Last week I went to the Pyramids of Giza on a trip organized through the school. They were pretty amazing, and you couldn't tell how big they were as we were approaching them. Then when you stand right next to the individual blocks and look up you understand how tall 300 meters is.
I decided to pay and extra 50 Egyptian Pounds to see the inside of the Great Pyramid, which is about $7.50. We had about 45 minutes before it was our turn to see the inside, so we got off the bus and started walking around. Our tour guide had warned us that the salesman were extremely pushy, which was true. I think it was worse because we were in a large tourist group, but all the people selling souveneirs would come up to you and offer you and outrageous price for something like 50 pounds, then when you say you aren't interested they drop it down to 10, then 5. Or they will come up to you and ask "Where are you from? Amerika? Obama good! You look Egyptian. Here is a present," and hand you whatever they are trying to sell you. When you say know they set it on top of your arms if they're crossed. Then if you accept the gift they will follow you around demanding payment until you pay them.
To escape some of that a group of us started walking around the Pyramid. There are horses and camels everywhere, and if the owners see you taking a picture of them, they will badger you for money. After taking some pictures and climbing on some of the blocks I saw that it was time to go in the Pyramid, so I started running back around to make it in time. When I got to the line finally, I realized that my tickets were not in my back pocket anymore. Uh oh. I had put all my valuable stuff in my front pockets. I figured that the tickets had either fallen out in the run, or someone had just plucked them out. So I started back around the pyramid, and then I was stopped by an Egyptian man. I asked if he had seen the tickets, and he pulled them out of his bag. He said he had called after me but I didn't hear. He said "Where's my tip?" and I knew I was going to have to give him something, but I still asked for my tickets back. He said that he found them and look they were worth 50 Egyptian pounds, and I said "alright I'll give you 5 Egypyian pounds" and he said "No, five American pounds" I said "five Egytian pounds and a Dollar" and I handed him a dollar. He said "Three American, and no pounds" Then I gave him two, and he handed me back the 5 Pound note, so I handed him the third dollar, and then he took the five pound note back and I grabbed the Pyramid tickets from his hand. Then he handed me two crappy bead things as if that was enough for the 5 pound note. Then I left, because I was done. I ended up making it back into line just in time.
Inside the pyramid was really hot because unlike the earth which stays and even temperature, the pyramids are more like a big stone oven. There was a narrow shaft leading up at about a 30 degree angle with wooden slats on a wooden ramp instead of stairs. The ceiling was really low, so you had to hunch over. Also the only way in is the only way out, so you have people passing you in a tunnel that is really only wide enough for one person. When we got to the end it was even hotter, and we saw the crypt where the sarcophagus had been, in a room lined with huge granite slabs. You could even climb inside the stone tomb. I thing the sarcophagus is now at the British Museum, and there's a big fight between the British and Egyptian governments over it.
By the end of touring another of the great pyramids and the sphinx, I had the strategy down of how to defeat the hagglers. Just don't look at them. Once you looked at them, even to say 'no' you had about 50 more 'no's' to say before they were done with you.
Afterward we went out for Egyptian food which was delicious and we got Fuol (a sort of bean dish), and flat bread, and half a chicken. It's traditional to eat with your hands in most Middle Eastern countries, so that's what we did.
Overall, a really fun and tiring day!
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