Pontificating on Pyramids (September 2, 2010)

This morning was incredible. We woke up early for a private guided tour of the Pyramids at Giza. Giza is actually the name of the entire district on the opposite side of the Nile, and the pyramids are on the outskirts of it. Our guide, Mona, was wealth of knowledge. The second we got into the van she began our tour, pointing out important buildings and neighborhoods we would have easily missed like Garden City which used to be the area of Cairo where there were villas and gardens but now is home to many embassies including the American, British and Canadian embassies.
It was sweltering as we were standing literally in the middle of the desert (I look sweaty and disheveled in my pictures…ugh), but I loved it! I could honestly write forever about the pyramids and relay all of the information Mona told us, but I will spare you all and just talk about some highlights. First we saw the Great Pyramid, built by the pharaoh Khufu in 2730 BC. It was such an immense structure (the only remaining wonder of the seven wonders of the ancient world), it is incredible to believe it was built before the invention of the wheel. Scientists and architects still cannot figure out how the Ancient Egyptians built the pyramid, and could not replicate it without a computer.
We went inside the second pyramid, or the pyramid of Khafre, Khufu’s son. We had to walk down a steep path and bend over the entire way, as the ceiling was extremely low. We then had to walk up a similar path, and it was cool and clammy and we were inside the pyramid. The room at the end of the path was where the empty sarcophagus of Khafre was left open. The walls were bare, as the first tomb art was not until much later, however it was so incredible to be INSIDE a pyramid.
We continued on to the Sphinx and the mortuary temples of the pyramid, Mona taught us about the mummification process and the stories of the Sphinx and it’s significance in ancient and modern history. With that we concluded with the tour of Ancient Giza, and moved on to a place that makes essences and blends for perfumes.
Our time at Siwa Essence Maker was an absolute blast. The Ministry of Tourism in Egypt requires craftsmen to do a demonstration of their craft for all patrons who come in free of charge, and for there to be air conditioning. We sat in a beautiful room surrounded by decorative glass and learned about different essences with Mohamed, our guide at the Essence Maker, drinking Turkish coffee, tea and a traditional Egyptian hibiscus tea. The presentation was fantastic. We smelled essences that are unique to Egypt like lotus flower (smelled like Herbal Essences) and Papyrus flower (smelled like Old Spice). In addition to jasmine, gardenia, orange blossom and narcissus. He also asked us to pick our favorite fragrance from home and he would find a blend that matched for us to smell. Additionally, popular blends include the aphrodisiac “Secret of the Desert” (smelled like a candy store and was more fondly referred to as “Egyptian Viagra”) and its counterpart Harem Perfumes (meant to attract women but I would find it a deterrent as it was extremely strong).
We began talking with the staff in Arabic (although they spoke English fluently), and they began joking with us. One woman called us “Butter, White and Guava”, in Arabic. I had no clue what she meant even when it was translated. Katrina turned to me and said, “She is talking about our races, and you are the butter in this situation.” We all cracked up and had a great time. Even though we didn’t buy anything Mohamed gave us his contact information so we could come for a meal with his family next time we visit Cairo (we have accumulated a lot of these “invites” now, Egyptians, while pushy, are very hospitable and interested in practicing English with Americans).
After saying goodbye to Mona, we went to lunch at Falfela, a restaurant she recommended saying it was where a lot of Egyptians go out to eat on a regular basis. On the way to the restaurant we inquired about it to a man who was crossing the street with us. He took it upon himself to walk us a little of the way, and then quickly told us it was “most definitely closed because of Ramadan.” I was skeptical and frustrated because Mona AND the hotel staff said it was open. He then said, “But the government bazaar is open and having a very very big sale.” THIS WAS A SCAM. I had just read about it in my guidebook, apparently these guys lie and say places are closed for lunch/holidays/repairs. There is a “sale” every day at the government bazaar, and the stuff is junk and these guys get a cut of whatever cheap, rip off goods you purchase there. We finally got away from him and found the restaurant, which was alas OPEN. (ZING)
Lunch was long and delicious; I tried Egyptian falafel, called taamia in Cairo, and I couldn’t resist more fresh mango juice. We returned to the hotel for rest and relaxation until dinner.
We had a great dinner at Abu el-Cid, a restaurant that was recommended to us by several people (thanks Ginny!) as well as Mona. It was beautiful inside an the food was fantastic. We got a mezze platter with amazing spicy humus, vine leaves, fool (a traditional Egyptian dish comprised of fava bean puree), and one dip I didn’t like that had a ton of dill in addition to various main courses. We relaxed and ate slowly (a major feat for a Sassoon) and ended up spending over three hours at dinner. We also ran into Liz (one of the coordinator of the Middlebury program) and her colleague Sharroq in the restaurant. It was exciting to meet them, and we will see them tomorrow on the bus.
We left the restaurant at midnight, and for the first time in Cairo it was actually cool out. There was a breeze as we walked over the bridge and along the corniche back to the hotel. Families and groups of people were out along the corniche and the traffic was heavy, as usual. Cairo is incredibly beautiful in its own, sort of run down way. It is sad to see buildings that were once clearly glorious (circa 1950) dilapidated and run down with window frames hanging off. But in some crazy, dysfunctional way, the city works.
I am really excited to go to Alex tomorrow. We thought about getting up early and going to the Citadel and Coptic Cairo, but decided to just sleep in and rest. We have four months in Egypt and can come back to Cairo another time.
Major panic hits and I cannot sleep. My mind is totally reeling. WHAT IN THE WORLD AM I THINKING? Language immersion? Egyptian roommate? Leaving my beautiful apartment in Philadelphia and all of my friends who are there? I attempt to watch TV, but don’t want to wake up my room mate, finally I am totally drained and fall asleep after 3AM…