| We started Friday morning in Hamburg with a
Mercedes motor coach that wouldn't start. The situation was soon resolved with a push
start from half of the class. The driver was impressed. The remainder of the
day was uneventful - smoky over crowded train to Frankfort and plane to Cairo. We
were greeted at the airport by our guide, Mamdouh. We boarded the bus and had a
police escort to the hotel. Although, the police escort was behind the bus for
security!  Saturday. Mamdouh introduced us to our most beautiful
guide for the day, Heba. We boarded the bus for the short ride to the museum that
happened to be on the same block as our hotel. The museum was full of artifacts
taken from tombs of the various dynasties of Egypt. A highlight was the King
Tutankhanen (King Tut) exhibit. King Tut was a minor king in Egyptian history, but
was made famous because his tomb was undisturbed by grave robbers and found intact in 1922
.
The traffic in Cairo is a bit intense. 
The big roads are multi lane, complete
with stripes that mean nothing to the Egyptians. Heba said the stripes are for
"decoration." Turn signals are apparently unnecessary, as drivers simply
sound their horns continually. Our bus driver was quite impressive as he managed the
large roads and the small two lane streets. We passed everything that moved - cars,
trucks, pushcarts and mules. The ride was more relaxing from the back of the bus
because the game of "chicken" was not as apparent.
On to the last of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Great Pyramids of Giza.
We saw the three most famous pyramids that are
 most familiar to all of us.
The largest of the three is 480 feet tall and 700 feet square at
the base.
There are 107 pyramids in Egypt. The construction techniques used are still a
mystery today. The stone blocks used for construction were quarried near the base of
the pyramids.  The famous Sphinx located there was carved from stone that was not suitable
for pyramid construction. The granite exterior covering was quarried near Aswan and
transported by barge on the Nile river. Although the pyramids had a smooth finish
when they were completed, most of the smooth exterior stones were removed in subsequent
years for other construction projects
 At every stop we were accosted by enterprising vendors hawking their wares.
Tourists traps are alive and well. Camel rides are free, but it might cost
you $10 to get off. (Camels are not native to the area and are used primarily to
entertain tourists.)
 During our travels we saw a glimpse of farming in the Nile valley. Farms are
small and primitive. Most field operations are done by hand. We saw alfalfa
being harvested with a sickle and loaded on a donkey cart. All fields are irrigated
from the Nile or one of many canals dug parallel to the Nile. Much of the water is
pumped by oxen power although some is pumped by small gas engines. Many of these
peasant farmers live in mud huts with roofs made of palm branches
.
Poor sanitation is evident everywhere. Where housing has overtaken farming, the
canals are now used as garbage dumps. Piles of raw garbage could be seen up and down
the banks of these canals.
We noticed hundreds of brick and cement apartment buildings (condominiums) that
appeared to be unfinished. The top floors had walls and no roofs and cement
reinforcing rods protruded a meter above the cement. Heba explained that real estate
taxes are not assessed until construction is complete - hence, few of these buildings get
completed.
 Part of the tourist experience included stops at "institutes" of carpet
weaving and papyrus paper making. The Egyptians were a bit more interested in selling
their wares than showing us the age old techniques. Institute is an Egyptian word
for "leave your money here."
Reporting from Cairo for the Class of 2000, David Wirth and Mike Rauch.
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