2004 09 – Egypt – Day 15

Wake up call this morning was a reasonable 7:00 a.m. with breakfast being served around 7:30. By 8:00 we were all on the bus with our luggage for a 3 and a half hour drive to the pyramids of Maidum. A short stop along the way for a beverage and toilets was a must. There seemed to be at least one of us not feeling the best and needed a rest.

It was a common sight to see the men sitting around together and taking it easy.

In the town of El Minya.

There was some telephone service in most of the areas that we go through if we needed it.

A typical morning scene as we traveled along on this bus trip.

Going through another small town heading for the Maidum Pyramid.

Caleesh rides are available everywhere we visited in Egypt.

Some of the graffiti as we go through the small towns.

A view as we go through the small towns along the Nile.

One of the many guard towers we see on our route during this bus trip along the Nile.

The security service in Egypt employees many people.

Some of the service stations are affiliated with familiar companies from the Western Culture that I'm use to seeing.

A view as we travel along the Nile heading North to the Maidum Pyramid.

Another scene from a small town that we travel through.

Streets in the small town appear to be untidy compared to what we are use to seeing in the Western civilization.

Many of the local people traveled in the back of smaller trucks and other vehicles.

The people are starting to set their stands for the markets.

Another scene as we travel on the bus heading North.

It is yet another perfect weather day in this area.

Some of the typical farm equipment and transportation methods.

Bus trip – Maidum Pyramid – A sign near the entrance.

By 11:30 a.m. we are at the pyramid after a short drive through some of the desert away from the Nile Valley to get to the pyramid complex.

Going into the Pyramids was all included but was only recommended by Sala for those not bothered with close quarters. It would be a longer climb than any other pyramid our tomb we have entered until now. Most of us did enter. The first part was a fairly steep grade going down and went for a considerable distance before leveling off. Then it was a short distant before going up some ladders to the heart of the Pyramid. Amazing to see how straight this was all built. Many of us wondered what real purpose was this for; it remains a mystery to me. Many of the people here say it was for burial purposes in all that we have visited but I wonder about that assumption. There is no real proof any way you look at it. Again, no pictures are allowed.

A view from the entrance into the pyramid; nothing but desert to the West.

A view just before I enter the pyramid. No pictures are allowed once inside.

You can see some of my group coming out of the Maidum pyramid.

The pyramid is not too far from the Nile; the fertile land comes right up to the pyramid area.

Some of my group are gathering near the entrance of some tombs. These tunnels to crawl are just a few hundred feet away from the main pyramid. It was that was a tight fit for some of us to crawl through. But it was well worth it to see what was inside. Flash lights are definitely required in case the lights were to go out and in Egypt it happens quite often. Again, no pictures allowed.

Small tomb area on the East side of Maidum pyramid.

A closer view of the area.

The top of the pyramid.

Some of us walked around the pyramid before going to the bus around 1:00 p.m. with our armed guards waiting for us.

Stop in small town where not too many tourists venture.

A short drive to a small town for a stop and visit along a water wheel possibly producing electricity our just for show, I was not sure. It was not a real big tourist area. It was evident that many of the locals had a slightly higher average income than other parts of Egypt.

As I walked away from my group looking for a shop to buy some water I found out that not many tourists venture away from the water wheel. I felt a little odd as so many people just stopped what they were doing and decided to just stare at me. It felt like I was the first foreigner they have seen, and maybe I was. Things turned out just fine and it was one of those moments I will not forget.

Many crafts for sale, they were set up for the locals. It seemed to me that the markets are not set up for the tourists as seen in most of our other stops.

Back on the bus and over to our very nice Hotel in El Fayyum by 4:00 p.m. where again our dinner order had to be placed ahead of time.

My room was exceptionally large compared to the other hotels on this trip.

The pool was ideally place right along the oasis.

Lake Karoun, the oasis, comes right up to the hotel.

Sun setting and our tour guide has a few people on the small boat.

As the sun sets over the oasis you can see some cloud cover. This is the most clouds we see the entire trip.

All of my group are either on the boat or standing by the pool watching the sunset.