Pyramids, the pool, and pictures

Over the weekend I've finally been able to get in some site seeing. Not that I don't enjoy socializing in coffeeshops late into the night but I was beginning to feel strange about being in Cairo for so long without seeing some of its most famous places. To rectify this situation the Cairo University AIESECers planned to take a group early Saturday morning to see the pyramids and sphinx at Giza. There are quite a few other trainees here at various stages of their internships. Natalie and Coline are both here for 9 months each are are about half way through their time, they are German and French respectively. Also, there are two other Americans. Rhiannon just arrived from Illinois only a few days after me and she will be working for the summer in finance. Chris, a dual British and American citizen, has been here for about 5 months already and just extended his stay by starting a new internship in IT. Altogether, we are a very international group and the day was a real testament to AIESEC as an organization and how it facilitates friendships, understanding, and unique travel experiences.
Arriving at the pyramids, the first thing of note was how hazy the sky looked. This provoked someone to comment that everytime they have been to see the pyramids they look slightly different. The other strange realization for me was just how few tourists I have been around in the first few weeks here because I was almost shocked to see them all there. It was like role reversal as I found myself thinking how out of place and odd looking some of them seemed. I had expected it to be crowded and full of foreigners, but I was also surprised at how accustomed I've become already to being around Egyptians. I probably shouldn't say this but I was pretty annoyed to see a group of girls with tube tops and short skirts on walking around. This opens up a whole other issue about clothing and religion and society, but I just felt that it showed poor judgement on their part because it is obviously not normal to dress that way in Cairo. I'm not going to get into the debate about what is acceptable clothing and I will admit that it is really hot here and in similar temps in England or the U.S. most women wear these sorts of clothes. However, if you know that it is not common in the culture you are in to be wearing so little, and you know it will draw unecessary attention and harrassment why would you do it? The majority of women here dress modestly with long pants and skirts, long sleeves, and their hair covered. Of course there are those who dress less conservatively but they are met with stares and some passing comments from males. Don't put on a hejab or veil if it isn't something you believe in, but at least observe the environment and act accordingly.
Aside from this tangent, the pyramids themselves were everything I hoped. You cannot help but be amazed, not only by their size but by the precision and labor their construction required. It is incomprehensible that they are thousands of years old and still so intact. Equally as astounding was the ship that was excavated from a pit near to the pyramids. It was used to ship the blocks from Aswan to Cairo and when you see the size of an individual stone you just cannot believe the effort that was involved in each pyramid. The labor force that this must have required really blows me away!
While at the pyramids you just have to do the whole camel thing. Even if it is touristy and cliche I still wanted to say that I have ridden a camel. Thankfully with the Caireans there to help we could bargain with the camel people for a decent group price. This did take a great deal of negotiating but we ended up getting our monies worth as they took tons of pictures for us and gave us a long ride. I'm glad I can say I've done it, the whole camel thing, but I definitely appreciate the smoother gait of the horse. There is no way to comfortably sit to a camel's trot- it just isn't possible.
By the afternoon we were all sufficently hot and sluggish so we left the pyramids. Luckily, Natalie had the brilliant idea of going swimming and we ended up at a place called the Muhammed Ali Club. Here we swam, played some soccer, and just lounged around. This club has a nice pool, restaurant, and a beautiful deck right by the Nile. We finished off the night with a dinner of fiteer (a delicious Egyptian sort of calzone) and sheesha. Perfect end to a fabulous day.
Today I managed to get to the Museum of Antiquities, but not without a little bit of trouble. I had hoped to take a bus there but after waiting at the stop for a long time and unable to locate anything resembling a schedule I gave up and got in a taxi. Halfway there we got stuck in a traffic jam and then his car decided to break down. When it seemed that there really was no hope for his delapidated vehicle I told him I would just give him half of the agreed upon fee and go find another one. In Cairo you generally agree on a price before you get in if you are a foreigner as this limits the arguments at the other end when they try to overcharge you. We'd agreed on 20 so when I handed him a 10 he got pretty upset and insisted that I owed him the full fare. This went on for a little while longer but finally I got him to take the 10 long enough to walk away and find another ride.
The Museum itself was definitely worth the transportation hassles to get there as the collection is vast and impressive. I can't begin to go into all of the things I saw but just to mention one of the most memorable then the collection from King Tut's tomb has to rank highly. The tomb was complete when they found it so they have on display a near perfect reconstruction of the burial chamber. I could go on and on but suffice to say this was special! I am fading now and I have to get back to work tomorrow but I have posted just a few of my pics with more to come later.