When I first set out on my 2013 RTW trip, Egypt wasn’t on the itinerary. But last December I found myself with a few extra days in the Middle East before my scheduled return to the States for Christmas… so where could I visit for just a day or two? I priced out a short trip to Cairo, and soon enough it’s a done deal — the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx are officially on my travel agenda.

Luckily for me, there’s a company called Egypt Fun Tours who runs trips throughout the country. They even have airport layover tours of the capital if you are short on time — perfect if you want to see highlights like the Pyramids, Cairo Museum, Bazaar, and sunset over the Nile River before continuing onto your next destination. You can custom-fit the tour depending on the length of your layover. I arrive in Cairo around 9am local time and meet my guide, Mohammed, and our driver at the airport. We have all day to explore the city and then I’ll spend one night at an airport hotel before departing to my next (and final) destination the following morning. It will be a whirlwind trip, but I’m thrilled to experience Cairo and the Pyramids.

In recent years Egypt has been politically unstable. In early 2011, a revolutionary wave of Arab Spring protestors demanded that then-President Mubarak resign from office, a position he’d held for 30 years. Violent clashes occurred between law enforcement and millions of protestors and Cairo was described as a war zone. Mubarak dissolved his government and turned over power to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. They suspended the constitution and dissolved both houses of parliament, announcing that the military would rule the country for at least six months until elections could be held. A few rounds of presidential elections took place, and in June of 2012 Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi was elected as the first Islamic head of an Arab state. He drew ire for attempting to draft a new constitution, triggering protests in June of 2013 that led to his removal from office. A civilian judge named Adly Mansour was appointed acting President. In January of 2014 a new constitution was widely approved. By May, another presidential election took place and the former head of the Egyptian Armed Forces — Abdel Fattah el-Sisi — won by a large margin. That’s where things stand now.

As a result of this upheaval, the tourism industry in Egypt has taken a major hit since 2011. A few years ago the Pyramids of Giza would’ve been as busy as Disney World — think parking lots full of tour buses — but now they are eerily empty and quiet. Vendors are desperate for income.

My tour guide Mohammed is fantastic. All day long he provides historical context for the places we visit, and he’s exceptionally knowledgeable about the Pyramids. Here he explains how ancient Egyptians chose to layout the Pyramids with traps and false tombs to prevent grave robbers from breaching the sacred resting place of the pharaohs.

We walk around the Pyramid of Khufu.

Check out the size of these limestone blocks — Mohammed explains how they were transported from a nearby quarry to build the Pyramids. About 70 men would chisel out each block, then ram wooden pegs into the slots they’d cut and fill the slots with water. The pegs would expand to split the stone, and the block would slide down onto a waiting boat. A slipway from the quarry to the Pyramids was lubricated with oil — and it still took about 173 men on four ropes to pull each block along. Once at the construction site, ramps were used to get the blocks into place. (This paper by Donald B. Redford, Ph.D. at Penn State, was very helpful in understanding the process.)

And contrary to popular belief, slaves did not build the Pyramids — although it’s a complicated situation. The peasants who worked on the Pyramids were given shelter, food, and clothing in exchange for their service to the Pharaoh.

My fish-eye lens makes the pyramid look round from this perspective:

A wider shot of the Pyramid of Khufu:

Camels roam the base of the Pyramids with their owners, desperate to give tourists a ride for a quarter of the usual price.

Locals are taking advantage of the tourism rut and we see lots of Egyptian school groups visiting today. A few of them approach me for photos; I ask Mohammed to take one, too.

Actually, Mohammed puts his photo skills to work all day long, documenting my visit with his own camera. This is a (free) service that Egypt Fun Tours offers — they take photos of their guests enjoying Cairo and post them on their website. As the person usually behind the camera, I am so grateful that Mohammed captured me snapping away at the Pyramids.

We move onto the three Queens’ Pyramids, which are still standing despite the ruinous state of their upper levels.

One of the Queens’ Pyramids is open for visitors, and the entrance ticket is significantly cheaper than the Khufu Pyramid so Mohammed suggests I see it instead. I’m sold.

This passageway is narrow and steep — I have to crouch low and negotiate each ‘step’ carefully. It’s hot and a little dusty.

At the bottom there’s a platform overlooking the tomb where one of pharaoh’s wives was buried. All you can really do is take a photo and then climb back up the staircase / ladder. But I’m glad I actually went inside a pyramid to witness what it was like, because I remember studying them in high school — I did a report on mummification back in the day — and it’s neat to see the inside with my own eyes.

Next we climb up one of the Queens’ Pyramids for panoramic shots overlooking the main three Pyramids of Giza — the Pyramid of Khufu (in the foreground), then the Pyramid of Khafra (the Great Pyramid in the middle), and the Pyramid of Menkaure (the small one in the background). Each is named after the pharaoh buried inside.

A closer shot of the Great Pyramid:

The lack of crowds is startling. I can’t get over how quiet it is.

A few iPhone / Instagram shots from my time here:

We walk towards the Great Sphinx and view the Pyramids from different angles:

There he is, the Great Sphinx! Doesn’t he look tiny from this vantage point, dwarfed by the city behind him?

Ah, that’s more like it — a regal angle for this mythical creature with a lion’s body and human’s head.

Here’s an iconic viewpoint — the three Pyramids of Giza looming over the Great Sphinx. Even those trash cans in the foreground can’t sully this angle.

Mohammed pulls out some Egyptian currency — the Great Sphinx (with nose and beard attached) is on the 10 pound note.

We visit Khafre’s Valley Temple, which is the gateway to the Great Sphinx.

Here’s Mohammed, tour guide extraordinaire:

Mohammed points out how the ancient Egyptians engineered these limestone blocks so perfectly that they are still standing centuries millennia later. Check out the masonry alignment in the photos above and below — this dates back to 2500 BC! It’s still in incredible shape and everything fits together like a perfectly chiseled puzzle.

A view of the Great Pyramid through this doorway:

Mohammed snaps this next shot with my camera — I get a kick out of the guy posing exuberantly behind me.

Past that doorway is a viewing platform for the Great Sphinx.

Part of the missing features (nose and beard) are on display in the Cairo Museum; we’ll see them later today.

One theory is that the face of the Sphinx was built to resemble Pharaoh Khafra, after which the middle pyramid (aka the Great Pyramid) is named.

Backside of the Great Sphinx. Can you spot my shadow?

A view of Khufu’s Pyramid, where we began our tour this morning — and the crumbling Queens’ Pyramids to the right of it:

One more profile shot of the Sphinx:

This Egyptian school group stops me to practice their English and ask where I’m from. We chat for a few minutes and take photos. Their smiles make my day.

Thanks for this shot, Mohammed — I love that you captured me in action!

Whew — we’re only two hours into my day-long tour of Cairo, and it’s already been a whirlwind. More coming tomorrow!

Many thanks to Egypt Fun Tours for hosting my layover tour of Cairo. It was a privilege to experience this beautiful and ancient city with you! As always, opinions are my own.