Part 1 was our trip to Giza and the pyramids. After Giza, we went to
Dahshur. Our driver had a few side trips on the way. First we stopped at a "government museum" which was really just a shop selling art. They gave us a little demonstration on how papyrus was made. And by demo I most mean holding up each part of the process and telling us how it would have been done. It would have been cool to actually see them do something. We ditched out on the blatant money grubbing and not five minutes down the road, the driver told us he'd left his phone back at the shop, so we backtracked to pick it up.
Red Pyramid
When we got to Dahshur, we got to climb down inside the Red Pyramid. It was a steep trip down and we had to duck to fit in. After going through a tunnel we came to an open room with really interesting ceilings, as the Egyptians couldn't do arches, so they overlaid stacked blocks to make the ceiling.
Chamber inside the Red Pyramid
Climbing inside the pyramid
After visiting the Red Pyramid, we drove by the
Bent Pyramid. We couldn't get anywhere near this pyramid as tourists aren't allowed at the pyramid, which was too bad it looks really cool. It looks really cool because they started building it with a 55 degree angle, but switched to a 43 degree angle part way up.
The Bent Pyramid
This is what the pyramid would have looked like if they had stuck with the 55 degree angle. (Courtesy of Steve)
We were then on our way to
Sakkara, or so we thought. But of course, we had a stop to make first; this time at an aromatherapy shop. When we got there they had a small band waiting to start playing the instant we got out of the car. While we appreciated all of the hospitality shown, it was overwhelming, frustrating, and unwelcome. We didn't want all of these shops forced on us, we just wanted a nice tour of the pyramids, so after making it very clear to the driver to cut out the shops, we were actually on our way to Sakkara.
By the time we got there, Steve wasn't feeling very well, so we didn't end up staying very long. On the drive back to Cairo, the driver was on his cell phone practically the entire time! I managed to catch a quick nap and didn't wake up until we got stuck in Cairo traffic.
Step Pyramid at Sakkara
Funerary at Sakkara
We both crashed for a while when we got back. We certainly weren't used to starting our days so early, and didn't go out until dinner later that night when we found a cute little cafe near the American University in Cairo.
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