Exploring the Great Pyramid at Giza

Finally, Pyramid day (yeom al'Ahram in Arabic) and we gather into the two, nice, big, air-conditioned buses for a quick tour of Cairo and then off to Giza. Cairo, the guide tells us, is mainly on the east bank of the Nile, while Giza is on the West bank, and a bit south. Expecting a trek through the desert (at least a small one, a trek-ette, perhaps) we were mostly surprised to find the Pyramids were, in fact, surrounded by the city of Giza. Seriously! All those movies that tell you the Pyramids are way off in the desert somewhere are LYING. The pyramids are, in fact, a mere 10 kilometers from the Nile, and from Kufu/Cheop's (the "Great" pyramid - there is only 1 by the way...great, I mean) pyramid, you could walk about five or six minutes down the hill to get a coke or some water (and some tourist chotchkies) and walk back.

You might be tempted to think that this commercialization ruins the awesomeness of the pyramids - well, for me it did not in any way, shape, or form. Just touching those 2 - 20 ton blocks of granite is enough to send chills down my spine (no mean feat in 97 degree weather). Looking at the Pyramids, and their attending temples, statues, and such, I am amazed that a) they were built so darn long ago! and b) that they were built at all! Let me put into perspective just how incredibly enduring these Pyramids are...

The first one was build roughly 3000 B.C. by Kufu (called Cheops by the Greeks) - about 1300 years before the 10 Commandments were handed down to Moses; 2700 years before the birth of Alexander the Great, 4942 year before Columbus sailed west, 4776 years before the signing of the declaration of independence, and 5000-ish years before my visit!