Our Adventures to Egypt and Jordan – November 2023 Contributed by blogger Janice Johnson
Nov 6th was another early day, but what a day it was! This is the day we visited the pyramids of Giza. Seeing them in person is a totally different
experience from seeing them in pictures. They are huge! No wonder there are so many questions as to how they were built.
But seeing them from the outside was not enough. There was an inside to be explored.
Five of us braved the climb into King Khufu’s pyramid — the Great Pyramid of Giza. It is the only pyramid where the tomb is above ground as all the rest are under the pyramids. The passage into the pyramid is narrow. Two people can pass but it is close. The first bit is a gradual incline and then we go up! This included stairs and short ladders, and finally, just before reaching the
tomb enclosure, the ceiling drops and we had to squat to get through. Then we were there.
The chamber is quite small with the sarcophagus dominating the room. There are no decorations on the walls, but the ceiling is made of three huge marble slabs stretching across it. Our visit was brief as there was not a lot
see and it was hot and close in the space. Then it was the decline to get back out. We found that climbing out backwards made the descent much easier. This was a very hot, stuffy expedition, but well worth the effort.
From there we made our way to another memorable adventure. There were camels waiting to take us to our open-air lunch spot. So much fun! In order to get on them, the camels sat down, and we stepped into a stirrup swinging our legs across the camel’s back. Then, as the camel stood up, we had to lean backwards holding fast to the pommel and then lean forwards to help with the standing momentum. The camels walk with quite a swaying, rocking motion that was easy to relax into. I loved every second of the experience.
Best thing — we didn’t have to worry about anything as our camel guides were very experienced in making this a safe yet thrilling 30-minute ride. What a morning! Read more about our Trip Merchant adventure: https://bcrpvpa.ca/trip-blog/adventures-to-egypt/
