8:00 AM and the noise level in Cairo is already quite unbelievable. I will admit however, that I am starting to get used to the noise, the people seeming to constantly be yelling at each other, the insane amount of traffic – and as we head out into the ‘country-side’ – the increasing use of donkeys and/or horses to pull carts.

We’ve even seen donkeys pulling carts containing Oxen.

These are not tourist attractions, these are farmers who have no other way of getting their goods to market. There is a level of poverty here that is quite challenging by western standards.

Yet again we are also stunned by the piles of garbage everywhere – and while I believe that Hussein believes it shows how little the population respects the government – we watched out the bus window while a police officer in a dress uniform standing near an oh so common police standpoint casually take a paper out of his pocket, wipe the front of his uniform, then lean down and clean his shoes. When he finished – we all watched as he tossed the paper onto the already dirty street.

I know myself that if there is no liter – I will careful put a trash wrapper in my pocket. I’ll even pick up a piece of litter if it is the only piece and find a garbage can. But with no garbage cans in sight, and a filty street – picking up one piece seems hopeless. So even I – while annoyed – won’t stop to clean. I’m guessing the population of Egypt must be feeling the same way – and there are millions of them! (and we actually never saw a public garbage can!)

Somehow, I think the issue is more a cultural disregard for property that is not mine. Maybe the inside of my home is clean, but I’ll guarentee that streets in your neighborhood are dirty, areas near fences layered in discarded boxes and crates, the sidewalks challenging to walk down, and if there is a unoccupied area – particularly a gully of any size, it is filled with garbage. And the mounds are often high.

Maybe there is a ‘nicer’ section of Cairo, but we have yet to see it. Unless it is a very clearly tourist area – it’s a mess. Have people no pride?

But clearly, I digress. We are headed for the Step Pyramid. Hussein tells us that this national monument area is his favorite and he can’t wait to share it with us.

If you are interested in the history of this pyramid – there is a lot of information in Google on it, and on the rest of this National Park – check it out. I’m going to just talk about the parts I found interesting.

But first – when we park the bus inside the Monument – I see something I haven’t seen before. A man sweeping garbage on the sand into a dust pan. And not just one. I spot at least 3 employees cleaning up here – and then I realize that there is no litter to be seen. What a contrast to the street in Cairo!

Our first stop is the tomb of Idut – one of Hussein’s favorites – and rightly so. Unlike the massive Temples of Luxor and Karnak, the tombs we visited in the Valley of the Kings, or even the smaller temples we visited by boat in the Nubian area of Upper Egypt – the hieroglyics in this tomb are not about the book of the dead, or even much about the young princess (probably the daughter of King Teti) that died. They are all about local activities from 4,340 years ago! Imagine that – it’s a picture book for kids on what common folks were doing in the fields, and the kind of products that the Princess might expect to get from the common folks in the afterlife.

There’s hunting, fishing, farming, and even tax payments shown. This tomb is stunningly different from anything we have seen before.

There are colored carvings of rivers filled with different kind of fish, with Fishermen pictured fishing with lines with multiple hooks and a fish caught on one of them. There are other fishermen using nets. The accounting scene looks like it could be drawn today – with the scribe having pencils held behind his ears as he records the days receipts. There are common folks shown bowing to the princess to show respect, and a lovely colored scene of a fisherman with his net avoiding a hippo to catch huge fish. Another hunter is trying to use his staff to spear something. There are farmers carrying different kinds of birds to the princess, some being held, some in a sack.

In another scene, cows are being coaxed across a stream by the simple technique of holding a calf by his legs from a boat. The calf is clearly calling out to his mother – and the herd in solidarity are following the mother across the river!

In another scene – the farmers are crossing the river in a boat while below them the hippos including a baby hippo are being pursued by a Crocodile.

In another scene – a commoner is shown carrying a hind quarter of a calf – complete with the leg and hoof. There is also a butchering scene with the cows legs tied together in the forground. Another carving shows a young ibex leading his owner towards the Princess – one assumes that the young ibex is a gift to her.

One imagines that over 4000 years ago – an artist was having a lot of fun drawing what he could see around him every day.

We then move on to see the oldest tomb found so far with paintings from the book of the Dead. It’s easy to get inside compared to the challenge of the Great Pyramid – just down a few steps and you are surrounded by extremely well preserved Hieroglypics giving all the instructions for the Ka – the soul of the dead person – on how to enter the afterlife! All over 4000 years old. And some of these pyramids even still have sections of the finer limestone in tact.

It is easy to understand why Hussein, as an Arcologist finds these tombs of greater interest than the more popular and famous Giza Momuments. They are truly stunning.

Finally we are going to visit the funeral complex of King Unas – also dating back 4500 years. He ruled long enough to have time to build a truly elaborate Complex – including a Hall of columns, a large courtyard with false fascades so when his Ka came to visit – it would feel at home. Think Disneyland – from one side they look like elaborate buildings, but from the back they are just 2 stones thick.

There is a lot of ongoing excavaations going on in this area – and it’s been a hot bed of exploration for over 100 years – so you can imagine how much there is to see. But while our time isn’t limited, our ability to cope with the heat and the crowds limits our desire to explore. We only check out the highlights. There are well over 100 pyramids in this area alone – many of them visible from a high view point.

Hussein explains that the architect for King Unas was very creative, but hedged his bets. So while the buildings are made of stone, they are made to look like they are made of logs in keeping with older techniques. And the Hall of Columns features Columns attached to walls – not free standing – to make sure they didn’t fall down. We end our visit with a walk thru the stunningly beautiful hall of columns – and reboard our bus.

What has made our trip to Egypt so interesting is the depth of knowledge that Hussein is willing/able to share with us. He clearly knows his stuff. And some of the most interesting ‘lectures’ are about how he views the current political and Economic Situation. It’s way more interesting than – “and on your right is the Great Pyramid”.

We have one more stop before we get lunch. There is a magnificant statude of Ramses II that was found on it’s side with his feet missing. It has been uncovered and left lying on his back so the magnificant carving work can be seen up close. And it is amazingly lovely. I’m particularly impressed by the carving of his nose, his lips, and the bracelet on his right arm.

My best part of this visit is not the statue – but the opportunity to drive thru different sections from Cairo. We pass farm land, and more interestingly – farm land that has been converted into private schools. Hussein points out that the farmers make more money selling the land – but the problem is that the students who go to this school aren’t local students – they couldn’t afford it. So the kids are bused in, and bused out.

He also says that the government has caught on to this, and recently has created a law that makes it much harder – but not impossible – for farmers to try to cash in on their arable land. But the farmers figured out that they could make their land ‘useless’ by simply not farming it for a couple of years. Then they go to government and get a certificate that says the land isn’t worth farming – and bang – they can sell it for development.

Soon we are back at the hotel. A quick clean-up and we have our farewell dinner.

Early tomorrow morning we have to get our suitcases into the hallway and our bodies to the lobby. 5 of us are leaving the tour – 16 of us are going on to Jordan.

Signing off to catch way too few hours of sleep – The Soup Lady.