I Bit It

Well I've been through the desert on a horse that actually had a name. Abu Khalid I believe.

Today I spent my morning touring the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Literally the last major sight/site on my trip. Of course there's a reason that these are lauded as one of the most magnificent places in the world. Pictures don't really do these things justice. Nor do they give you the full scope of the area. These are literally on the edge of Cairo (well, Giza, but you get the picture). In pictures it looks like there is nothing but miles of desert around, but if you do a 180, you're just a few steps away from banks, hospitals and restaurants. The city has literally grown right to the edge but it stopped by the barbwire fences that surround the grounds of the Pyramids.

I hired a horse and guide for 2 hours for about $45. I thought it was kind of steep, but it turned out to be alright. I got a horse riding lesson, also. You would think being from Kentucky I would have a general idea of how to ride a horse but I really don't. I mean, I have a vague concept- pull left when you want to go left, right when you want to go right. The difficult part, I discovered, is when the horse picks up the pace over a walk. I had a hard time synchronizing my body to the trot of the horse so I was bouncing up and down a lot. I'm just glad there was no roof. My guide swore that when the horse picked up the pace to a gallop it was smooth sailing. We took off. I was all over the place and having a hard time holding on. I started tilting a little bit to the right. A little bit more. More. More. I faintly hear the guide say "khara!" which is the Arabic equivalent of "shit" as I plunge face first into the sand. My shoulder landed first, then my head smacked the hot sand. The guide rushed over to see if I was ok. I slowly got up and brushed myself off. For the first time in my life I understood the phrase "When you fall off the horse...". It's not easy, you know? Your confidence is shaken. My guide's confidence in me was also shaken and he didn't let go of my reigns the rest of the time. When he took me to the base of one of the Pyramids he made me reassure him that I wasn't going to fall off when I climbed a few levels up. Of course I'm not going to fall. Well, not unless the pyramid picks up and starts galloping across the desert. My shoulder still is sore.

He also made me pose for all sorts of silly poses. You know one of those pictures where it looks like you're holding the pyramid by the tip? Yeah. He also made me jump and took a couple pictures that way. I also stood on the horse. Actually in the end I was pretty pleased with the pictures. He's obviously done this type of thing before.

So the sightseeing portion of my trip is over. I will head back home Sunday morning. I'll see if I can't blog again before I get back to the States.

Until then...