PORT SAID, GIZA, EGYPT

Looks like the ship is on dry land. Well that's what a ship looks like when it is on the Suez Canal and you are on a road running along it. These are the guards that travel with us thru the desert
This is the backup bus that traveled in the convoy with in case something broke down, like when our toilet was locked and no one had the backup key

Arleen in her belly dancing costume for the Egyptian party. She made the costume out of mosquito netting she bought at the White Elephant sale on the ship, where people sold things they bought and then regretted. Dusty day. and rainy and foggy and smoggy. But beautiful non the less


Some of the STUFF that was for sale everywhere

The corner where Arleen stood on the Great Pyramid
The Sphinx
Local transportation

April 6,

Today Duane decided to stay on board the ship today and rest, while Arleen went by bus, for 3 1/2 hours to Cairo and the Great Pyramids of Egypt in Giza. Duane said he had enough of Egyptian tours. Arleen says she can't see how you can have enough. So off she went.

I (Arleen) went first to the Step Pyramid in Saqqara. It is the oldest pyramid known, about 2700 BC. It is also the first to use limestone. It had a wall around it made to resemble the wall around the royal palace in Memphis. The part that is left is made to resemble mud brick construction... down to the wooden dowels put in the walls to absorb moisture. It even has a stone "double doors" with hinges, all made out of stone.

As always, I was surrounded with vendors hawking everything, and every vendor had the same items. I bought some items to go with the costume I was making for Egyptian nite tomorrow. I purchased a mosquito net, the kind that covers a 4 poster bed, and plan on cutting it up to make a belly dancing skirt, veils and whatever else I need.

We then went to shops that were way too expensive. I guess the ship gets commission for these stops.

One of the most amazing things that happened was on the way out to Cairo, crossing the desert, with our police escort car, with armed guards, it was raining. Not a lot, but still, in the middle of the desert, it was raining. It rained almost every place we stopped, too. Weird, huh?

After lunch, where we ate at the base of the pyramids, that was the name of the hotel, which used to be a royal retreat, we went to the Great Pyramids. There are three there. (There are 141 in total in Egypt...we passed 3 others on the way) The first is the largest, even tho it lost about 16 meters in height in the earthquake of 1307. It also lost most of its outside stones. They were then stolen and used by the ancient Egyptians for other construction. This pyramid was built by and for Cheops around 2500 BC. The second pyramid, which is very close to the first was for Cheop's son. It is smaller than the first but in better shape. Some of the outer stones, the ones near the top, are still in place, and it did not lose any height in the earthquake. We were told that it was built on better bedrock, so the quake did not do as much damage.

The third, and smallest pyramid, was built later on, when the Egyptian culture was in decline. The bigger the pyramid the more powerful the dynasty.

We were able to enter the second pyramid. You take a tunnel that is only 3 1/2 feet high, down into the pyramid, then you go level a little (with enough head room to stand) and then up a tunnel with the same 3 1/2 foot headroom. When you got to the top of the tunnel it leveled off again and you turned right and there was an empty sarcofogus. It was all to close for my liking. I wanted to be deeper into the pyramid. All too soon we had to leave. Once outside, I went over to the biggest pyramid and a guard let me go over the rope and touch and climb on the stones. I would still be there if my friend, and Duane's caretaker Dotty, hadn't kept reminding me that the bus was going to leave. It was one of the highlites of the trip, my touching and climbing on the Great Pyramid.

Then the long ride back to the ship. All in all, a great day.