The traveling manatees by Nancy French: Cairo, Egypt

Arriving at the Cairo airport late afternoon, we moved quickly to the arrival area where we were able to buy our Egyptian Visas at one of the numerous bank windows and at the same time purchase the Egyptian pounds we would need during our visit. (Egypt also has a closed currency.) Moving through customs with no delays, we met our hotel transport guide just outside the airport. The amiable young man greeted us and then paged the driver who arrived a few moments later. With reservations at the Staybridge at Citystar in the downtown area, we were about 30 minutes from our hotel in the late afternoon traffic. Over 2 hours later, we arrived at the hotel. It seems the driver (who spoke no English) was unfamiliar with the destination and our guide, who didn't know the route either, was unsuccessfully using google map to locate the hotel. Luckily, we had prepaid for the drive, so we didn't need to argue with a taxi driver trying to collect for a 2-hour fare. Since we had started our travel day some 16 hours earlier, we were exhausted and frustrated on our arrival. Hotel check-in staff sympathized with our stressed demeanor and upgraded our already free room (booked using points) to a lovely and spacious, 3-bedroom, 3-bath suite with a full kitchen. They also sent two large dinner plates to our room selected from their evening buffet along with beer and wine. We felt like spoiled VIPs.

Gold burial mask of King Psusennes I

The following morning, we headed out to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities with our new driver, Ahmed, and our guide, Bossi. It was quickly obvious that this driver knew exactly what he was doing, and Bossi instantly became an Egyptian friend. Over the next two days, this brilliant young woman blew us away with her encyclopedic knowledge of Egypt's history. Traffic in Cairo is perhaps even worse than what we experienced in Delhi, but at least there were no cows, camels, or mules walking in the roads or at least not as many. What we did witness countless times was people crossing the street whenever and wherever they wanted with no regard for the traffic at all. They would literally start crossing the street, even major roadways, without even looking to see if cars were coming. When I asked Bossi about this, she said it wasn't a problem, the cars will stop no matter what. If you happen to be in the city on Friday and Saturday, the traffic is markedly reduced because the Egyptian work week runs from Sunday to Thursday, but we were both happy that we were not attempting to drive on our own.

Housing over 100,000 Egyptian artifacts, you could literally spend a lifetime reviewing items held by

One of King Tut's shrines

the museum. Bossi had studied archeology for 4 years, Egyptology for 2 years, and hieroglyphics for one year, in addition to doing fieldwork. She also speaks several languages, so we were excited to have such a knowledgable guide. Unfortunately, her ability to provide information didn't match with our ability to absorb it, but it was still fascinating. We spent a few hours perusing the highlights of the museum including portions of the phenomenal King Tut collection. Though the entire museum is impressive, the most interesting aspect is the section devoted to his shrines, masks, and jewelry. Tut's tomb contained 4 gilded shrines nested inside one another in decreasing size with the sarcophagus in the innermost shrine. All of the child king's collection is supposed to be moved to the new Grand Egyptian Museum scheduled for opening in 2020.

The Citadel, our next stop, dates back to the 12th century. This huge fortress was constructed to protect against the Crusader armies and served as the seat of government in Egypt for 700 years. While walking the grounds, we also had the opportunity to visit the beautiful Muhammed Ali Alabaster Mosque added in the 1800s. The elevated site of the fortress provides a good overview of the city and, we were told that on a clear day, the pyramids can be seen.

A walkabout at Khan Khalili Bazaar was next on the agenda. This large, colorful market place sells everything from spices and perfumes to jewelry and clothing. Though everyone was anxious to promote their inventory and lure buyers into their shop, a simple no sufficed and we were never hassled or pressured. In the end, our only purchases were a marionette for our grandaughters and a few magnets.

Departing the city the following morning, the streets in the village of Memphis were mostly devoid of cars. Locals used motorcycles or animals, primarily horses or mules, for transport. Crops seem to fill any vacant land. We headed first to see the 3200-year-old statue of Ramesses the Great. Carved in limestone, the 30-foot statue is housed within a museum built especially for it. A number of other ancient carvings were also located at this site.

Traveling on to Saqqara, we visited the Step Pyramid built in the 27th century BC for the burial of

Pharaoh Djoser. A roofed entrance is located before the tomb. After passing through the entry there were 20 sets of massive columns on both sides, but the pyramid is the central feature of the area. Originally the pyramid was covered with polished white limestone. Egyptian and British experts are working to save the oldest stone pyramid which was the prototype for all pyramids built after it. Descending underground, we negotiated narrow, steep stairs at a nearby tomb. Other tombs on site, above-ground, provided easier access and beautiful examples of the work completed almost 5000 years ago.

Before traveling to the Giza Plateau, we stopped at an open-air restaurant serving a set Egyptian menu. Stuffed cabbage leaves, marinated, sauteed eggplant with peppers, baba ganoush, falafel with tahini, barbecue chicken and lamb, were all served, and then the meal was finished with some of the best tangerines ever.

The Giza pyramid complex consists of the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure, along with the Great Sphinx. Walking alongside the Great Pyramid is awe-inspiring. Though recent research has answered many of the questions regarding how this massive engineering feat was accomplished, numerous questions still remain. Records have confirmed that despite Hollywood versions of the story showing slaves building the structures, the workers were actually employees with good pay and benefits, and enjoyed an excellent diet. During the rainy season, the huge stones were moved down the Nile river which historically ran next to the area. Looking over the Sphinx with the Great Pyramid in the background was our closing picture at Giza, and hard to walk away from.