In 1998 I had the opportunity to visit Cairo. During that visit I made a trip to Giza to see the pyramids. Prior to my visit, my vision of the Great Pyramid(s) came from a few days study in high school history and the many epic films that came out of Hollywood over the years. My vision of the Giza site was a cluster of gigantic pyramids sitting somewhere in the middle of an inhospitable desert in Egypt. However, when the hotel's tour brochure boasted a half-day trip to Giza, including several stops at shops designed to separate tourists from their hard earned currency, I began to contemplate rethinking my earlier vision.

Boarding the tour bus, me and the other intrepid tourists from half-dozen or so countries set off on our Egyptian odyssey. The bus quickly left the city streets and entered a modern beltway or ring road that circled Cairo. After a few minutes of studying the buildings on the outskirts of Cairo, I happened to glance up and saw the top of the Great Pyramid peeking over the top of a modern apartment building. Where were the miles and miles of treacherous desert? It seems Giza is a suburban area of Cairo. Admittedly, it is in the desert, but I also learned that there is a very specific line between the green vegetation that grows in Cairo and the start of the desert. It seems that where one waters, it is green, where one does not, it is desert. Well, so much for my Hollywood vision.

The first stop was the Sphinx and the Valley Temple of Khephren. The size and antiquity of the Sphinx were awe inspiring, but it was smaller than Hollywood had led me to believe. The guide carefully explained how the earthly remains of the Pharaoh were prepared for burial in the Valley Temple. Following preparation, the body was ceremonially transported to the Mortuary Temple in close proximity to the pyramid. Finally, the Pharaoh was laid to rest in (or under) the pyramid and the tomb was sealed.

The pharaohs were buried with everything they would need to have a good afterlife. Unfortunately, the goods and wealth were also sought by those left behind. When study of the pyramids was started in earnest, the pyramids at Giza had long since been stripped clean by grave robbers.

I got to go inside the Pyramid of Khephren. Entering a narrow passage way about 4 feet tall, one has to stoop over, hold onto a slimy, clammy rope railing and walk on a wooden gangplank which goes downward at a fairly steep angle. The passage is just wide enough for one and a half people. Of course, there are also people coming out, so you either squeeze together or wait for another to clear. Every now and then the passage would give you a place to stand up -- what a relief; then back to the stoop. Finally, one reaches the burial chamber and can view the stone vault where the pharaoh was finally laid. Again, I noted the grand depictions of comforts and wall-art, hieroglyphics, statues of Egyptian gods, etc. that the movies show to the unsuspecting as normal fare for a pharaoh’s tomb --- NOT! It was an unimpressive, stone room. Any art or statues that may have been there were long since gone. After a few minutes, it was a return trip through fat-man's misery back up to the desert floor.

Regardless of the disappointment of having my preconceived notion of Giza dashed on the rocks, it is clear why the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) made the list of "Wonders of the Ancient World." All of the pyramids are truly amazing.

(All pictures were taken with a Nikon 6006 with a Sigma 28-80mm, f/3.5-5.6 lens and ISO 200 FujiColor film. Prints scanned on an Epson 4990 flatbed scanner.)