Our last day in Egypt—what a whirlwind!  We explored pyramids, rode camels, ate magnificent meals and shopped the bazaar.  One thing I loved about Cairo: the temperature hovered in the low 90s!  Much better than 105.

I hadn’t intended to ride a camel; I think of them as hateful creatures likely to spit at me or step on my foot.  But so many friends asked me if I would ride a camel in Egypt, I realized I needed to give it a try.  After all, when would I have this chance again?  So I put on a brave face and our guide, Dr. Abdul Sebak, took us up behind the pyramids to a licensed camel operation.  Still a little leery of riding the huge beasts, I patted my mount, named Michael Douglas.  Their fur is short and bristly, so petting them is like petting  a broom.

Just holding on while the camel stands is an adventure.  I got on its back while it knelt, then  Mohammed said “Hold tight, lean back!” and I did.  For a moment, I felt like I was going to slide right off the front of  Douglas. Camels get on their back feet first, so the pitch is pretty steep.  After he got all 4 legs standing I felt a lot more secure, and VERY high up.  Camels are much taller than horses!

Whew.  Frank took to camel riding like a duck to water.  He seemed just as comfortable as he does riding a horse.  We started our journey at the northern tip of the pyramids, 9 in all with Giza being the biggest.  At this end, the pyramids seem to be strung out, with desert space between each one.  Once we reached the middle of the route, they appear to be in a cluster, and then at the southern tip of the trail, they are all spread out again.  Abdul explained this illusion happens because the pyramids are on a straight axis, and at the middle of the route, we are farther from them than we were at the start and finish.  That’s the best I can explain it; my eyes witnessed it and that is good enough for me.

As we neared the end of our ride,  Frank wanted to take his camel for a run.  Camels are lazy.  He tried kicking it, no luck.  He tried threatening it with the stick, no luck. Finally, at Mohammed’s insistence, he tapped it with the stick and it finally started trotting.  He had a few minutes of exhilaration as he went off by himself and then trotted back to us.  I was only allowed to trot Douglas if Mohammed rode with me, which we did. I can’t say I enjoyed trotting; walking is much more comfortable!

Ok, I’m sure you are wondering about the pyramids.  We actually did get to climb on the Great Pyramid of Khufu, just about 30 feet up.  Abdul got to climb to the top as a teen, but no one is allowed up there anymore.  The massive blocks weigh at least 1.5 tons each.  And this pyramid has 2.3 million blocks!

We got to go inside the tomb of Menkaura.  All pyramids start out as a rock-cut tomb carved out of the limestone bedrock, and then the pyramid is built around it.  So we entered the limestone tomb, with its double doorways and a statue of Menkaura.  Abdul thinks he looks like one of the faces carved in this tomb.  He posed next to it for us.  He also told us this tomb has just as much to see as the Khufu temple interior, with a lot less crouching on the way in.  We appreciated that!