As mentioned earlier, the treasures of the Egyptian Museum are so many that if you really want to observe and absorb the minute details you would need at least 3-4 hours of focused viewing or two days of leisurely visits.

The room dedicated to the relics found in TutAnkhAmun’s tomb itself will captivate you. His death mask, the throne, and even the coffin are all made of gold and all the artefacts are so exquisitely crafted, it makes you question whether these were made by superhumans or even aliens!

Yummy Yummy & a Tourist Trap

The ancient Egyptians were obsessed with life after death and as soon as a Pharaoh became king, he began planning for his life after death – he began building his pyramid and collecting all the things that would accompany him in his next life.

One of the most interesting things we learnt was that Yummy Yummy ( that’s what our guide called Ammit) the monstrous creature was actually a creature half crocodile and half elephant who sat in the court of justice on the Day of the Final Judgement where he was waiting to eat up a heavy heart full of wrong deeds.

On the way to the Pyramids, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant which was similar to the one we had dinner at the night before.

We realised that many tour operators have a tie up with local restaurants offering decent but generic buffets that would please every palate.

After lunch on our way to the Pyramids, Tifa informed us that there was a Government factory on the way where we could see how Papyrus was actually made and even buy some genuine paintings. We didn’t know that we were walking into a regular tourist trap.

The factory was far from a factory – it was a small workshop and even though we realised what it was as soon as we entered, we did oblige with a small purchase. Later on, we found several stalls at all the tourist sites selling the same kind of paintings but at least we got to learn first-hand with a demonstration of how Papyrus was made.

The Pyramids

It would be an understatement to say that we were stunned by the grandeur of the Pyramids. Not only were they huge, but the fact that they were constructed by people at a time when mechanical gadgets were unheard of, is simply mind-boggling.

The Pyramids were made of Limestone which was quarried from the Giza plateau but many other rocks like granite were shipped in from far away Aswan. Each rock weighed at least two tonnes and how did the workers manage to lift them up to the highest height? Even today, the construction of the Pyramids remains an unsolved mystery and several interesting theories have been put forth.

It was already an overcast day with Tifa informing us with the ‘good’ news that our visit to Cairo coincided with the beginning of the rainy season. Luckily the rain held back but by the time we reached the pyramids, it was hazy and close to sunset.

The site is declared a UNESCO Heritage site and entrance tickets are available near the Great Pyramid. However, we didn’t want to venture inside so we went ahead to the Pyramid of Khufre which had lesser crowds and was the smallest of the pyramids.

While waiting outside the Pyramid of Khufre which Anna Shetty and the Little People went to see, we came across several camel and carriage ride operators who tried their best to peddle us a ride. We found that they were equally happy to oblige us with a photo instead – obviously for a price!

Eventually, we did succumb to the Camel ride at Banorama (Panorama) Point where we enjoyed the most beautiful sight of the three, instead of the promised six, pyramids bathed in the fading sunlight.

Our plan was to meet up with our intrepid camel riders ( Little Po and his father and aunt) at the Sphinx. Unfortunately, this was the wrong day to visit the pyramids because the Tourism Minister was attending a function organised in front of the Sphinx and the entire area was being sanitized.

So we just about managed a quick shot of the monument before we were shooed off by the police.

But even though our visit to the Pyramids was short and we missed the Sound and Light show which apparently is only available from Wednesday to Saturday, I could well imagine what the soldiers must have thought when Napoleon addressed them thus

“From the heights of the Pyramids, forty centuries look down on us”.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Ciao,