as early as possible since it has been so hot.  When we arrived around 8am, the park was virtually empty except for three Weddles, a few camels, and a lot of guys getting ready to sell souvenirs.

We hurried over to purchase tickets to go inside the largest pyramid, the Great Pyramid of Khufu, since it has been closed every time I have been to Giza.  By the time we made it to the ticket office, a few bus loads of tourists were streaming into the park.  Fortunately the Great Pyramid was open, so we were able to purchase tickets to go inside.

I have been inside the Red Pyramid at Dashur and the Second Pyramid at Giza, and I assumed that the Great Pyramid would be similar.  But once we climbed up the steps to the pyramid’s entrance and entered a cave-like passageway, I was surprised to see how different it was.  The first passageway led to a staircase; and the staircase led to a ramp that led to another small passageway that lead to a large, empty chamber.  It was quite a climb.  And unfortunately, no photos were allowed, so you’ll have to use your imaginations to envision the spooky experience.

Before we left the plateau, we wanted to get a classic camel photo, so we looked for some of the friendlier-looking camels.  I think we did a good job.

Check out that camel’s smile!

After leaving the pyramids, we set out to find the Wissa Wassef Arts Center located between Giza and Saqqara. We passed all kinds of unusual things on Saqqara Road.  It was a little like Mulberry Street… there were carts with horses, decorated donkeys, bony giant oxen, tons of watermelons, and a pink cow.  (Trust me, I am doing ya’ll a favor by not posting the photo of that last one.)

Anyhow, we made it to the Wissa Wassef Art Center while the weavers were still at work.  (For pictures of the weavers and their amazing work, check out my post from my first visit to the Wissa Wassef Art Center by clicking here.)

We spent some time walking through the weaving and batik studios before heading to the shop where we admired the beautiful tapestries and looked through hundreds of colorful dyed fabrics.  I was amazed by the variety of designs.  Some were more decorative, while others featured birds and botanical vignettes or fish and other sea-life.

I had a lot of fun looking through all the designs with my mom.  I even got this pillow…

I love the magical animal on it.

We had a really wonderful time.  I am sure my parents were glad to finally see the pyramids after more than a week in Egypt, and for me, it’s always fun to get out and see them again.  My parents left yesterday morning.  It seems like the last two weeks flew by, but looking back, I am genuinely amazed at all of the things we have seen and done!

Comments (3)

Cute camel picture. Priceless :)
I love the camels were smiling too.

I love the camel photo of you with your parents – you need to frame that one!

Thanks for posting such great pics from our Egyptian experience. By the way, the smile on that camel doesn’t tell the whole story. In truth, they’re really pretty ornery beasts. Better viewed at a distance.

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