We got back to Cairo that evening, and this time to decided to hire a cab. As usual, Brad did the negotiating, and I stood back. When we had a driver, we were transported back to the Ritz Carlton. It was after 8 PM when we were checking in, and unfortunately our room was not ready. We were asked if we minded waiting, and of course we did not. We just wanted to get dinner because of the room situation, and decided to eat at the hotel. We opted to try out the Italian restaurant upstairs which happened to have a Michelin star.... We told the man at the front desk we were going to be eating, but never told him which restaurant. We felt kind of bad that he had to track us down, but he was successful. We finally got our room key after we ordered. Our food was all delicious... I was in a state of not wanting to commit to pasta, so I got a pizza in addition to the minestrone soup and Brad got the ravioli which were incredible!

I was so excited to get settled into our room after dinner. It had been a long drawn out day, and I was ready to go to sleep since tomorrow was going to be another long and grueling day. Little did I know what I was really in for!

The next morning we were thrilled to be back at the Ritz buffet. They had just about anything you could want. Something for everyone. We didn't want to spend too much time at breakfast because we had big plans for the day, but first, we had to go get repacked. Once we finished, we headed back down stairs to get checked out and booked an Uber to Giza.

We were finally seeing the pyramids. You could say that we saved the best of Cairo for last, however and unfortunately, we didn't really see anything else in Cairo. I was so excited to see them from the street on the drive in. They were massive... It was clear why they call it the GREAT Pyramid. There was heavy traffic heading into the "compound". Our driver looped us around the parking lot and dropped us off right by the ticket booth where we had to first figure out which line was the right line to be in. NAILED IT!

With tickets in hand, we followed the street up to the main entrance. Our tickets were checked and we headed on through. We walked straight up to the Great Pyramid and I can say, I don't know that I have ever felt so small in comparison to the sheer magnitude of a structure, possibly because this one was ancient. We were able to climb on the giant stones and take pictures, but taking photos proved to be more challenging than anticipated.

We walked everywhere, all around the grounds. There was no spare cash for camel rides, but I was okay with that since we had to catch a flight that night and had no way to really get cleaned up. We were approached several times by carriage and camel owners who did not want to take "no" for an answer. I felt like I was trying everything to get them to leave us be. I tried ignoring them in silence, just saying "no"... but the most effective was to bust out the mom verbiage "no means no", and "because I said so" when asked why not.. GOLD! That was usually when they would give us a snippy reply and wander off. ... I admire their persistence and drive, but man it's like taking a beating after awhile.

After passing by this stunning and photographic beauty, we wandered out a ways into the desert following the camel and horse tracks. I wanted to see the pyramids from the distance. It was only in the 80's (Fahrenheit) so it was a tolerable walk... but walking in the deep (at times) sand did prove to be challenging... but I was determined, and when I am determined there is no stopping me. The result was worth the push. You could see all of the pyramids, small and great. ... all of the tourists had disappeared from view, and in the distance was the crowded and smog-filled city. It was a site to behold. I was truly captivated in the moment imagining how these giants were built in ancient times, which is still a bit of mystery. We headed back toward the front of the grounds, and opted out of going inside of the pyramids because I just didn't feel like I would enjoy it (it cost extra too)... We had already been inside the tombs in the Valley of the kings, and from what I knew about the pyramids, it was pretty much just a steep, dark, tight stairway. I figured it would trigger a bit of anxiety... and that just wasn't worth it to me.

Also, we technically did not visit the Great Sphinx. We only viewed the giant statue from the outer gates. Something I didn't realize prior to arrival is that they put the creature in an enclosure. I always thought the Sphinx was sitting out in the open, but it's not... every movie I have ever seen is a lie! haha ...you have to pay extra, of course, to go in. So, with the lack of funds and the lack of truly caring at this point, we decided to admire that big Pharaoh head from outside the walls. It was just another testament to the true majesty of ancient Egypt. It made me realize that I need a time machine. Anyone know where I can get one?

Anyways, after spending a couple hours in the sun we wanted to head back to the hotel... There was just one problem, no service for wifi to get an Uber. We tried to negotiate with one taxi driver to pay the same amount going as we did coming, but he wanted a lot more, so we said "forget it". We went into a restaurant, right next to the Pizza Hut, and decided to get lunch and use the wifi. The problem with our plan was that the wifi wasn't working. We ordered lunch anyways which consisted of our usual Egyptian chicken and a big mediterranean salad. ...and I think something else. We may not have had a ride back, but at least we were fed.

We headed back out to try again, and this time it was much easier. We found a man to take us back to our hotel for $10 USD which was literally all we had. He was incredibly friendly, not pushy at all; just a easy going guy who was happy to help. After we survived the intensive traffic jams crossing back into the heart of Cairo, we checked to make sure we had all of our things and began our short walk back toward the security entrance to the Cairo Museum... As I was rifling through my bag, I realized, once again, my phone was not there. I did not understand how this happened again. I mean, I checked the taxi!!! I figured, somehow, it must have fallen out of sight. Brad and I were a bit frazzled knowing that our taxi driver was already gone. While we talked to the security guards of the Ritz Carlton outside our hotel, I knew my only option was to pray to God my taxi driver was down the street. I left Brad at the hotel, just in case. ...and I began my incredibly fast paced walk down the road. A few minutes up the way, after begging God for help, there was our taxi pulled over as an Egyptian family was in the process of loading in. I explained what happened to the driver, and he was very eager to help me look for it in the back seat. I went around to where I was sitting, and felt so rude as I rifled around while this Egyptian woman was sitting there with her baby looking so confused and caught off guard (fair). Her husband came around to see what was going on. The driver explained to him that I had lost my phone, and sure enough the man had it in his hand, and gave it back to me. It was literally a miracle, once again! I thanked the driver and the other man profusely, I apologize to the woman again, and headed back to the hotel with a spring in my step. Rushing with the biggest smile on my face, I was so relieved. (Since then I have changed my phone case from dark green to brighter colors so that I can actually see it all the time.) When I got back to Brad, he told me they were basically starting to create a task force to help me track down my phone. haha! I LOVE the Ritz Carlton in Cairo...

After the drama had settled, it was official. We were not going to the museum, not now possibly not ever. We had missed the entry time window again, and it was all my fault. I was so disappointed as this was part of why I picked the Ritz Carlton to stay at. I was so baffled by how so much felt like it went so wrong in Egypt. At this point, Brad and I both couldn't wait to leave to get a fresh start on the second leg of our vacation. We were not sure what else to do with our time since we still had almost eight hours until our next flight. We just did our best to kill time. We walked around the hotel, and then back out into the city to see if we might find something interesting, but the people just wanted us to visit their shops... see this.... see that... ...and if I didn't tell you already, every Egyptian has a relative or friend living in the US. ...or so they say. haha.

We were done. We were spent. Somehow, we ended up back in the hotel lounge. I got tea and dessert while we rested, and we called our family to let them know we'd be moving on.

Finally, we were ready to head to the airport. We got there pretty early considering, but we had no more money to spend in Egypt, and therefore, nothing more to do. So, we took an Uber and went. To be honest, I don't remember the Cairo Airport at all. ....Sadly, I was checked out before I even left.

...we were off to Tanzania on the 11:50 PM flight, and could not wait to get there!

ISSUE 50: Cairo, Egypt 2018 (Part 2)