Pyramid Scheme Part 2a: Dahshur

One more pyramid field to conquer, and so I did on the 27th of March with a fascinating visit to Dahshur. We started the day with breakfast at Mena House and one more Giza pyramid photo, this time complete with red rose! (I would love to have these "dangles" to put in my windows...)

Coincidentally, our guide-for-the-day's name (courtesy of Egitalloyd) was "Mena"! We headed for Dahshur first thing, saving Saqqara for later in the morning. I was "blown away" as they say, especially since I was at liberty to appreciate these monuments without being hassled by touts. The only reason there were quite a few people at the Red Pyramid was the arrival of five busloads of kids from a German language school. They were amazingly well-behaved, much better than some adults I know!

We did a clockwise circuit of the Red Pyramid and these are a few of the photos I took:

The Bent Pyramid in the background 

The Bent Pyramid at a distance

Looking north towards Saqqara -- the large pyramid on the left is the Step Pyramid 

Lining up! 

Moi and kids at the Red Pyramid

And on to the Bent Pyramid:

Moi (obviously!) at the Bent Pyramid

Some less-than-successful silliness: Moi "patting" the Red Pyramid!

The Black Pyramid from the Bent Pyrami 

Camelback security at the Bent Pyramid 

The Black Pyramid

The Red Pyramid (l.) and the Bent Pyramid

A sphinx-like "face" on the Bent Pyramid

For more information about the pyramid field at Dahshur:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahshur
http://pymd.com/Pyramids-of-Sneferu.htm
http://egyptphoto.ncf.ca/Dahshur.htm

To be continued...

"Virtual Tours" Over Giza and More Photos

Cool! Check it out:
http://www.airpano.ru/files/Egypt-Cairo-Pyramids/start_e.html

And some more of my shots from my afternoon on the plateau:

Detail from the Royal Rest House next to Khufu 

Pyramid Scheme Part 1: End of an Era...

As of today, I am no longer a "Giza Pyramid Virgin"! I will never again be able to astonish people by saying that, although I have spent almost 8 seasons in Egypt, I have never visited the Pyramids. Saqqara, yes, two times. Giza, never! But I am doing it in style--staying at the Mena House with a view of the Pyramids from our balcony (Andrea Dudek is serving as witness to my "deflowering").

Up until today, I had taken pictures from the Ring Road, from the Fayoum Road, etc. like these I took this morning on our way from the airport:

But here I am on the balcony of our room:

And at the Sphinx:

And in the bar at the Mena House enjoying a well-deserved and refreshing "Aquarius" beverage after our pyramid trek:

And a last view from the Khan al Kalili restaurant tonight at dinner:

Andrea so eloquently described me today as "gob-smacked". That about sums it up! I will report in more detail later, but now I have to rest up for tomorrow's adventure--Saqqara and Dahshur.