"Egypt" a Egypt Travel Page by NedHopkins

On my last full day in Egypt I rose before dawn and walked a mile or so to the Giza plateau to see the sun rise over the pyramids.

The sun came over the horizon just as I was ascending the ramp. By the time I was at the top, the great pyramid was bathed in a golden light.

(The photos are taken from slides scanned into my computer.)

Soon after I had begun and quickly aborted a climb to the top of the pyramid, a man approached. I figured he wanted baksheesh. "No!," he said. "I am foreman of the guards."

He gave me a tour that included going inside the enclosure surrounding the Sphnix. Then he spotted a guard. "Let me take your picture," he said. He insisted I don the guard's headgear and hold his M-1 rifle.

Later he invited me to his home. His young, pretty, and barefoot wife served us coffee as four barefoot youngsters peeked out from behind a curtain.

Later he suggested I return that night to watch the "Sound and Light" show from his rooftop and "smoke some hashish."

Not relishing the thought of life in an Egyptian prison, I declined.