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You know how you have all these plans, but things don't go the way you expected. Anywho that day was today. By now I did not want to see another airplane, but we had to get out of Luxor and head back to Cairo, where it all began.
I really hated to leave this hotel, as I did all of them. They're always so classy and beautiful. I'm not a huge breakfast eater, so I skipped this morning, just to sleep in a bit later.
I searched the hall for my housekeeper. I wanted to give him a bag of goodies, but he was nowhere to be found. I packed up my notebook and backpack and headed on down to the lobby to pay my internet bill. The cruise lines should take lessons from Egypt on their high prices for internet service. I've been paying between $3 to $7 for 24-hours of service, compared to $50 per day on a ship.
Anyway, we were all herded to the airport and wisked off to Cairo. The flight was short and not too bad. Flying over the desert was kinda cool. I'd taken a few notes during the flight, but can't find them now.
We landed and upon entering the entrace area of the hotel, Gladys asked if we'd like to do some of Friday's activities today. I was all for it and then tomorrow Ellen and I could have a full day with Sayed. The group agreed and she wanted us to get in, get out keys and make sure our luggage was delivered. I called Sayed's celli to make sure tomorrow would be okay, as today we were going on a tour. He said it would be fine.
Le Méridien Pyramids Resort
The stunning Le Méridien Pyramids resort, nestled between the city and the wilderness, boasts unparalleled views of the majestic, ancient splendor of the Giza Pyramids. A mere glance out your window reveals the secrets of one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Le Méridien Pyramids is surrounded by luxuriantly landscaped gardens, providing a respite of greenery amidst golden sands.
We headed out to The Egyptian Museum with our police escorts. Ali, one of the police escorts stared a bit and I couldn't understand why. I didn't know if i looked suspect or not.
When we pulled around the corner, my goodness, I couldn't believe the millions of people. I mean of every nationality. There was a huge fountain in front and millions of people sitting all around. The great part was "no staring." This was such a huge melting pot of people, no one stared at anyone, with the exception of the younger people who dressed inappropriately.
Gladys gave us a bit of history out front and guided us in. I really like the headset idea. I loved those things in Russia. After she hit the major spots, she left us on our own for a couple of hours. I was so hot and nowhere to sit. I got a bit woosie but as I headed back towards the front of the museum, near the entrance, I could feel the cooler air.
The Egyptian Museum was first built in Boulak. In 1891, it was moved to Giza Palace of "Ismail Pasha" which housed the antiquities that were later moved to the present building. The Egyptian Museum is situated at Tahrir square in Cairo. It was built during the reign of Khedive Abbass Helmi II in 1897, and opened on November 15, 1902 (More History). It has 107 halls. At the ground floor there are the huge statues. The upper floor houses small statues, jewels, Tutankhamon treasures and the mummies.
The Museum also comprises a photography section and a large library. The Egyptian museum comprises many sections arranged in chronological order:
- The first section houses Tutankhamon's treasures.
- The second section houses the pre-dynasty and the Old Kingdom monuments.
- The third section houses the first intermediate period and the Middle Kingdom monuments.
- The forth section houses the monuments of the Modern Kingdom.
- The fifth section houses the monuments of the late period and the Greek and Roman periods.
- The sixth section houses coins and papyrus.
- The seventh section houses sarcophagi and scrabs.
A hall for the royal mummies was opened at the museum, housing eleven kings and queens. More than a million and half tourists visit the museum annually, in addition to half a million Egyptians.
After that wonderful tour, we packed back onto our buses to head to lunch. Believe it or not, it was TGIF. When we started to exit to TGIF, which was on the Nile, pretty cool, here comes Ali, to the back exit of the bus, with his hand out, to help me get off. I knew something was up with him but wasn't sure. He ran through all of his playa questions. You know, "is this your first visit to Egypt, are you married?" Now don't get me wrong, Ali was fooooooine (fine), but Ali was looking for some woman with a bankroll, but not this sista's.
Anyway, he walked with me, making conversation, even guided me to where our group was to sit. He said, "enjoy" and I headed to my seat. Maybe the brotha was just doing his job, but he didn't have to ask me if I was married.
We had a set meal, which wasn't the greatest but we were all hungry. Some people in our group were talking about the lady in the bathroom who wanted donations. But I read about this prior to the trip and had no problem with it, as I've had to actually pay to enter a bathroom, in other countries. You actually aren't paying to use the bathroom here, you're paying for the woman to keep it clean.
We got outta there, thank goodness. The service was bad and there were other tour groups there also, along with a limited waitstaff. After that we were herded off to a jewlery store to "The Khan" for 4 hours. Gladys asked if there were any people who wanted to go back to the hotel and I raised my hand. I was tired and really did not want to shop today. We dropped off the group and since the buses couldn't park there, some of us were wisked back to the hotel. The second bus broke down, right in the middle of a main thoroughfare and we took those people on to the hotel also.
In the turnabout, I saw an eyeglass store, but as I said before, there's so many things I wanted to do but I was beat and just didn't have the energy.
Got in my hotel room, showered, washed my clothes and hung them in the closet for tomorrow's adventures.
Ellen got back with the group and told me about "The Khan" (El Khan Khalil Bazaar), which had me even more pumped for tomorrow.
I decided to go back out with the group to the jeweler they'd ordered cartouches from on our 1st day of the trip. I just went for the ride. I didn't even get off the bus, because I knew I wasn't buying any jewelry there. Besides the sights outside in the little courtyard area caught my attention. There were people begging and chicken's and even a goat walking around between the parked cars. I really liked watching the local folks anyway, as it was dark and no one could really see us watching them through the tinted windows of the bus.
We got back to the hotel very late. Dinner was at 8 P.M. I was very hungry. Now this buffet was another feast. The presentation was fabulous. I love the different foods in Egypt but just can't eat the desserts. They're just not good. Not even the jello.
After dinner, I could not wait to hop in my bed, but I had to go over my plans for tomorrow and surf just a bit. That just a bit, turned into a couple of hours.
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