In Quest of a Wonder

We headed off into the desert, because Mohammad thought we should get the most out of our camel ride. With the pyramids behind us, the whole cascade of tourists disappeared. There was nothing but gently undulating ripples of sand stretching out in every direction. Now this was more like it.

After a while, just as I was getting used to the position, and starting to enjoy the taste of freshly blown sand on my tongue, we turned around. Before me the three pyramids stood in a line. It was a view I had seen a million times on postcards and BBC documentaries, but no picture of it could ever do this work of art justice.

The facts themselves are almost impossible to comprehend; over two million blocks of stone in the Great Pyramid of Cheops, every one positioned perfectly, aligned so the sides match up with the compass points, sloping angles of 51 degrees 51 minutes. It is all unbelievable, and a little unrealistic, and the idea that they were built four and a half thousand years ago is just unimaginable. And yet, here I was, staring at them, in the flesh so to speak.

They were more than just statistics. They let off an aura of magic around them. Whether it was the reflection from the brilliant Egyptian sun, or just their sheer presence which caused this is hard to say but, I knew as I watched all the tourists disappear from my view, and Indiana Jones came running across in front of me, that no matter what the hype, or how commercial an attraction has become, some things will always live up to their reputation.

Related Links

Egypt Links
Book your trip to Egypt online. This site has flights, hotels, carhire and tours.
Sharra Tours
See the sights of Egypt as part of a guided tour.