Memphis, Sakkara & the Great Pyramids of Egypt

We started the day with Sammy and a new driver, ironically also named Ahmed like our first driver, that had a car that fit our 6' 4" friends. It's a bit of a dusty ride to our first stop in Memphis where we saw the oldest existing pyramid remains. There wasn't too much there aside from a huge statue of Ramses II sans legs below the knee. An inspiring beginning tho.

Then on to Sakkara for an amazing small but fascinating Imhotep museum tour. This is the newest museum in the country. We saw an actual mummified body, a high priest, and it was remarkable to see how much of his body's features were intact. (Are you listening Joan Rivers?)
The remains had shrunk, but looking through the glass into the refrigerated coffin there was no mistaking the the body...down to the long toenails!

The pyramid above, known as the step pyramid, was designed by Imhotep, known as the first ever engineer. The place was pretty cool. We were able to go inside and visit the burial chamber and offering rooms. The photo above doesn't really capture short ceiling height justice. I was bent at the waist (and still bumped my head) for the descent and climb. I know someone who won't attempt this climb, JR!

We lunched at a place where they make fresh breads as you request it. Then it is was on to the Great Pyramid. The sites were awesome. Although for a minute I thought to myself, hey, it's just a buncha rocks! Then the history, the age, the dimensions, the pure unadulterated size of it all come through and it is clear - yes, a bunch of rocks, from eons ago, still standing 60+meters high...tons and tons of limestone and granite ferried down (or is it up?) the Nile by thousands of workers to create the king's burial chamber. Wow.

We paid 20 extra clams to get a chance to climb inside to Cheops actual burial chamber. A very narrow, steep climb practically on your knees as you again bend yourself in half to get there. Then you are in this large rectangular room made of solid black granite - floor, walls, ceiling and sarcophagus - no grout, no sand, nothing but stone on stone, immovable for centuries.

We said no to a camel ride for the moment, maybe in Aswan. It's hard to watch the animals and how they're treated. But then it doesn't feel all that different than when I walk by Central Park South with all the horse drawn carriages in NYC.


Given the option to see yet another site, this one a papyrus museum, we passed and hit the road as well as some soccer stadium traffic on the way back to the hotel.

Drinks at the Four Seasons. Dinner at trendy Taboula. Now it's time for some rest!

More tomorrow...