I hailed a cab and found it remarkable that he couldn't even understand "pyramids" when I told him where I went to go. I basically all but had to draw a big triangle in the air and we drove off in what I hoped was the direction of one of the ancient wonders of the world.
The driver seemed really confused and I started sweating and found myself concerned that I somehow found the only cab driver in Cairo who didn't know how to get to the pyramids. He pulled over several times, whether to ask for directions or just to check prices on camels I can only speculate. I was able to breath a sigh of relief however when in the distance I saw the familiar landmarks.
Not far from the pyramids the driver pulled over and picked someone else up. This guy spoke very good English and started asking me where I was from, what I wanted to do, and how he knew people who could get me a good deal on camel rides. The drive up to this point already had me on edge, but this really made me nervous. It got even worse when we pulled up to a nondescript store front and people tried to sell me on camel rides. I had no idea where I was and it definitely did not have the feel of the main entrance. As I found out, they took me to another entrance, which was very much an intentional ploy to get me to take what must have been the cabby's friend's business. I was heckled and they told me absurd prices for rentals and I just kept telling them how I wanted to walk by myself and see what I could see. They were insistent and kept lowering the prices.
Finally, exhausted I relented and agreed to a price I knew was more than I should have paid, but if it meant I'd get to see everything I was just happy to have the mess over with. So we agreed to a price, they put me on a camel, and then we crossed into some back door and then he said, ok, I need another 50 pounds. I was furious, and demanded why, and he said it was for my guide and his horse. I then said either it cost nothing or I wanted my money back, but they pretty much had me by the balls. So I gave them 10 pounds, and then the guide instead jumped on the camel with me, which made for a very awkward and crowded ride.
At any rate, we then headed out, the two of us plus our camel "Micky Mouse" ... seriously. I was able to start enjoying myself once I got the following view:
Riding the camel was a weird feeling. For one, they are enormous. Secondly, the sounds they make I think must have been used directly as the sounds of the Tauntauns from Empire Strikes Back. Also, getting on and off them is a weird feeling as the easiest way is when they are kneeling as above. When they kneel they first go down on their front knees which sends you nearling hurtling over them, then they sit back on their butt, jerking you the other direction. And finally they come to rest as you can see him.
I'm sure Disney has a lawsuit pending over the name of this camel.
One thing that I was very insistent on when I chose this particular camel ride (or was forced into it depending on how you look at it) was that I had to be able to get up to and be able to touch the pyramids. Physically touching it wasn't 100% necessary, I just said that because I wanted to be sure I could get up right close to them and that it wasn't going to be something off in the distance. They took this to mean that I wanted to climb on them. I wasn't personally opposed to the idea but I had a feeling that it would cost me.
We stopped at a guard post and talked to this guy who offered to show me around. He had me climb up on the smaller of the three big pyramids. It was cool and he snapped some pictures, at the same time it felt pretty weird handing over my camera and then climbing well away from him, and so it was really hard to fully enjoy. At any rate, there were plenty of ridiculous photos taken.
After this he took me to show me something they had just uncovered and how I would be getting the first glimpse of something that I would be sure to see on TV in the not so distant future. Based on the collection of garbage in these super secret passageways I found out that the pharaohs really liked Sierra Mist.
But seriously, I've seen enough dumb American tourists that I hate the idea of being associated with them. And to be going through the whole process one of the things that bugged me the most was that I think they thought that I was buying the bullshit they were spoon feeding me.
One other thing I wanted to be sure I'd see was the Sphinx. I was very insistent on this at the beginning again because I wanted to be sure I wasn't being ripped off and that I would see everything. As it turned out, this was as close as I got. I was rather disappointed but I think that the Department of Tourism must keep the two separate and considering the shady way we entered, we couldn't get any closer. I would have been angrier but at this point I was tired, and I just decided to accept it. You can see it in front of the white building that I think is related to some retrofit or something going on.
For the record, they told me to do all these stupid poses.
After all this stress I walked away and eventually hit a cab home. I walked away where I was quite annoyed because I knew it cost a lot more than it should have, but finally I took a deep breath, reflected on what I saw and the photos I had to show from it and it put me in much better spirits.
Thus ended my last day in Egypt. The following morning I said bye to Tamer and Bahra and got a lift to the airport to return to Lund trying to recover from the odd sleeping schedule I kept.
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