May 31: Cairo


If you didn't notice in the photos up to this point (e.g. the Horus photo), Egypt has machine-gun-toting tourist police stationed at every tourist attraction, cruise ship dock, airport, and everywhere else that tourists might frequent.  Egypt had a 4-year head start on the homeland security thing.

Next 4 photos are from Sakkara:

Statue of Mererouka in his tomb.  The pyramidal garment was worn by kings to hide their erect man-meat.

Passage leading up and out of the Pyramid of Teti.

Step Pyramid of Zoser I, Egypt's oldest pyramid (2630 BC).

Our group.

Courtyard of the Sultan Husan Mosque.

One of the 4 vaulted arcades at the Sultan Husan Mosque.

Alabaster Mosque.

Sultan Husan Mosque and Cairo skyline, from the Alabaster Mosque.

Cairo skyline and Pyramids, from the Alabaster Mosque.  Out of focus but I've included it to show the proximity of the Pyramids to the city.

Alabaster Mosque.

Final thing on the itinerary was the sound and light show at the Pyramids.  If I'd known how cheesy it was, I would have skipped it in light of the fact that I had to wake up at 2:45 AM for my flight out of Cairo.  For the next two photos you should save them to your hard drive, expand them to full screen, turn off all the lights and just stare.  If you are into hallucinogens, all the better.  (Actual recommendation from my Let's Go guide:  "The sound and light show . . . can be entertaining if you are in the right sort of mood or under the right sort of influence.")

Sphinx and Pyramids at night.

Sphinx, lit up as he was "speaking" on the soundtrack.


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