Tuesday 20 January-The Sphinx & the Pyramids

Tuesday 20 January This is a big entry. Better get comfortable.
Today we got up really early. 6 am. We even beat the sun in getting up. Why you may ask?(If you read the title of this entry, you may already know this answer) Because today we went to the pyramids & the Sphinx at Giza. They say there is a limit of 150 people in the morning and 150 people in the afternoon who can buy tickets to enter the big pyramid, so we went early to make sure we got tickets. Fortunately we got a taxi right near our hotel that took us there. We were dropped off at the southern entrance. However, tickets to get into the pyramids are sold at the other entrance (naturally). We arrived at about 7.30 am only to be told they open at 8 am (no one told the “Lonely Planet” guidebook… or us). Bluey and I thought “Bugger it, we’ll walk around to the other entrance!” So off we set, following the fence and up small alleys. A local told us that way was shut, but it had to come out somewhere, so after walking down streets & alleys and through piles of rubbish we asked someone “How far to the entrance?” He had to get help to understand what we asked him. “One kilometer.” was the answer. We went a bit further before turning back. Bluey said “One kilometer is never one kilometer!” So back we went, with a dog barking at us. He wasn’t happy and seemed to mean business…. We got inside the compound, walked past the Sphinx before yet another camel owner asked “You want camel ride? Very cheap! You take my picture so you look at it and come back when you want camel ride, ok !!! Very cheap!!”
This is a common saying and along with “Where you from? AUSTRALIA. Good country… you are welcome. Melbourne or Sydney…!” “Hello my friend…” all followed with “… you want a camel ride…” “you want papyrus book mark?” “you want plastic pyramids?” “ you want SHITTY-looking things to stick on your head?” I also almost forgot when people give you what they want to sell “This is a gift…” just before they take a photo for you and ask for money, I really loved a shirt I saw saying “Go away I already have enough FRIENDS”.
We secured our ticket for entrance into the great pyramid the Pyramid of Cheops before walking to the entrance of the crawl-space. That was fascinating to go through the crawl-space. We had to bend over to get most of the way. Bluey even though she’s got a bit of a fear of close spaces was fine with it. (I think I am not afraid of small spaces… it’s probably just lifts.-Bluey) To see how the stones were fitted together in the pyramids was amazing. We came back out and filmed a little before being barraged by camel handlers again. I really have no idea how many are called Sammy who own camels called “Mickey Mouse” or Mohammed owning “Charlie Brown”. We met a number of both! Then a bloke asked to see tickets before showing us around a bit before we told him we don’t pay much and then he found other victims.
We roamed a little and were up on a pile of stones where I thought we were safe from camel drivers circling beneath us (not quite, but they were close to it). A camel owner came up to us !!! He took a photo for us before luring us down to his camel. We said “We will not pay you!” He told me to get on the camel for photo. “ We won’t pay for it !!!” “You not pay, you not pay!” He took our photo, I got down and SURPRISE “You pay me £ 50!” Tension, aggression, argument on both sides. I said “WE TOLD YOU WE WILL NOT PAY, you said “YOU NOT PAY”. We will go to the tourist police, Here is £ 1 GOODBYE” I was PISSED!
We went into the Queens pyramids and walked to some tomb and then we went to the second pyramid (the Chephren pyramid) but didn’t go in. We just rested, sitting on stony section, laying in the pebbles and dust near the base of the pyramid. We ate our mandarins & bananas after our relaxation was interrupted by a … f@c*&% camel owner. He said £20 an hour for a ride & he graciously told us as we ate “No rush, eat and take your time Mr. Harry.” As we lay there attempting to relax, the (place expressive swearword of your choosing here) called out “When you are finished with your rest we can go for a ride. If anyone comes up, I tell them let Mr Harry rest.” I swear he was doing it to piss “Mr Harry” the tourist off. Camel owners… I hate em! Next time I will call myself Indiana Jones. We ended up going on a ride with him. The ride was good and we saw all the pyramids from a different viewpoint with the luxury of a camel ride. However, when we went to pay £65 (a fair price) he started wanting £300. Yeah right. We argued for a bit before I asked “Are you a man of your word?” sensing he had some honour about him. He said “yes”. “You told us when we asked a price that you charge £20 an hour. We agreed on it and that was YOUR word!” He didn’t seem to like that, but he realised we were right. As Bluey said “ If you want to charge so much, say it and do not say £20 an hour and go back on your word!!” Freaking camel owners !!!!!!!!!!!! I hate em!
From there we walked to the Sphinx. We got some good photos of it before eating a biscuit each. There were kids there selling papyrus book marks & postcards. One young fella told Bluey “Give me one!”. Bluey said “Two bookmarks for one cookie!” Deal. Then a bloke aged about his twenties came up wanting one. We said “No” when he asked why not, that the others got some we told him because they were just very young kids and that he was an adult. He went away. The kids came back. The first one asked for another one and Bluey swapped him one for two bookmarks & another kid for a postcard. Then we put them back while the kids wanted more. We told them we still need them ourselves for later and the first said “All these for all the biscuits!” offering about 40 papyrus bookmarks. Maybe we should have swapped with him. There were all so cute.
Then we went off to the Chephren pyramid to see about going into that crawlspace but had to go right back to the entrance to get the ticket, but we figured the Cheops pyramid would have been the main one and it was an additional cost. So we walked around and took a few more photos. We also saw in some ruins out the back near a pyramid a mother dog with three pups. They were adorable. The mum was black with three different coloured puppies, one tan, a brown & the other dark grey. The darkest was a bit fluffy. Bluey went down to them, but the pups ran & hid. The mum came to Bluey when she called it like she calls Scrubbs. Nice dog. Then it was 4 pm. Shuting time, so we got a taxi to down town and discovered where Pizza hut is. We came home, rested and then back to Pizza Hut where I ordered a Meat lovers (large) & Bluey a Margherita (large). It was a big day, it is 12.07 am, so I’m going to sleep now. Good night!

Wow. Well done! You made it through to the end. I told you it was a long entry, didn't I!