Cairo

After our condensed Egyptian Museum visit, we headed off for the great pyramids of Giza, where we were told about the pharaohs who built them. The Great Pyramid was built by the father, Khufu, then his son Khafre built the second pyramid. Apparently it would be dishonourable to his father to build his one higher, so he built it 4m shorter, but put it further up the slope of the hill so it looked taller. They even put air chambers in to relieve the air pressure and stop them from collapsing, the only reason they’re still standing today. It was fascinating to hear how precise their engineering was to get everything just right to last this long.

Our last stop before (a very late) lunch was the sphinx, where there was a guy giving photo directions who could make the most terrifyingly realistic cat noises for the entertainment of the children that kept making me think there was an angry cat nearby.

After lunch, we went to a papyrus paper maker and were given a demonstration of how paper was made. It was fascinating to watch, as the only ingredients are the papyrus plant and the water it is soaked in. Then, once it dries, it’s waterproof.

After a couple of hours at the hotel, we headed out for a Nile river dinner cruise, where we were entertained by a belly dancer and then a guy doing a dance called the Tanoura, which was mesmerising to watch.

So the day ended, and what a day it was! I would never have believed you could fit so many things into such a small space of time, so I conked right out, ready for a 3.30am start and a 13 hour bus ride the following day.