Charlie Brown Days
Our first rest day, hoorah! Still had to get up early though. Breakfast was at the Fairmont buffet while the hotel peacocks sheltered from the rain beside us. Eddie pick us up with Abdoullah and took us to our first port of call, the Egyptian Museum of Cairo by Tahrir Square. Tahrir Square was the epicenter of the 2011 revolution, where fighter jets passed over 2 million protesters. Since then the square has had a monument erected to honor those that died during that time. We could also see the KFC which acted as a make shift hospital. Pictures of the square taken we moved on the museum to see the mummies of various Pharaohs. Kings and and Queens. A fascinating museum but it did look as if thousands of items were just put on display with little thought. I was also concerned as to the conditions of the artifacts and how they would be preserved. Many items were on display without any protective barriers and very few items were hermetically sealed. The one main item that appeared to be so was Tutankhamens mask. You are not allowed to photo the mask but needless to say I was unaware of this and did so. After a ticking off all was fine and I still had a good picture to take home. Next at the Museum was the mummies which reminded me of the mummified saints I saw in Barcelona with Maria.
Back to the car we set of for the Pyramids. During our journey we got to see how the Cairo functioned. Crazy driving, families on scooters (and I mean families of four or five!) Women riding scooters side saddle, cars weaving around over cars and pedestrians. Cairo has grown massively over the years such that it inhabits around 20 million people and these people have to live somewhere. And as such they now live on top of the Pyramids. Once second you have the squalor and dirt of the city, then next you have the majesty of the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Eddie took us to a great vantage point to view the Pyramids, where all nine (or six) Pyramids of Giza could be seen, in the distance we could also see the other Pyramids nearby, Sakara and others whose name I cannot recall. After more photos and Eddies smoke break finished we set of to meet Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown is a Camel that Eddie rescued from the butchers knife and gave to some local friends. Charlie is around seven years old and is a very friendly and docile camel. Charlie Brown was the camel for me. Introductions made I straddled Charlie Brown and went for a tour of the Pyramids. Peter was on Mickey Mouse and Eddie on Scoobey Doo Doo. Our guides new the perfect photo spots and kindly took some for us (some 200 plus photos). During our tour they also taught us some Arabic of which they only phrase that i can really remember is "inshal'a Alla" god willing and ever since I have heard this phrase. Unfortunately it is a little disconcerting when you hear the air traffic controller say it!
Next stop was the Spinx and to meet the girls who look after some stalls by the monument. The girls who are between 17 and 24 were full of life and love to meet Eddies pilot friends. It was Nadia who took us the front of the Sphinx and took yet more photos (they really do like to take photos around here).
At around 4 ish we headed back to the Hotel some one hour away passing through streets of squalor and towards slightly more upmarket areas near our Hotel in Heliopolios. On route we stopped of at ta local Chemist to pick up some sun cream. Here as well as at the fuel stop earlier you pick what you want hand them to a n individual who gives you a ticket, then you walk to the cashier, pay him and then return to pick up your goods.
Having been dropped of by Eddie, Peter and myself prepared ourselves for dinner. Dinner was at the Brazilian diner, which was really all you could eat for around $25 total. After dinner I headed of to watch the Anderlecht V Man Utd game and down a few Sakara Golds, the local beer. Rest day over it was now time to sleep for our journey to Hurgadha.
Back to the car we set of for the Pyramids. During our journey we got to see how the Cairo functioned. Crazy driving, families on scooters (and I mean families of four or five!) Women riding scooters side saddle, cars weaving around over cars and pedestrians. Cairo has grown massively over the years such that it inhabits around 20 million people and these people have to live somewhere. And as such they now live on top of the Pyramids. Once second you have the squalor and dirt of the city, then next you have the majesty of the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Eddie took us to a great vantage point to view the Pyramids, where all nine (or six) Pyramids of Giza could be seen, in the distance we could also see the other Pyramids nearby, Sakara and others whose name I cannot recall. After more photos and Eddies smoke break finished we set of to meet Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown is a Camel that Eddie rescued from the butchers knife and gave to some local friends. Charlie is around seven years old and is a very friendly and docile camel. Charlie Brown was the camel for me. Introductions made I straddled Charlie Brown and went for a tour of the Pyramids. Peter was on Mickey Mouse and Eddie on Scoobey Doo Doo. Our guides new the perfect photo spots and kindly took some for us (some 200 plus photos). During our tour they also taught us some Arabic of which they only phrase that i can really remember is "inshal'a Alla" god willing and ever since I have heard this phrase. Unfortunately it is a little disconcerting when you hear the air traffic controller say it!
Next stop was the Spinx and to meet the girls who look after some stalls by the monument. The girls who are between 17 and 24 were full of life and love to meet Eddies pilot friends. It was Nadia who took us the front of the Sphinx and took yet more photos (they really do like to take photos around here).
At around 4 ish we headed back to the Hotel some one hour away passing through streets of squalor and towards slightly more upmarket areas near our Hotel in Heliopolios. On route we stopped of at ta local Chemist to pick up some sun cream. Here as well as at the fuel stop earlier you pick what you want hand them to a n individual who gives you a ticket, then you walk to the cashier, pay him and then return to pick up your goods.
Having been dropped of by Eddie, Peter and myself prepared ourselves for dinner. Dinner was at the Brazilian diner, which was really all you could eat for around $25 total. After dinner I headed of to watch the Anderlecht V Man Utd game and down a few Sakara Golds, the local beer. Rest day over it was now time to sleep for our journey to Hurgadha.
Comments
Post a Comment