I spent my second afternoon hiking around the Great Pyramids of Giza, just outside of Cairo. I decided to take the interesting route and mix with the locals by hopping on the Cairo subway to Giza, followed by public van transfer (which were for locals, not tourists). The van would pick up any passenger they could fit inside for 1 Egyptian Pound (about US$0.15) and drop them anywhere over a 10km stretch to the base of the pyramids. Everytime the van emptied out, the driver would desperately try to woo new customers. By the end of our jaunt we were riding down dirt lanes and competing with donkeys pulling carts. The locals were very friendly to me throughout the journey. I decided it was fun enough to return to my hostel the same way.
The Pyramids themselves were impressive, but hard to appreciate with all the touts trying to get every last cent out of your pocket. They were clearly on the edge of the desert with sand blowing in to dry out your eyes and mouth. Like the Egyptian Museum, they produce the artifacts, but offer very little additional information.
The hustlers at the Pyramids were much worse than the ones I encountered in Cairo yesterday. I got really upset at one who pretended to work for the administrators of the Pyramids. He asked to see my ticket (as though he were some sort of official), and then directed me into some tombs with a guide. Of course, I knew they were up to something and vowed (to myself) not to fork over any baksheesh (tip). The guide to brought me deep into the tomb was a bit less pushy, so I was about to get out without any problem, but when I abruptly turned away from the “official” and head off on my own he started yelling about his tip. I just kept walking. I later saw tourist police chasing after these guys at every chance, but there just didn’t happen to be any police in the area at the time.
I’ve booked a sleeper cabin on an overnight train along the Nile River to Luxor tomorrow. It’s supposed to be quite the experience, but we’ll see how touristy it is down there. The manager of my hostel is already trying to sell me on reservations for his hotels in Luxor, but I thought I’d better check them out first.
