LIB'S LABYRINTH: Maze: Cairo Pyramids

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Maze: Cairo Pyramids

Maze: Cairo, Land of the Pharos

"Ahlan Wa Sahlan, Habibi." Welcome to Egypt, Darling (or sweetheart or friend). Upon arrival in Cairo and after passport control and paying the visa entry fee of $15, we were met by Mido the Egyptologist tour guide at Terminal 1.

Waiting for our tour bus

Crossing Nile River

American Embassy

A private transfer was included from the airport to exotic Grand Pyramids Hotel. The hotel ground is quite colorful and attractive with big swimming pool and cabanas and one very unusual tree. I forgot the name but it starts with a "C."

I read the three mini-pyramids were the burial tombs of the pharoah's wives. The head dress was a "FREE" gift from the Egyptian boy Mahmoud among other things (3 pyramids model, 10 postcards and another head dress) who met me while entering the Solar Boat Museum. He kept telling me they were all free so I gave him a dollar for the stuff anyway. He had a change of mind and came back with his boss or father to ask for more payment while we were waiting to get inside the museum. We've been (there were others), "chastised" by Mido for talking with the guys and we avoided them after that. Poor Mahmoud was probably being spanked later that day. However, there's justice in the pyramidal desert. One in the group, no names so as not to embarass her, paid $40.00 for a camel ride. It's supposed to be $10.00, including a 8x11 color photograph, with Mido. Indeed, there's a sucker born every minute.