The Le Meridian Pyramids is exactly that, you have a view of the Pyramids from the pool!!!!!!! WHAT! I’ve made it, I am living the life of a real world traveler. The grounds are bustling with activity, people checking in and out, taking, laughing, buses unloading dusty travelers from the days sights. Walking through the lobby I couldn’t help but notice that everything seemed to shine in the light, I truly felt like royalty. The room was clean, spacious, well furnished, and had every amenity needed. All I wanted to do was finish the falafel that I bought on the street with the delicious greens on top. In this moment, I had no idea I had eaten the item that started my downhill intestinal spiral, and would leave me passed out on the ground in Luxor, drinking water out of a police officers gas can.
Who came up with travel itineraries? Who did they consult on what all needed to be packed into a day, because I need to send a text as soon as possible! After being on a plane for 16 hours, crossing international time zones, landing in soul sucking heat, who the hell thought a night of sights was a good idea? Yes in theory, it sounds like an excellent plan, get to your room, take a quick nap, have a shower, and when the sun goes down, head over to The Sphinx for a light and sound show. There needs to be some fine print somewhere that we won’t read that says “warning, you will be shit faced when you land, don’t take a nap in the middle of the afternoon, and try not to do anything but go to your room, unpack, have a nice dinner, shower and relax so you can fall asleep around 10 and get a full night of rest so tomorrow, you will be ready to kick ass and take names. Yes I was excited to see the show, but something about that temperature change and the setting of the sun soothed me, I couldn’t keep my eyes open to enjoy the show. My pictures were blurry, and my eyes don’t lie, I was beyond exhausted and missed the show because I was snoring!
Full Day 1
Let’s try this again, that first night of sleep will be rough, especially if you take an extended nap as I did. Try your best to stay awake and let your body adjust naturally to the time as well as the heat. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! You might not want to drink as much coffee in the morning, the hibiscus or mint tea is spectacular, don’t worry, you might see a few ants in the sugar if drinking at an outdoor cafe, don’t stress, a little extra protein won’t kill you. Yes in the heat, hot tea cools the body, not sure why, not scientific, but it does. Try to lay off processed foods and excess sugar, it slows you down and this is a trip that requires high activity. After a light breakfast, it’s time to meet your Egyptologist!
Egyptologist-Person who is an expert on ancient Egyptian history. These will be some of your best friendships on the trip, and make sure you tip them well! Not only will they explain the history, they will answer a million questions (I ask a million questions) and take that money shot you need to prove to everyone that “Yes, I was here, this ain’t photo shopped”. Each Egyptologist I met was different, had a different style and method of delivery, but they were much loved and displayed great passion in bringing the history of Egypt to life. If only I could spend a day with Dr. Zahi Hawass, in my opinion he is the most famous Egyptologist, watching National Geographic is where I grew to love his knowledge on everything ancient Egypt.
The sights will overwhelm you, its hot, dry, dusty, sand blowing, tourist everywhere, vendors selling water, postcards, phone cards, snacks, the activity is endless. In my opinion most of the sights are very well preserved, especially after hearing how much looting occurred, and how many were moved from the original locations and reconstructed. Enjoy every moment at each site, try not to focus on what you miss, you could visit a hundred times and never see everything. Don’t stress too much about trying to take pictures without tourists, it might not happen, but take shots to remember the sights, especially those that provided the most joy.
The pyramids are so much more than I anticipated, proof that we all play a significant role in the cycle of life here on earth. Each stone, hand made and built, each structure, a wonder of engineering and architectural genius, but I kept questioning, how? How is this possible that remains from thousands of years are present, but a home in 2007 can’t withstand a category 1 hurricane? So here I stand, mind racing, mouth parched in the heat, awestruck at the sights……..
I’m just a brown girl, traveling the world, trying to stay awake amidst something soooo beautiful~Ny Unnerved
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The Unnerved Traveler 