Egypt: Cairo and Saqqara
There are other things in Cairo to see apart from the Giza plateau and the Pyramids! No… really.. there are. 
Our first trip was out to the Necropolis of Saqqara. Long before the first pyramid, kings and nobles were buried out on the plateau of Saqqara in simple, deep shafts with a sealing slab, called mastabas. We visited one and it was almost as rich in detail and carvings as the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Remember that these mastabas are over 4500 years old! Original colour remained on the wall - that’s old paint! Nearby lies a step-by-step guide to pyramid making, showing how the very first mud pyramids collapsed on themselves; and then Imhotep, the High Priest of Djoser, decided to immortalize his Pharaoh by constructing the stepped (or Djoser’s) pyramid. This is the oldest known stone building in the world, over 4500 years old. It looks a little worse for wear but it is still standing, and that is an incredible feat! Also nearby is the Bent pyramid, whose angle changed halfway up when its architect realised that he was building it too steep. So clearly, pyramid building was an evolution, perfected with the Great Pyramid at Giza.
Deciding to see something other than pharaonic ruins, we took a tour through the Coptic, or Christian, Quarter of Cairo. There we visited some beautiful churches, including one called the Hanging Church, that was literally built on wooden beams stretched between two ancient roman towers. Inside you can look through a hole in the floor and see the ground over 50′ below.
Being driven through Cairo was an incredible experience. Imagine a 4 lane road, with 7 lanes of traffic on it, all dodging and weaving around donkey carts. There are no traffic lights and very little signs or road markings. If you are on the far right and you need to turn left, you just cut across every lane of traffic! Oh, and headlights are totally optional at night - a lot of cars don’t even have working lights. Amazingly enough, it was safer than driving in California!
I would love to spend several weeks just in Cairo, soaking up the bazaars, eateries and mighty mosques, but alas, our vacation was over.
