Not in the middle of nowhere

I took this photo near the Giza pyramid complex in Giza, Egypt. I was being near the bottom of the pyramid of Khafre. Before I got there, I didn't know that the world-famous Giza pyramid complex and the city were that close to each other.  I was just thinking the Giza pyramid complex was in the middle of nowhere or in other words, it was deep inside of the Egyptian desert, but I was totally wrong in that case. How come I was thinking like that? I have no idea. The truth was exactly like the photo shows. Jaw-dropping.

Oh, there it is. An Egypt-ish image.

I took this photo on the corridor of my hotel in Giza, Egypt. The hotel was located near the Giza Pyramid Complex, and the hotel provides such creative attractions relates to Egypt or the pyramids which their guests are able to enjoy having a good time inside of the hotel as well as outside of the hotel. I thought this kind of displays were for photo opportunities, so I took a photo. Since my camera was not allowed to get inside of the Egyptian Museum, I only have a few photos look like this. To be honest, before I get to the Egyptian Museum, I didn't know the camera was not allowed, though.

Spare not where you must spend

I took this photo in my hotel room in Giza, Egypt. When I opened the window and looked right, the Great Pyramid of Giza was there. Right there. Viewing the pyramids in Giza, Egypt was near the top of my bucket list for such a long time, and finally in 2010, I went to visit the pyramids. The hotel rooms with a pyramids view were much more expensive than the rooms on the other side, but I chose a room with a pyramids view. Without a doubt I made a right decision money-wise. I fought against my stingy habit when I went all the way to Giza, Egypt, with that I could spent my birthday right in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza. As the saying goes, spend not where you may save, spare not where you must spend.

Horses for courses

I took this photo in Giza, Egypt. I rode on one of the horses back and visited the Giza Pyramid Complex for the first time. An Egyptian local guide told me that there are more than thousands of pyramids in Egypt. Before I went to Egypt, I knew only three. So it was like jaw-dropping information. By the way, it was really hard riding on a horse's back in the desert. so when I visited the Giza Pyramid Complex again another day, I chose a camel to ride on a back, but it was a way harder than riding on a horse's back. Camels are much taller than horses, so you can imagine what I mean.

Sakara Gold 500ml : Alc. 4.0% by Vol.

The photo shows Sakara Gold which I had at my hotel's restaurant in Giza, Egypt after spending such a long time in the water and on a lounge chair in front of the Pyramids. It sounds surreal, I can imagine, but it was true. The hotel was this close to the three famous Pyramids in Giza, and their guests could enjoy viewing the Pyramids from the hotel's swimming pool, the poolside, the swim up bar and restaurant, and from their guest rooms. Of course, booking the Pyramids view rooms were relatively expensive than booking the other side's rooms, but how could I be so frugal when I book a hotel room in front of the Pyramids.

Taking a view of Egyptian capital

The photo shows a view of Cairo, Egypt from the Saladin Citadel of Cairo (a.l.a. Cairo Citadel) on Mokattam hill. You can enjoy seeing this kind of panoramic view of the city from the Saladin Citadel of Cairo as well as having quite a bit of experiences at one of the most famous historical sights in the capital of Egypt. Killing two birds with one stone or sort of thing. Cairo is the capital, so there were a lot of people on the streets, so many cars as well, but from the Saladin Citadel, I could view the hectic capital from above, from a different perspective.

Pinch me, it's like a dream...

I took this photo in my hotel's bathroom in Giza, Egypt. It was a luxurious five-star hotel with the Pyramids View fabulous Swimming pools and its swim-up bar and then some. In my humble opinion, everything inside of the hotel was like a different world. Totally. I mean everything was not similar to the cities or towns where I've been in Egypt. I really wanna stay there again, so when someone asks me that how Egypt was, I always explain about this gorgeous hotel near the Pyramids: Le Meridien Pyrmids. A dreamy place.

This is news to me

Not to mention I took this photo in Giza, Egypt. From right to left, larger two pyramids are the Pyramid of Khafre and the Pyramid of Menkaure. According to an Egyptian pyramid's guide, the three smaller pyramids in front of the Pyramid of Menkaure are the Queens' pyramids. The Egyptian pyramid's guide also said that there are much more than hundred of pyramids in Egypt. It was news to me. I only knew about world-famous theree pyramids in Giza: The Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre and the Pyramid of Menkaure. One of the Seven Wonders of the World seemed like having a lot more secrets.

It was almost surreal experience

I took this photo in my hotel room in Giza, Egypt. I flew into Cairo International airport by a red-eye flight from Tel Aviv, Israel and checked-in to my hotel really late at night. Hotel's staff said to me that to look out the window in the morning. Ta-da, this is the view. I could see a Pyramid from there. It cost an absolute bomb to stay in a Pyramid view room in Giza, but it was worth the money. If I choose a cheaper room on the other side of the hotel, I probably continue to kick myself for the rest of my life.

The Saladin Citadel of Cairo

The photo shows the Saladin Citadel of Cairo (a.l.a. Cairo Citadel) on Mokattam hill in Cairo, Egypt. The Saladin Citadel of Cairo is one of the historical sights in the capital of Egypt with mosques and museums. Not only that, but it's on a hill, so breathtaking panoramic view of the city from there is visitors' favorite activity. To get there I hired a driver through my hotel, because a receptionist asked me to do so. Also, the driver asked me to have a city tour to get to the Saladin Citadel, Khan el-khalili, the Egyptian Museum and so on. Well, through this experience I learned that sometimes I need more than just a verbal promise. Live and learn.

