 More Than Pyramids
Cairo, Egypt
Story and Photos by Lynda Low
Egypt was never on my travel radar but I made it to Cairo and Luxor in April, 2009. Honestly, I have no regrets. Egypt is fascinating!
 Our group arrived in Cairo via Dubai, 30 hours after leaving Kuala Lumpur International airport. Immediately after dinner, we rushed over to Giza to watch the Pyramids Sound and Light Show. The Sphinx plays the role of storyteller, narrating the history of ancient Egypt. The show lasted for 50 minutes and was both informative and interesting. There are a number of different shows each night. Call first to check and choose the one held in the language that you understand as the translation headphone does not work well. Make sure you bring warm clothing as the desert does get quite cold, even in April. Later, to our disappointment, we found out that we could also get to watch the show for free from the rooftop of Albadawia Café/Restaurant or the Pizza Hut situated opposite the Sphinx.
 We went back to see the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx in daylight. It was a totally different experience, dusty and hot but worth the visit. Beware of camel herders as many of my colleagues were ripped-off once they were on the camel. The Great Pyramids of Giza are the largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis and is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that survives substantially intact. Its current height is 138.8m (455 feet). Our guide told us that it used to have performances of men climbing up to the top of the pyramids but today, it is no longer legal to do so. This is to prevent erosion and the loss of its pyramidion (the uppermost piece or capstone of the pyramid).
 The Khan-el-Khalili Market is pretty fascinating. It is a 14th century Souq, made up of 900 stalls connected by tight alleyways where it is easy to get lost. The bazaar sells perfumes, jewelry, clothes, souvenirs, antiques and has an entire section devoted to spices. Like many markets of this sort, the prices are not set and you have to bargain your way down. Very stressful for me! There are lots of restaurant and cafes in the area for a cuppa, smoke a Shisha (Arabs call it a Shisha, in the West it is called a Hookah) and watch people.
 When in Cairo, another must see is the Egyptian Museum, situated at Tahrir square. It was built during the reign of Khedive Abbass Helmi II in 1897 and opened on November 15, 1902. It has 107 halls with sections housing Tutankhamon's treasures, pre-dynasty and old kingdom monuments, first intermediate period and middle kingdom monuments, modern kingdom, late period and the Greek and Roman periods, coins and papyrus, sarcophagi and scarabs. We did not have much time to spend in the museum and were advised by our guide to first see the objects of the early dynastic period at the main entrance of the museum, room No 43 on the ground floor. Proceed clockwise direction until you reach the main entrance and then up the stairs to visit the Tut Ankh Amon collection in the northern and eastern galleries. Sorry, no photography and video are allowed in the museum. Books on the museum can be found in the bookshops on the ground floor.
Another interesting place is the "City of the Dead". We passed by "City of the Dead" numerous times as we toured around town but we did not stop. Our guide told us that due to housing shortages, overpopulation and the rising cost of living, the cemeteries have become home to over a million of Egypt's urban poor. These people have turned the tombs of the dead into residences for the living. Creepy.
There are many things to see in Cairo, and the trip was more enjoyable than I had expected. Don't forget to check out the second half of my trip in Luxor, a city steeped in history.
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