We have landed in a group of very experienced tour takers. Of the 14 of us, there are five Americans, eight Canadians and one Norwegian (who was adopted by some of the Americans on another G Adventure trip). All quite young, full of energy and travel stories. They have extended our desire to go to many more places! Tonight we went to a Cafe to try shisha. Lots of laughter.

The first of the calls to prayer siren went off at 3:30 a.m. Really?! Our day, in turn, started with a tour of the catacombs of Kom ash-Shuqqafa from the 2nd century AD. It was an interesting reminder of the ceremonies surrounding the celebrations associated with a death and subsequent visiting by the family to the resting place.

Then it was off to Pompey’s Pillar which included descending in the dusty, dark underground of what had been the second largest library in Alexandria. Here we encountered our first contact with large groups of visitors from China. (Tourism in Egypt has been decimated in recent years – from 12M annually to just over 1M – due to real and perceived threats of violence. China is the source now of the majority of those visitors). The pillar itself is front by two ‘small’ Sphinx which, of course, presented the perfect family photo op.

The ancient library of Alexandria is long gone but it’s modern replacement is quite stunning. We were guided through parts of the facility and wowed by its technology applications for examining ancient artifacts. Numerous museums also exist within the facility that added to our knowledge of the city’s history, some famous artists and the peace accord with Israel that eventually cost the Egyptian president Anwar Sadat his life.

Lunch along the ocean at a bustling fish market meant point and choose from the display cases of fresh fish and seafood from, likely, right off the dock downstairs. Most went for piles of shrimp including Mo who obviously enjoyed every bite.

Sharie el Corniche, the main seaside boulevard along the harbour is fronted by what were undoubtedly upscale, desirable buildings pre revolution (ie before 1952). While still architectural attractive that area now is shabby and somewhat rundown. Property development and occupancy include a process not found in North America. A base building is constructed and as units are sold the occupants must complete the buildout including installation of windows, doors, all interior fitouts etc. This means any given building looks half finished as unoccupied units remain open to the elements. It makes for a bizarre look to say the least.

The day’s tour took us along the waterfront to the site of the Pharos lighthouse, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Now occupied by a massive fort one can only imagine what existed centuries ago.

Back to Cairo tomorrow which means an early start and a long bus ride.

A quick bus ride this morning took us to the base of the Khufu or Great Pyramid. Simply amazing. Whether you believe anything about it’s mystical origin or not, the sheer size and complexity of the stonework is awe inspiring. The Giza plateau contains 3 massive pyramids for kings as well as other smaller versions.  King Khafre also constructed the nearby Sphinx.  Although impressive it is actually smaller than pictures portray.

We followed up by riding camels a short distance into the dessert to create some fun photos.

Back on the bus to a papyrus making gallery. Very interesting and another history lesson to boot. Our long (3.5 hr) drive north to Alexandria included a stop at a Coptic Christian monestery where one of the monks took us through its 1600 year history.  Finally into Alexandria on the Mediterranean. Much cleaner than Cairo, brightly lit shopping areas and still the crazy drivers. Dinner on the street wrapped up another full day.

Because internet service is spotty Sean, Allie’s husband, is posting reams of photos on Instagram. Go to seanblanda (no space) to see a portfolio of pictures.

10 1/2 hours in the air turned out to be not so bad after all notwithstanding a few wailing babies and a surprising amount of modest turbulence.  Cairo airport is in the desert and I do mean truly in the desert. To the east is…..nothing. To the west, 40 million residents of the city. Our G Adventures local rep shepparded us through getting a visa and customs. Finally on the road through the city to our hotel, which, it turns out, literally looks out at the Giza Plain and the world famous pyramids.  First impression of Cairo is fairly harsh. Massive amounts of seemingly derelict buildings, garbage piled along the streets, wild dogs roaming about, and tons of rubble apparently abandoned. Everything one might have read or heard about Cairo traffic is true. Total, absolute chaos which somehow works. No lanes, no lights, no stop signs, no give.  The fact virtually every vehicle bears the scars of one or more other transport is reflective of the driving style. Oh, and the wandering pedestrians are simply slower moving targets. A desperately needed 3 1/2 hours of sleep later we met our guide, Michael, who will be with us for the entire trip.  As we four (Mo, Mark, Allie & Sean) were the only tour members here early we chose an optional trip to Saraqqah and Memphis, both about 40 minutes south of the city. The former is the site of Egypt’s earliest pyramid and the latter the original capital (3100 BC) of the Old Kingdom. A great small sample of what lies ahead including I mpressive story telling wall carvings, a lesson in reading a cartouche (look it up),  marveling at the statue carvings and our first appreciation that you can’t drink enough bottled water given the heat and dust. Back to the hotel late afternoon where we met the rest of the group for an itinerary review after which we all trooped to a local restaurant. Long day to say the least.