But there were really only two objectives. We first drove to Saqarra, a pyramid group south of Giza, and had a look at some of the oldest pyramidal structures in the country. We then drove to Giza and had a quick lunch before walking straight to the Great Pyramid (of Khufu). Usually, all maximum allotment of daily tickets (300) are gone by 7:30 in the morning, with people having lined up for hours. However we arrived from Saqarra at about 1pm and were able to purchase tickets (100 E£ each, just to go in the Pyramid, and 300E£ for the group to just walk around the Pyramids – 6E£ equals about 1CAD). This will give you some idea of just how few people are visiting Egypt these days. We saw exactly two tour buses at Giza, where normally there are dozens and dozens. There were some other western tourists here and there, and a whack of Japanese huddling and moving as a collective, but by far the greatest number of tourists were either Egyptian or from other Middle Eastern countries (we met some from Iran, for example). I felt deeply saddened by a man pleading with us to let us, or our children ride his camel at the Pyramids. This is nothing new, of course, but his voice had a real note of desperation when he pleaded that business was so bad, he had made only 40E£ yesterday by 4pm; “not enough to feed even my camel, sir”. I believed him.
The atmosphere is quiet here (less traffic and therefore less honking day and night). On the way to Giza yesterday we drove past the burned-out hulk of the Marriott hotel, a couple of blocks from Tahrir Square, and one of the only visual results of the recent revolution. It is a revolution more of ideals here than physical destruction and artefacting. We have heard that President Morsi was referred to as an “idiot” on television, for example, and people are amazed that the utterer is still alive. As well, people feel free enough to openly criticize the current government, something completely new and taken to fairly readily it seems. But we are still so very new in our visit here than there isn’t much more to report other than that we feel safe, welcomed and thrown into the usual chaos of Cairo.
