Cartoon characters and the pyramids, Ali of Arabia and tea with Friday. (Cairo)

Energised and excited to be on holiday, Ali and I planned to make the most out of our first day and get an early start. We awoke at 11 am. Change of plans.  After a fabulous Lebanese buffet (20 dips and pita?! I was in heaven), we hopped in a groovy cab (you can’t beat vinyl leopard-skin seats) and took on the chaos of Egyptian traffic, where cars unravel like yarn in a kitten’s grip and car honks are buoyed by the pollution. And the pedestrians!  At all hours the

Friendly chaos

streets are awash with people, pedestrians carrying innumerable bread products, carpets, livestock on their heads.  I used a friend’s Arabic cheat sheet to chat with our cabbie who spoke no English. I quickly mastered how to say “I do not understand” which complemented my blank look quite well. Our destination? The pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx.

Upon our arrival I reluctantly agreed to take the horseback tour with a sketchy-looking fellow named Adan.

Would you rent a horse from this dude?

Next thing I knew, Alison and I were on a couple of horses (she on Mickey Mouse, and I – wait for it – Charlie Brown) heading in the opposite direction from the pyramids into a very local neighbourhood.  Not the most auspicious beginning.  After about 30 minutes we finally picked up Adan’s horse (Rambo) and, thank goodness, ascended to the pyramids.

We were surprised to find ourselves in a desert! I had heard that the pyramids abutted a fast food empire (who hasn’t heard about the KFC across from the Sphinx), but that was not my first impression.  All I saw were Egyptians on horses and camels, sand dunes, and pyramids. I was impressed. We even went into one of the pyramids; a hilarious experience.  The passage was extremely narrow, the ceiling about three feet high, the air quite close. Now imagine passing a group of shell-shocked Japanese tourists, having a traditionally-dressed Muslim man screaming at you in Arabic about an empty sarcophagus and not giving him a tip (so I presumed), and then passing a group of about 20 children on the way back up, in the dark, each of them greeting you with an enthusiastic “hello!!!”  Egyptians are pretty friendly.

And we came upon a desert...

The view from Charlie Brown

Sphinx

Back on the horses, Adan decided to spice things up by telling our cartoon characters to pick up the pace. As we broke into a gallop, I was relieved that my childhood horse-riding experience kicked in — I comfortably posted to Charlie’s rapid gait.  Alison, however, began screaming in panic and begging Adan to tell her horse to stop as she bounced alarmingly in the saddle. Being a sympathetic friend, I shrieked uncontrollably with laughter. It was then I learned this was Alison’s first time *ever* on a horse.  I gave her a lot of credit… and laughed even harder. Clearly impressed by my horsemanship, Adan offered me his hand in marriage, and asked would I like to ride an Arabian horse tomorrow?  I politely declined both opportunities.

Upon returning to the hotel to freshen up, I discovered Charlie’s saddle had torn a small hole in my jeans (Alison saw this as revenge for my laughing at her), but this was no setback with my complimentary sewing kit!  Newly tailored we ventured downtown where we were befriended by “Friday” who – imagine that – took us to his family’s shop. Cynicism aside, Ali and I had a lovely time hanging out with his brother Mohamed. We were provided with tea and adorned with Lotus and Desert Flower essential oils. (She purchased; I did not.)