The school has been great about helping us get settled in and become familiar with Cairo. We’ve done all kinds of practical excursions with experienced AIS teachers to find markets, buy cleaning supplies, and learn where good restaurants are. The first “fun” outing was Friday night to dinner at an Egyptian restaurant, followed by the sound and light show at the pyramids.
All the new teachers met at Kimo Market, which the school uses as a central meeting place for bus pickups. There was one returning teacher with us. We all boarded a bus, which drove for almost an hour before someone saw the tip of one of the pyramids. It was so neat—the first glimpse of a grey-looking triangle peeking over the top of skyscrapers and city. Then the pyramid disappeared after only a moment, and the bus headed for the restaurant.
We stopped
in front of a restaurant called Falfela’s and everyone got out. The returning teacher led the way into the restaurant, which looked nice, with outdoor seating under umbrellas and trees. As soon as we got in, our “leader” turned us around and led us back to the bus. We were apparently at the wrong Falfela’s. We started driving farther and farther away from the pyramids. An hour later, we still had not reached the correct restaurant. No one, including the driver or the returning teacher, knew where we were going, and all the rest of us were afraid we were going to miss the sound and light show. Finally, we turned around and headed back in the right direction. By that time everyone on the bus had decided it would be best to quit looking for the restaurant and head for the pyramids. (None of them had a hungry 2-year-old with them.) At about 8:00 we found the correct restaurant, and some of us got off the bus to order take-away. So we didn’t get our nice sit-down Egyptian restaurant meal, but we did get fed.
We arrived at the pyramid show right at 8:30. It cost 80 LE each to enter, or about $15. The pyramids were lit up with different colored lights, and once we got in the gate, I hurried toward them excitedly. The sphinx was right there, too! I was so excited about that, since I wasn’t sure how far it was from the pyramids. There were probably a thousand seats set up in rows facing the pyramids and a section at the back with little round tables and chairs. We sat at a table. The sun was down, the air was pretty cool, and we settled in comfortably.
It was nice to see the pyramids—sort of a reward for all the trekking about among the dirt and dust this week. Every time they lit up the sphinx I got excited. It’s so neat! The show itself was a little long for me, and the narration could use some rewriting, but the general overview of ancient Egyptian history was good. Was it worth $16? If I were a tourist who had just been up close and inside, I would say probably not. But since we plan to put off the actual tour of the pyramids until the weather is cooler, it was nice to have this first glimpse to help us realize that we actually are here!
8/25/07
All the new teachers met at Kimo Market, which the school uses as a central meeting place for bus pickups. There was one returning teacher with us. We all boarded a bus, which drove for almost an hour before someone saw the tip of one of the pyramids. It was so neat—the first glimpse of a grey-looking triangle peeking over the top of skyscrapers and city. Then the pyramid disappeared after only a moment, and the bus headed for the restaurant.
We stopped
in front of a restaurant called Falfela’s and everyone got out. The returning teacher led the way into the restaurant, which looked nice, with outdoor seating under umbrellas and trees. As soon as we got in, our “leader” turned us around and led us back to the bus. We were apparently at the wrong Falfela’s. We started driving farther and farther away from the pyramids. An hour later, we still had not reached the correct restaurant. No one, including the driver or the returning teacher, knew where we were going, and all the rest of us were afraid we were going to miss the sound and light show. Finally, we turned around and headed back in the right direction. By that time everyone on the bus had decided it would be best to quit looking for the restaurant and head for the pyramids. (None of them had a hungry 2-year-old with them.) At about 8:00 we found the correct restaurant, and some of us got off the bus to order take-away. So we didn’t get our nice sit-down Egyptian restaurant meal, but we did get fed.We arrived at the pyramid show right at 8:30. It cost 80 LE each to enter, or about $15. The pyramids were lit up with different colored lights, and once we got in the gate, I hurried toward them excitedly. The sphinx was right there, too! I was so excited about that, since I wasn’t sure how far it was from the pyramids. There were probably a thousand seats set up in rows facing the pyramids and a section at the back with little round tables and chairs. We sat at a table. The sun was down, the air was pretty cool, and we settled in comfortably.
It was nice to see the pyramids—sort of a reward for all the trekking about among the dirt and dust this week. Every time they lit up the sphinx I got excited. It’s so neat! The show itself was a little long for me, and the narration could use some rewriting, but the general overview of ancient Egyptian history was good. Was it worth $16? If I were a tourist who had just been up close and inside, I would say probably not. But since we plan to put off the actual tour of the pyramids until the weather is cooler, it was nice to have this first glimpse to help us realize that we actually are here!8/25/07
1 comment:
Katherine, I received your email today and just finished reading all of your blogs. You are such a detailed writer that I felt like I was experiencing everything with you at times. You made me giggle, gasp, and certainly get teary eyed--your final moments with your family were heart wrenching. I am so glad you are taking the time to chronicle all of your experiences. Please keep it up. I will be checking on you regularly. Good luck! May God continue to watch over all of you and keep you safe! Love, Cheryl
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