rakubtu gamal gameel!
this is a phrase that portly Mahmood yelled up to me in between taking his cell phone calls. We were in the middle of the desert. He was riding a horse. The horse looked tired and small. It looked small like it might collapse beneath him. I was riding a camel. Rakubtu gamal gameel yani (=means) I was riding a beautiful camel. This was part of the arabic instruction included in my comprehensive tour experience.
The pyramids were to my left and the sky was blue. Yes, here it comes: what you've all been expecting!--the inevitable trip to Egypt's tourist treasure!
To begin: my two lovely lady friends Emily and roommate Amy and I head towards Giza! I find a cab offering 5 L.E. (about $0.18 USD) to the pyramids. Skeptical, we still jump in and are not exactly surprised when they take us to a tour agency instead of to the actual pyramids. Oh, everyone's in cahoots. Oh, great. Oh, we are about to get really ripped off. These are things we are thinking. We've heard horror stories.
Instead we negotiate a deal for 4 hours of camel riding through the desert and up to picturesque peaks and around the pyramids, entrance into the Great Pyramid, entrance into the Temple of the Sphinx, five new arabic words or phrases apiece (for a total of 15 words/phrases), lessons in history, camel driving lessons, "belly dancing" lessons (which are actually the same as camel driving lessons), and a final sunset loop around the pyras.
Here they are from the picturesque peak!
Small babies on the bottom left we learn were the pyramids built for the queens. Big bubuh on the right is the Great Pyramid.
From a distance: the Great Pyramid!
Meet Moses!, my trusty steed. According to Mahmood, Moses was 'gamal magnoon' (a crazy camel).
And here we are (left to right): Michael Jackson and Emily, Moses and moi, and Mickey Mouse and Amy. The small boy on the very left walked Emily's camel for the entirety of our tour. We thought he was an apprentice of sorts, training to one day lead the tours like Mahmood. There was another, older boy (unpictured) who accompanied us for parts of the tour and was allowed to ride a horse. He would ride ahead and get our entrance tickets so that we didn't have to wait in the lines. He seemed also to be under Mahmood's tutelage.
Dismounting al-gamal. Rather frightening. Camels are actually seven feet tall? eight feet tall? and quite leggy, so when they bend down hind legs first and then front, you are in slight danger of slipping.
My fellow tourists swarming around the base of the Great Pyramid.
Amy, me, Emily, Great Pyramid. Mahmood also played photographer, donning an American accent to tell us how 'awesome' the photos turned out.
And at the Temple of the Sphinx.
Posing for a cheesy kissing-the-sphinx pic. Was accosted by a small and savvy bright-eyed boy who commanded me into various poses with the Sphinx as prop. Other poses include: Maya sleeping on the Sphinx, the Sphinx kissing Maya's hand, and the Sphinx wearing Maya's sunglasses. This kid knew his stuff.
Riding back. Sun is almost setting. Mahmood taught us to ride Bedouin style: this consists of more or less sitting cross-legged around the camel's first hump. Unfortunately this does not come across in the picture, but I am indeed sitting this way. After the first three hours of riding regular, this became my preferred mount.
Like horse riding, camel riding makes your butt hurt. Unlike horse riding, however, camel riding is more about hip movement, twisting your hips with the camel's gait (and this, as Mahmood explained, is why camel riding serves as a belly dancing lesson).
I am 'driving' my camel by myself here.
now to sleep!
ma'asalama,
Maya
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