Day 1
I arrived at the Cairo airport from Jordan on May 20th around 3 PM and was met by Yousef, the tour manager. He had already arranged for my visa (U.S. citizens need a visa for Egypt, but a tourist visa can be obtained on arrival at Egyptian airports for a 25 USD fee). We took a taxi to the hotel, located near the Pyramid complex in Giza. Cairo felt like a slight upgrade of Delhi in its look and feel. The traffic was noisy and chaotic and the air was polluted, but not as much as Delhi. I saw several nearly finished buildings along the way. Some were lacking a roof over the top floor, plaster/paint on the walls, one or more windows.. I later learnt that Egyptians leave apartment buildings slightly incomplete to avoid taxes which become due when construction is complete. I was quite excited to get my first glimpse of the Pyramids along the way!
My itinerary didn’t have any activities planned during the day, but Yousef, the tour manager informed me that I could attend a dinner followed by a sound and light show at the Pyramids in the evening, for ~$100. The show seemed very appealing but a bit overpriced for Egypt. When I looked up something shows on the internet, I found several tour companies on Trip Advisor that provided a full service, including pick up and drop-off for $45 (not including dinner). I mentioned this to Yousef, but was told that the price is set by Memphis, the tour company and he couldn’t change it. He also said that the service offered by Memphis is superior, includes dinner in a plush restaurant with great views of the Pyramids and a front row seat to the sound and light show. The price difference doesn’t matter to me much, but I hate overpaying for things, so I deliberated for a while and just decided to go with Memphis.
I was picked up in time for dinner and driven to the restaurant. The food was ok at best, and I was seated several rows away from the window. I did have a front row seat for the light and sound show, but there were several vacant seats around and it didn’t seem hard to get one. Silhouetted against the pinkish-gray evening sky, the three pyramids and the sphinx present a mesmerizing and awe inspiring sight. The sound and light show narrates the history of the pharaohs of the 4th dynasty–Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure who built the great pyramids. I found the language used in the show overly melodramatic and a bit hard to follow. The light part of the show was spectacular. Projectors located at the base of the pyramids, sphinx, walls and other structures shine light of different colors well coordinated with the sound narrative, bringing these actors in the grand drama of Egyptian history back to life.
Before the show, I met a few other people also on the tour and had some interesting conversations. A Canadian woman who lives and works in Israel was planning on visiting Coptic Cairo, a part of Old Cairo which encompasses the Coptic Museum, the Hanging Church, the Greek Church of St. George and many other Coptic churches and historical sites. Coptic Cairo was a stronghold for Christianity in Egypt both before and during the Islamic era. The next day, I was scheduled for a tour of the pyramids followed by visit to the Egyptian history museum, with a private guide. Rather than a private tour, I wanted to join the other people on the tour, and add the tour of Coptic Cairo to my itinerary after the Egyptian history museum tour. However Memphis, the tour company wouldn’t entertain the request, claiming that they wanted to provide “superior service” by arranging a private tour, rather than a group tour. They also couldn’t add the Coptic Cairo tour in the evening, claiming it was too late to modify the itinerary. I often learn more during group tours, by listening to the tour guide, conversing with others and exchanging ideas, because people tend to notice different things and exchanging views results in a richer overall experience. I can understand the tour company had already booked a private guide for each member of the tour so it was a bit difficult to make changes, but I still found the overall rigidity off-putting.
Later in the tour, I took an Uber a couple of times in Cairo. Taking an Uber in Cairo felt safe and is very cheap (partly because the Egyptian economy is in doldrums and the Egyptian Pound has depreciated significantly in the last 2-3 years). If I were to do the tour again, I’d just call an Uber from the hotel and buy a ticket for the light and sound show online..
Leave a Reply