It is hard to not be impressed by the PYRAMIDS. It is really hard not to be. You might think that that hundreds and hundreds of buses, vans, and taxis ferrying thousands and thousands of people would take away a bit of their mystique and charm. Nope. Not at all. It was awesome. I went to Giza early this morning (was there before 9:00 and had a few un-crowded minutes. Just me and the Sphinx. Then just me and the pyramids (well almost). Then the crowds came. While some might say that they got in the way were running around, etc., it felt to me so nice and natural to see so many people at the base of these massive monuments. Everyone happy and enjoying it.
Today I bought a "tour" which is really just hiring your own private taxi/car and went to the Pyramids at Giza, followed by the Saqqara "step pyramid" and tombs and finally the "bent pyramid" and "red pyramid" at Dahshur. Each site was amazing. Giza,just because. You know what you are looking at. Saqqara was amazing for the first pyramid that transformed egyptian architecture, but really, most impressive was the heiroglyphic carvings inside the pyramids and tombs. Looks like it was carved just recently. Clear, concise, amazing.
Dahshur's Red Pyramid is the third tallest after the two main ones at Giza. First climb halfway up to the entrance, next descend (on a ramp) down almost 200 feet into the center of the pyramid. Three chambers, and then back up. The best part of these minor sites is that they are almost as impressive as the Giza pyramids, yet they remain relatively unvisited and therefore have a much more casual feel.
I, of course, took hundreds of photos. It is hard not too! Tomorrow I will be seeing Coptic Cairo (the old Christian quarter) and then heading to Islamic Cairo in the afternoon!
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