Crawlspaces, pyramids and sphinxes
Continued from Day 5: A 3am wake-up call for Abu Simbel
DAY 6: CAIRO
We reach Cairo railway station at round 7am and set off immediately to Memphis to see the colossal statue of Ramses II and the alabaster sphinx - this is the 2nd largest sphinx after the one in Giza. 
After that we are off to see the Step Pyramid of Sakkara. The wind is blisteringly cold. Here is where you need your thick jackets and scarf or shawl to keep out sand. The strong cold winds and sandy air force us to retreat to our bus. We are not fully prepared for the transition from 30 degree Celsius temperatures to 12 degrees.
FUNKY T-SHIRT BROS
Another pitstop to buy stuff. This shop sells t-shirts made from fine Egyptian cotton. Pity the designs are mostly tacky. Still, we spend about an hour here with most of us buying t-shirts from the children’s section. They make these tourist t-shirts for Caucasians, you can tell.
LUNCH IN THE SHADOW OF THE PYRAMIDS
We break for a very nice lunch at the Caviar Restaurant which is near the Giza Pyramids. What a feeling - having a delicious lunch with the pyramids just outside your window.
“DO NOT CLIMB THE PYRAMID”
There is a short 15 minute drizzle, something of a miracle in dry Egypt. It helps to cool things down but more importantly, helps to clear the air of dust. Fine sand dust is EVERYWHERE. The Pyramids of Giza are of course a must-see when you go to Egypt but what a sad state they are in. There is rubbish and litter everywhere and when the wind blows, WATCH OUT. You get rubbish and sand in your face.
We do the tourist thing, riding on camels. It’s quite high up on the camel and you need the help of the camel boy to command the camel to kneel down before you can get off without hurting yourself. Stories abound of how some independent travellers get stuck on the camel when they refuse to give in to extortion by the camel minders. Our tips are included in the tipping pool of US$65 we handed to our Egyptian tour guide at the beginning of the tour, so we don’t have to deal with this hassle. Even then, the camel minder tries his luck and asks for a tip after we get off the camel. We just say “Hazeem”, who is our local guide. They don’t come after us.
CRAWLING INTO THE PYRAMID
A group of us opt to go inside the 2nd pyramid which is open to visitors. This is an extra fee of 25 pounds (US$5). Those who are very unfit or freak out in small spaces should know that it is quite taxing physically. The elderly will face some problems, as well as those who are big-sized. It gets very stuffy and hot inside the pyramid. Cameras are not allowed.
You descend into the pyramid in a sloping angle of about 30 degrees. The size of the square tunnel is about 1 metre square. This 1 metre space is shared by a line of people entering the pyramid and another line of people exiting. You have to stoop and bend your waist almost in half to enter the tunnel. Your face is facing the butt of the person in front of you. It gets even smaller further in - you basically crawl along on your knees till you reach an airspace where you can stand straight up and walk.
Then it’s more crawling until you reach the chamber where the empty sarcophagus is. Across the chamber walls are huge letters written in the 1800s by the man who discovered this chamber proclaiming his find. He has basically defaced the burial chamber. Then it’s more enclosed space as you make your way out. Sometimes there is a people jam and you get stuck and breathless.
“IF YOU BUY, YOU ARE WELCOME. IF YOU DON’T BUY, YOU ARE ALSO WELCOME. BUT IF YOU BUY, YOU ARE MORE WELCOME.”
After the pyramids and sphinx, we take a short 5 minute walk to a perfume shop. We are served turkish coffee - which tastes nice if you can get pass the fine sediment present - and peppermint tea while a man gives us the sales pitch on the many varieties of perfume. 
They even claim they have the equivalent scent of 99% of all famous brand perfumes such as Chanel etc. Quite a lot of people buy but after some consideration, we decide not to.
There is a provision shop next to the bus and we discover bottled water is much cheaper than getting them from the bus driver. Two 1.5L bottles cost 6 pounds compared to two bottles of 500ml for 5 pounds. Our guide tells us we have been upgraded to a 5-star hotel, The Grand Pyramids Hotel instead of the original 4-star Cairo Oasis. Cheers all round.
Continue Day 6: The spectacular pyramid sound and light show - NOT!
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