Of all the wonders of the ancient world – the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus - only one has survived the millennia and 5000 years later still commands awe in those who are fortunate enough to stand in its shadow.
Despite Egypt's many treasures and ancient temples, the Pyramids of Giza remain the magnet that draw tourists here. Since their construction during the 25th Century BC, visitors have gazed in wonder at these massive edifices and speculated as to their origins. We got our first glimpse of them flying into Cairo, and even from 1000s of feet in the air they were impressive. Our next view came as we drew back the curtains of our 8th floor room in the Husa Pyramids Hotel and saw them looming over the city.
Egyptologists know more about their creation than sensationalist speculations of Alien influence would have one believe. And more evidence comes to light each year, such as the discovery of camps for armies of workman, and huge food distribution centers. It is now believed that the builders were not the slaves depicted in old films and novels, but a highly organized work force brought in from the farms during the annual spring floods.
Being the topic of countless books, documentaries, and debates, theorizing over the purpose or construction of the Pyramids is way beyond the scope of this Blog. Type “Pyramid construction” into the GOOGLE bar at the bottom of this page for a quick search of a billion or so documents!
HOW IT ALL STARTED or WHY ARE YOU DRESSED SO FUNNY?
“Look, it's Indiana Jones!”
I turn at the excited cry and wave, much to the delight of the huddled family of tourists. I didn't dress this way for the attention – I dressed this way cause I’m a Geek, and it seemed appropriate to visit Egypt's ancient monuments dressed as everyone's favorite Adventuring Archeologist.
Actually, it was Kathryn's idea! Can there be any doubt that we were made for each other?
We'd both always wanted to visit Egypt – I mean, who hasn't? - and it remained high on the list of places we felt we MUST visit while living in Europe, but the unrest of the area made us hesitant. In fact, right before we left, terrorist attacks in Cairo prompted the US embassy to issue a travel warning to Americans heading for Egypt.
So while always a nebulous goal, we never made any concrete plans...
And then came Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull!
Piggybacking on the release of the fourth film in this popular franchise, Expedia launched “The Summer of Indiana Jones”, offering a variety of tours based on the travels of the whip-wielding adventurer. I've been a HUGE Indy fan since the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark – in fact, I saw the film 17 times during its original theatrical release – so with one of the tours embarking to Egypt (Sallah lives in Cairo, and the whole Market place\Marion in the basket sequence takes place there)...how could I resist!
I've owned the official Fedora for years, and I have a few Indy-esque shirts, so when Kathryn suggested I wear my Indy gear, I thought that might be fun for a few photo ops...but that's not what she had in mind!
For any of you who might live in a cave, the Indiana Jones adventures take place in the 1930s. Kathryn planned to base our entire trip on this era! EBAY is a miraculous place! You can literally find anything there if you search long enough. Kathryn went to town and began amassing a sizable collection of vintage 1930s wear – dresses, hats, shoes, even a bathing suit! Our itinerary included 3 nights on an upscale cruise ship floating down the Nile, and envisioning us waltzing the night away under the stars, she also acquired me a vintage suit, separately tracking down vintage shoes and even suspenders!!
But she didn't stop there! Indy couldn't be caught traveling with some floozy! (Okay, there was Willie in Temple of Doom!)Inspired by a photo of Bessie Coleman – one of the first female pilots – she adopted the official outfit of all adventurers from Gertrude Bell to Doc Savage! Jodhpurs and high boots!
PREPARATIONS
It wasn't all frivolous shopping. I bought a couple guide books; Lonely Planet Egypt (which every tourist in Egypt seemed to have tucked under their arm) and Rough Guide Egypt, which I'd never used before but found both enjoyable to read and full of useful info.
Based on what I read there, I bought mosquito netting for the bed – which we never used – deet containg repellant to ward off malaria infested mosquitoes – which we rarely applied – and water purification tablets – which, surprise, we didn't need. We also got a series of immunizations just to be on the safe side.
If we had gone deeper into the country or stayed in less nice places, these things may have been necessary, but if you're sticking to the main tourist route, such precautions are probably overkill. However, our table mates on the cruise ship were eaten alive in their Cairo hotel, and even our guide, staying in the same Aswan hotel as us, was tormented one night by mosquitoes.
The books proved extremely useful in matters of culture and etiquette. We learned not to eat or offer money with our left hand, how to dress so as not to offend, what and when to tip, and what foods to avoid. We also learned about the most common scams, how to handle touts, lessons on bargaining, and to expect some things that would normally give a westerner pause – like turning over your camera before entering certain tombs and temples.
At last, the day of departure dawned! With all the last minute details, we didn't get to bed till midnight, and we had to be up again at 3am to make our 6am flight out of Nuremberg, so by the time we reached our hotel, extreme fatigue had settled in. Rather than venture out into the stifling heat, we relaxed at the rooftop bar, sipping Sakura beer and gazing at the man made mountains in the distance.
We had arrived a day early, and though our itinerary listed a half day at the pyramids, we decided to venture out there anyway on our own; our reasoning being what if a half day is not enough time? The pyramids are a major reason we came here, we wanted to go inside, we wanted to ride camels, etc. and if we didn't get enough time there, we would be massively disappointed.
A guy named Meena had met us at the airport and as he loaded us into the van that would transport us to our hotel, he left us with one piece of advice. "Don't take a taxi!" With that admonition in mind, and with our bartender's assurance that the pyramids were roughly 45 minutes by foot, we determined to hike out there the next morning...
THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES IN PART 2 - INSIDE THE PYRAMIDS!!
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