Saturday, March 24, 2007

Travel: A visit to Cairo

"I was perched seven feet above ground. And the fear of a bruising fall made me shudder. Added to that was the terror of being stomped on by Solomon, a gangly camel that seemed to weigh almost a tonne or more. I longed for firm ground. Therefore, I refused to show any annoyance at the unreasonable demand of Ahmad, the camel handler, for 100 Egyptian pounds (Dh65) for the short ride on Solomon that lasted less than 30 paces. I had been lured by the prospect of getting all the three pyramids of Giza outside Cairo, the Egyptian capital, in one photographic frame. . . . The grandeur and richness of Egyptian culture is an experience that could not have been imagined or gleaned from school textbooks. The pyramids, integral to Egypt, stand tall as a testimony to human creativity, rising high above a desolate desert landscape. With over seven million tourists visiting the pyramids every year, the tourist guides and the camel handlers know how to make the most from each visitor. But for those who refuse to be unsettled by such minor distractions, the Cairo experience can be exhilarating."
See the above page for the full story.

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