Egypt Day 2-- The Pyramids, Sphinx, Memphis and Sakkara

Today was another FULL day! We started with another amazing breakfast but a little better rested this morning! First we went to the Pyramids of Giza which are located right here in Cairo close to the museum we went to yesterday. These pyramids are so interesting! Very little is known about how they constructed them! They were burial sites for the the Pharaohs-- but would only accommodate ONE! As soon as they were crowned, they would begin construction. The ancient Egyptians had an extreme preoccupation with death and prepared their whole lives for it! There is a whole complex of ruins near and around the pyramids, as they would've needed to have a temple close by and other structures. They are quite amazing as they've stood the test of time over so many centuries! The modern day Egyptians could learn a thing or two about quality construction, as most of the modern buildings here look like they are about to collapse! After we saw the pyramids, we drove a little further away and took camel rides... nothing like the camels we rode in Jordan!! These were bouncier and no where near as smooth and we didn't get to ride them by ourselves-- we had a guy leading them with ropes, who, of course, expected a tip at the end. Such is the way EVERYTHING goes here!!! It was fun having the pyramids as a backdrop to our ride, though!! Not too far away is the Sphinx that would've been on the way from the Nile to the pyramids. In fact, it even had an old port/dock where the boats would come in the rainy/flood season before the Nile was damned. It was fun to poke around the little markets FULL of souvenirs. You can't look too closely because they will hound you to death to buy something and they want you to bargain with them. This is my least favorite thing about this country!!! We then headed for lunch at a really nice outdoor restaurant where we were introduced to a yummy pomegranate soda by Carol. They are soooo good and you can only get them here in Egypt! Women were making their traditional bread as we walked in. (And yes, they wanted tips too!!!) After lunch we headed to Memphis-- the ancient capital of Egypt, where we saw the colossal statue of Ramses II and other statues and obelisks they've uncovered from around the area. We then drove south to the ancient pyramids of Sakkara. We explored a couple of ancient tombs that they recently discovered here, and got pictures in front of these much older pyramids! (In one of my pictures, you can see the Pyramids of Giza in the background!) We had fun poking around in the area and were just in awe of how these massive structures have held up over the centuries-- inside the tombs you can still see the vibrant paint they used to color their carvings! After, we went to a business where they weave carpets. It's actually a school where they teach children the trade. It was interesting to hear their explanation, but we weren't interested in buying any of them. After, the children wanted us to come sit with them so they could get a tip from us. It's crazy how they even teach their children the concept of basically mooching money off of tourists just for a picture. I outsmarted them and just took a photo myself and acted like I didn't understand what they were saying. We returned to the hotel for just a minute and then our group walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner where we were served basically the SAME food we've had at every other lunch and dinner-- lots of overcooked meat and soggy vegetables and their version of hummus and bread. The lamb here is cooked to look like a stuffed sausage, but it really looks like a log of poop! (They seriously need to work on their presentation.) I have taken exactly1 bite of it since I got to Egypt and have learned from that 1 bite to forgo it from here on out! It is gross!! The way it looks doesn't help either. AND, I don't care for lamb anyway. (I think this dish is called Kofta?) I can safely say the Egyptian food is my least favorite food of all the countries we've visited. It is heavy, the meat is dry and the vegetables are soggy. (They basically overcook everything!) They serve tons of bread and that hummus stuff at every meal and you just come away feeling so bloated and overfed! There were a bunch of men smoking in the booth right next to our group, so we all smoked a couple packs of cigarettes during dinner, as well! They DO NOT have the same smoking laws in this country that we do back in the States! Everyone smokes here too! It was another FULL day of touring today and we have to be up EARLY for a flight to Luxor tomorrow. We packed and headed to bed right when we got back from dinner!