The Pyramid of Djoser, a.k.a. Step Pyramid

The photo shows the Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, Egypt, a.k.a Step pyramid or Stepped Pyramid of Saqqara. There are so many Pyramids in Saqquara, and obviously the Pyramid of Djoser is the most famous one. I was asked to take a photo of a huge group of people in front of the Pyramid of Djoser. Yep, right there. After they left, there weren't so many people there, so I could take some photos of the Pyramid of Djoser without a crowd of people. The Pyramid of Djoser looked exactly like steps, and was absolutely stunning.

Get a view of Cairo from the Citadel

The photo shows a view of Cairo, Egypt from above. I took this photo when I went to visit the Saladin Citadel of Cairo. I could enjoy a panoramic view of the city from there. This is Egyptian capital that is the city where is about half an hour's drive away from the three pyramids in Giza. Everyone around me says they want to visit the three pyramid once, and viewing a pyramid from its bottom is at the top of their bucket list. I did it twice, but before going to Egypt, I never imagined that the city next to Giza is this much chaotic metropolis.

Leave lunch on a back-burner

The photo shows a huge standing statue of Ramesses II. I took this photo in the awesome open-air museum in Memphis, Egypt. In Memphis, you can also see the other stunning statue of Ramesses II which is laid on the ground and you can take some photos of the statue from the upper story. That day, I went to Memphis via Giza from the capital Cairo, and I also wanted to visited Saqqara after Memphis within a time limit of its opening hours, so I left lunch on a back-burner and visited those places in one go.

Enjoy a view of the Pyramids from my hotel

I took this photo during a twilight stroll in my hotel's garden. I was in Giza, Egypt and my hotel was really close to the three famous Pyramids, so I could enjoy this kind of fantastic view from my hotel room, hotel's swimming pool, and hotel's garden. It was my birthday in 2010, and it was some time before the birthday dinner at hotel's Tex-Mex place. The good times were killing me. The following day, I moved to the capital Cairo and spent five more days in Egypt and visited the Egyptian Museum and so on.

The Pyramid of Menkaure

The photo shows the Pyramid of Menkaure and so-called "Queens' Pyramids" in Giza, Egypt. The Pyramid of Menkaure is known for the smallest of the world-famous three Pyramids of Giza, but still. It was huge when I saw it in front of my eyes. I visited the Giza Necropolis twice during my stay in Egypt for eight days. I took this photo on my first visit. To get there, I leaped on a back of a horse. On my second visit, I chose a camel to get there. Riding on camelback was way harder than mounting up on horseback.

Better safe than sorry

I took this photo at an embarkation port in Cairo, Egypt while I was waiting to get on a ship for a cruise dinner on Nile which is known as the longest river in the world. I decided to take the dinner cruise around noon and asked a concierge to coordinate suitable arrangement. The arrangement included a car and a driver. The driver took me to the embarkation port and dropped me at the hotel at the end of the day. Normally, better safe than sorry is not my motto, but when it comes to things like this, I tend to take safety measures. As a result, I didn't have to worry about trivial things and I enjoyed the cruise dinner and its show.

I enjoyed the Cairo Tower in descending order

The photo shows the Cairo Tower from below. The tower is about 187 meters high and is the tallest tower in Egypt. If it's a sunny day, you can see the famous three pyramids in Giza from the observation deck on the top of the tower. I took this photo after I bought an entrance ticket and right before entering the tower. Inside of the tower a lift man was waiting with an inviting smile. I took the lift with him and Bulgarian coupe. First things first, I went to the observation deck and viewed Cairo and Giza from above.

A quiet spell

I took this photo at Tahrir Square which is in Downtown Cairo, Egypt. There was a huge rotary which was surrounded by a lot of eateries, shops, offices and such. The photo shows a public phone booth on the sidewalk of busy Tahrir Square. The area around this square has Egyptian Museum and the underground of this square has Sadat Metro Station. I've got through an underground passageway to cross the street of this area. In the daytime Tahrir Square was that busy with traffic, but in the early morning hours the square was quiet and was almost empty. I took this photo in one of those mornings.

Water is a boon in the desert

I took this photo in Giza, Egypt. I've spent three nights at Le Meridien Pyramids to celebrate my own birthday. The hotel was situated this close to the three Pyramids of Giza, and wonderfully, the swimming pool was located in the exact position of viewing the world-famous Pyramids. Actually before I got to Giza, Egypt, I didn't know that the three Pyramids were next to the city, though. I had imagined the Pyramids must be in the middle of a desert and extremely difficult to get there.

Find a little oasis

The photo shows my first glass in Giza, Egypt. It was late afternoon I went to my hotel's restaurant to take a late lunch. Early in the morning, I touched down in Cairo on the red-eye from Tel Aviv, Israel. When I checked into a five-star hotel nearby the three pyramids, it was still a few hours before dawn, so it was a little too early to view the pyramids from the windows. Anyway in the morning, I skipped breakfast and visited the Great Pyramid of Giza and its surrounding pyramids. After a half-day exploring the desert, I backed to my hotel and started with a can of Stella.