{"id":933,"date":"2012-12-16T11:30:06","date_gmt":"2012-12-16T16:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hellum.ca\/blog\/?p=933"},"modified":"2019-05-03T15:50:32","modified_gmt":"2019-05-03T19:50:32","slug":"day-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/day-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Day One"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22.3″ custom_padding=”0px|||||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.22.3″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.22.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”]Hectic first day.<\/p>\n

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\u00a3 each, just to go in the Pyramid, and 300E\u00a3 for the group to just walk around the Pyramids – 6E\u00a3 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\u00a3 yesterday by 4pm; “not enough to feed even my camel, sir”. I believed him.<\/p>\n

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.[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.22.6″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.22.6″][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/DSC8417.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]Saqarra, Unas’ Mortuary Temple?[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/DSC8423.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]Entrance to see the Sphinx from the front.[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/DSC8430.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]My sister Jennifer (Egyptologist), explaining Djoser’s step pyramid to Owen.[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/DSC8441.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]Dog, next to columns at Saqarra. Does he not look just like Anubis? These columns are attached to a wall, created before it was known how to make free-standing columns.[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/DSC8459.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]”I’m sorry, the desert is closed today”[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/DSC8485.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]Location guard at the temple of Idut, Saqarra.[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/DSC8495.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]Sleepy dog, Saqarra.[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/DSC8505.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]Ficus trees, Saqarra carpet school grounds.[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/DSC8535.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]Rami, our driver, and Finn at the money shot location for the Pyramids.[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/DSC8555.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]Pyramids of Khufu and Khafre.[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/DSC8569.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]Carrie, shooting something other than Khufu and Khafre’s pyramids.[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/DSC8596.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]Column structure inside entrance to Sphinx.[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/DSC8611.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]Owen, getting tired of being in photos, with Carrie and Finn behind him.[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/DSC8621.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]Chair, to the rear of the Sphinx at (excavated) ground level.[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/DSC8625.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]Finn, to the rear of the Sphinx.[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/DSC8627.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]Carrie, photographing the Sphinx.[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Pyramids1.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]View of paucity of tourists from the entrance into the Great Pyramid itself. Most of the people you see here are touts selling trinkets and rides. Only perhaps a dozen or fewer are tourists. Normally, there would be thousands of people in this view, from all over the world.[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Pyramids2.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]Money shot location for photographing the pyramids.[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb image=”http:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Sphinx2.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.6″]Panorama photo of the Sphinx.[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hectic first day. 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, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"Hectic first day.\n\nBut 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\u00a3 each, just to go in the Pyramid, and 300E\u00a3 for the group to just walk around the Pyramids - 6E\u00a3 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\u00a3 yesterday by 4pm; \"not enough to feed even my camel, sir\". I believed him.\n\nThe 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.\n\nSaqarra, Unas' Mortuary Temple?\n\"DSC8417\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nEntrance to see the Sphinx from the front.\n\"DSC8423\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nMy sister Jennifer (Egyptologist), explaining Djoser's step pyramid to Owen.\n\"DSC8430\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nDog, next to columns at Saqarra. These columns are attached to a wall, created before it was known how to make free-standing columns.\n\"DSC8441\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n\"I'm sorry, the desert is closed today\"\n\"DSC8459\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nLocation guard at the temple of Idut, Saqarra.\n\"DSC8485\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nSleepy dog, Saqarra.\n\"DSC8495\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nFicus trees, Saqarra carpet school grounds.\n\"DSC8505\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nRami, our driver, and Finn at the money shot location for the Pyramids.\n\"DSC8535\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nPyramids of Khufu and Khafre.\n\"DSC8555\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nCarrie, shooting something other than Khufu and Khafre's pyramids.\n\"DSC8569\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nColumn structure at entrance to Saqarra.\n\"DSC8596\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nOwen, getting tired of being in photos, and Carrie and Finn behind him.\n\"DSC8611\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nChair, to the rear of the Sphinx at (excavated) ground level.\n\"DSC8621\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nFinn, to the rear of the Sphinx.\n\"DSC8625\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nCarrie, photographing the Sphinx.\n\"DSC8627\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nView of paucity of tourists from the entrance into the Great Pyramid itself. Most people here are touts selling trinkets and rides.\n\"Pyramids1\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nMoney shot location for photographing the pyramids.\n\"Pyramids2\"\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nThe Sphinx.\n\"Sphinx\"","_et_gb_content_width":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-historical","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=933"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/933\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3342,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/933\/revisions\/3342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellum.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}