Pyramids

Before I start writing this blog I just want to say right out that mom and dad, I didn't get mugged, ripped off, taken advantage of or into trouble. The pyramids where amazing and although it took a lot to get to them it was worth it.

The other day myself and a friend decided that we wanted to take a early afternoon trip out on our own and check out the Great Pyramids at Giza. We got out backpacks and water and I asked the front desk worker to write down in Arabic where we wanted to go on a piece of paper for the cab driver and he also gave me the desk phone number. We caught a taxi and told him we wanted to go to Giza, to the pyramids. We agreed on 30 pounds and he took us to Giza. The problem is he took us to a different part of Cairo also known as Giza. After some back and forth banter and some translating by the front desk worker we got it figured out.

This is where it gets interesting. After about ten min of driving from that point the driver started making a bunch of phone calls. We didn't think anything of it at the time. A few min after that his taxi broke down. Ironically though, there just happen to be another taxi waiting right where ours broke down and the driver took the liberty to inform the next taxi driver where we where going and what we wanted. We paid the first driver and agreed on a price with the second driver for the rest of the distance. We where in the second taxi on our way to the pyramids and although so far we had had a small problem we where feeling pretty good.

The two of us where both sitting in the back seat of the taxi. The person I was with was a female and I wanted to sit in back so I could talk to her, otherwise I would have had to sit in the front. (It is culturally not acceptable for women to sit in the front with men in the back-the taxi drivers get pissed.) The taxi pulled over and a guy waiting on a street corner quickly got in the taxi with us and the taxi took off again before we had a chance to try and ask what he was doing or who the guy was.

The guy then turned around to us and asked us who we where, what we were doing and where we where from. I asked us if we had been to the pyramids before and if we where excited to see them. At the time, it did not even occur to us that we had not even told him we where going to the pyramids. He was talking to us about how to go about seeing them, as in what gate to use and such to avoid excess fines. All in all he was very nice, and seemed genuine. We got with in visual range of the pyramids and that was pretty cool to see them at first out the window but they where mostly blocked by buildings. The taxi drove around some buildings and then went up a really sketchy looking ally and along some stables for awhile and took us to stable where a guy was standing outside waiting for us. They had us get out of the taxi and while the driver waited outside they took us into a room, sat us down and explained several different viewing options that involved paying them a lot of money. We knew that a ticket in was 60 pounds (30 for students) but they where telling us that that was for each thing if you walked in. That we would have to pay 150 pounds at least and we would keep getting stopped and asked for our tickets. They where very persistent and very aggressive towards us. At one point they agreed to tell us the prices if we got on their camels. We where talking to each other also and decided we where not going to give them any money until they provided us with a legit looking ticked which they failed to do; so I got a free camel ride. (it was really short, but still) We just walked away even though they where yelling and screaming at us and we eventually found the main gate. (the entire area is surrounded by a 10 concrete wall with a 10 foot chain link fence on it) We got out tickets for 30 pounds instead of the 150-300 pounds the schemers where trying to sell them to us for and we walked right in. We went all around the Sphinx, the pyramids as well as some ruins around them.

There are tourists everywhere, tourist police everywhere, and guys riding camels everywhere. They vendors are very aggressive and pushy. One guy took my camera and took some pretty cool pictures of me using angles and I was going to tip him 5 pounds for it but he demanded 50 pounds. As we walked around the Sphinx and the grand tomb entrance he continued to follow me, push me and grab me demanding 50 pounds. He even went up to the tourist police at one point trying to scare me into giving him the money. We where followed by creepy guys on camels all over trying to give us "Egyptian" prices to ride their camels and they would follow you around also. I have a bunch of pictures to post as well as a video. At the end of the video you can actually hear Sheehan telling a guy on a camel who came up behind me while I was making the video that we didn't want to ride it. That conversation is in Arabic, mostly its us just telling him no.

The pyramids themselves where very cool. I was able to walk right up to them and touch them. Standing there touching something that is so old, Carries so much history was really awesome. I was more or less standing beside myself.

We left the pyramid area and decided to walk a few kilometers down the road so we wouldn't get charged 400% percent for the taxi ride back. When you hear about people saying that the locals there rip off and take advantage of the tourists, its and understatement. We where going down the road and it became apparent after awhile that we where no longer in a "tourist" area. I don't mean to insult anyone, but it became very apparent we where no longer in a "white person" area. In the ten minutes of walking the buildings had fallen apart and the road had turned to animal shit covered rubble. We where very thankful to find and hail a taxi (and a nice taxi at that) to get us back to the inner city. We ended up going back to Giza but this time it was intentional. We met up with another friend of mine here and walked around for awhile, went to a juice bar and really appreciated the quality of Giza and Zamalek. We got back to the dorms with a bunch of pictures, the ability to say we have been to the pyramids, an acceptable amount of money spent and a huge cultural experience. Although it was about the most cliche trip to take while I am here, so far it has been the most interested and culturally shocking so far.

If you have any questions or comments write them on my face book group wall. I will post the pictures and the video of this as soon as I can. I also have pictures to post of the Citadel, Azhar park and some other stuff. I am sorry I am behind on the pictures, the Internet here sucks pretty bad.