So I make it to the pyramids at 6pm .. and nobody told me that they are only opened to the public from 8am – 4pm. ... and the whole area is fenced off ... and I thought that they were in an opened desert.... just as well I didn’t go for the sunset this morning!!!!
Not to worry, I can see them within a few kms, and they are amazing...... I find out that there is a light/sound show at 8:30pm for the tourists, so decided to just sit there and admire something that has been around for 5000 years (a small sand storm passed through, which added another element to the experience ... compare the first 2 photos).
As I sit there, at corner of some Souvenir shop, I get hassled by various men trying to entice me for a horse/camel/donkey/goat ride around the pyramids ... not that I’m really interested ... Im quite happy just being here .... and staring at the pyramid-filled-horizon.....Anyway, they soon leave me alone (when I tell them I am a poor student).
What happens next is one of these amazing things that happen when you travel!!
A young boy (looks about 11) approaches me trying to sell postcards (you know, the book of 10 that are all joined together).
He asks A$0.50, and I can see that they are of poor quality .. so I tell him that I’m not interested ... but he sits down besides me, and we start talking.....At this stage, he knows that there is no sale with me ..... but we strike up a conversation for over an hour. The boy (named Islam) is 16, and wise beyond his years (he has been selling the cards for 9 years, and he supports his family), and tells me that he has everything he needs (from his business selling cards), and that does not want to be a rich man, as he sees that wealth, makes people unhappy.
Now one thing that you need to understand is that when I travel through poor countries (third-world), I usually try to dress down, and not look like a tourist .... it just makes life easier when locals think you are poor, as they don’t hassle you for money.
So after an hour or so conversation with Islam, he offers me the cards for free, telling me that he know I don’t have much money (or maybe he called me POOR ... my dress-down-look must be working), and that the cards are a present from him. On a side note, once we began talking, I was always going to buy the cards from him, and gave him the A$0.50 he was originally asking.... I really liked this kid, and it was one of these amazing travelling moments, and a conversation one rarely has with a young kid.
As I left for the light show, I gave him a big hug, knowing I’ll see him again tomorrow, during the day (he works out front of the KFC near the gate) ... I know he likes pizza, so may take him and his street-kid friends to Pizza Hut (located above the KFC) .... treat them .
Not to worry, I can see them within a few kms, and they are amazing...... I find out that there is a light/sound show at 8:30pm for the tourists, so decided to just sit there and admire something that has been around for 5000 years (a small sand storm passed through, which added another element to the experience ... compare the first 2 photos).
As I sit there, at corner of some Souvenir shop, I get hassled by various men trying to entice me for a horse/camel/donkey/goat ride around the pyramids ... not that I’m really interested ... Im quite happy just being here .... and staring at the pyramid-filled-horizon.....Anyway, they soon leave me alone (when I tell them I am a poor student).
What happens next is one of these amazing things that happen when you travel!!
A young boy (looks about 11) approaches me trying to sell postcards (you know, the book of 10 that are all joined together).
He asks A$0.50, and I can see that they are of poor quality .. so I tell him that I’m not interested ... but he sits down besides me, and we start talking.....At this stage, he knows that there is no sale with me ..... but we strike up a conversation for over an hour. The boy (named Islam) is 16, and wise beyond his years (he has been selling the cards for 9 years, and he supports his family), and tells me that he has everything he needs (from his business selling cards), and that does not want to be a rich man, as he sees that wealth, makes people unhappy.
Now one thing that you need to understand is that when I travel through poor countries (third-world), I usually try to dress down, and not look like a tourist .... it just makes life easier when locals think you are poor, as they don’t hassle you for money.
So after an hour or so conversation with Islam, he offers me the cards for free, telling me that he know I don’t have much money (or maybe he called me POOR ... my dress-down-look must be working), and that the cards are a present from him. On a side note, once we began talking, I was always going to buy the cards from him, and gave him the A$0.50 he was originally asking.... I really liked this kid, and it was one of these amazing travelling moments, and a conversation one rarely has with a young kid.
As I left for the light show, I gave him a big hug, knowing I’ll see him again tomorrow, during the day (he works out front of the KFC near the gate) ... I know he likes pizza, so may take him and his street-kid friends to Pizza Hut (located above the KFC) .... treat them .
Tomorrow ... back in the morning .. and getting up close and personal with all the rocks (ie. Pyramids and the Sphynx)
BTW - Light show was very impressive, but hard to capture on the camera (takes bad night shots, and the specs you see below are reflections from sand in the air)
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