01-08-2018, 06:31 PM
41
Re: Secrets of the Great Pyramid of Giza
When traveling abroad, especially in a place like Egypt, I never book a tour. I like to move at my pace and not be herded around like some sheep. I travel alone.When in the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, where I spent 3 whole days, I was sitting on the floor, with my back against the wall, starring at a magnificent statue of Pharaoh Chephren, when a herd of tourists were ushered in for 2 minutes and then , just as quickly herded off. It gave me a chuckle. I went back to my studies, read a bit more about the statue, and continued to be mesmerized.
P.S. The statue of Pharaoh Chephren, sometimes called Khafre (room .#42) is made of diorite, the 2nd hardest substance known. Yet the statue is polished as smooth as glass. How did the Egyptians do it ?
01-08-2018, 07:24 PM
43
Re: Secrets of the Great Pyramid of Giza
Originally Posted by bakerman
->
When traveling abroad, especially in a place like Egypt, I never book a tour. I like to move at my pace and not be herded around like some sheep. I travel alone.When in the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, where I spent 3 whole days, I was sitting on the floor, with my back against the wall, starring at a magnificent statue of Pharaoh Chephren, when a herd of tourists were ushered in for 2 minutes and then , just as quickly herded off. It gave me a chuckle.
Several years ago we went on a cruise round the western Med. Our visit to Rome was absolutely hopeless. We were dragged around the city with no time to look at anything properly. Lunch was a fracas. We were booked into some poorly organised restaurant and waited interminably for our meals with nothing productive to do, taking up valuable time that we would have spent looking at what WE would have liked to.
Never again.
01-08-2018, 08:26 PM
44
Re: Secrets of the Great Pyramid of Giza
Originally Posted by JBR
->
I agree.Several years ago we went on a cruise round the western Med. Our visit to Rome was absolutely hopeless. We were dragged around the city with no time to look at anything properly. Lunch was a fracas. We were booked into some poorly organised restaurant and waited interminably for our meals with nothing productive to do, taking up valuable time that we would have spent looking at what WE would have liked to.
Never again.
Upon arriving at your hotel make friends with the staff. They are an invaluable source of great info. Ask them about taxi prices to your destination. Always negotiate price BEFORE entering taxi.
Believe me, this is the best way to travel. You are totally in charge of where you go and how long you decide to stay. Also, you get to pick your own dining establishment.
Lastly, look for crowded restaurants that cater to locals. Locals know where the best food is.
Enjoy. Enjoy. Enjoy. Sit at outdoor café and watch the people walk passed. Buy your woman a perfect rose.
01-08-2018, 09:03 PM
45
Re: Secrets of the Great Pyramid of Giza
Originally Posted by bakerman
->
When traveling abroad, especially in a place like Egypt, I never book a tour. I like to move at my pace and not be herded around like some sheep. I travel alone.When in the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, where I spent 3 whole days, I was sitting on the floor, with my back against the wall, starring at a magnificent statue of Pharaoh Chephren, when a herd of tourists were ushered in for 2 minutes and then , just as quickly herded off. It gave me a chuckle. I went back to my studies, read a bit more about the statue, and continued to be mesmerized.
P.S. The statue of Pharaoh Chephren, sometimes called Khafre (room .#42) is made of diorite, the 2nd hardest substance known. Yet the statue is polished as smooth as glass. How did the Egyptians do it ?
They polished it with sandstone.
Diorite takes a high sheen.
01-08-2018, 10:38 PM
49
Re: Secrets of the Great Pyramid of Giza
As we are talking all things Egyptian, there is something I have never quite understood.Twice a year at Abu Simbel, the sun aligns perfectly with the statue of Ramses ll, on his birthday and his coronation day. Every year thousands of people witness this event and we all marvel at how clever the ancient Egyptians were.
The problem is that Abu Simbel was moved stone by stone in the 1960's so did that happen before it was moved and is the ingenuity of it really due to the ancient Egyptians or is it technically down to the people who moved it?
01-08-2018, 10:50 PM
50
Re: Secrets of the Great Pyramid of Giza
Originally Posted by Longdogs
->
As we are talking all things Egyptian, there is something I have never quite understood.Twice a year at Abu Simbel, the sun aligns perfectly with the statue of Ramses ll, on his birthday and his coronation day. Every year thousands of people witness this event and we all marvel at how clever the ancient Egyptians were.
The problem is that Abu Simbel was moved stone by stone in the 1960's so did that happen before it was moved and is the ingenuity of it really due to the ancient Egyptians or is it technically down to the people who moved it?
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