The three pyramids are all impressive. The largest one (built for Cheopes) is 137 meters high. The most recognizable one (built for Chepren) has the distinctive limestone top. And the smallest one (built for Mekrinus) is the only one you can go inside.

I wish it were possible to go in the bigger pyramids, but it was still neat to go into the small one. The corridor is very small and you have to lean down to avoid bumping your head. The walk down is about 100 yards, until you come to an opening where you find the burial chamber. It isn’t overly impressive except for the fact that you are under tons and tons of rocks that don’t collapse on top of you. It is surprisingly cool, temperature-wise, and a guide will tell you all about the specifics of the pyramids.

Outside the pyramids, you can go on camel and horse rides. And I think the camel ride was one of my favorite activities during my trip to Egypt. Some very aggressive camel guys will approach you. Under the guise of getting your picture taken on a camel, you end up being up-sold to a ride. It cost about $60, but I had a great time. When the camel stands up, it is actually a little scary, given how high I was. And galloping was very jerky and makes you feel a bit like a little kid.

Once you’ve gotten your fill of the pyramids, head down to the Sphinx. You get the classic photo of the Sphinx with the pyramids in the distance. The Sphinx is 66 feet high and 240 feet long – a lot smaller than I expected. It was swamped with tourists, and you can take it all in with about a 30-minute walk around. Once again, a guide was very helpful.

As for the surprises, I didn’t realize that the pyramids and Sphinx were so close to Cairo. They are literally on the outskirts. In fact, you can take the subway to Giza and avoid the expense of a cab or car if you like. Also, I didn’t like all of the trash swirling around. This is a common complaint for much of Cairo, but I didn’t expect it at one of the world’s great attractions. Finally, I was shocked at the sheer number of tourists. There were people everywhere. But none of this made the pyramids any less of a thrill.

Even before we could see the pyramids, we were hustled all over the place. Touts tried to sell us camel, donkey or horse rides. It was quite annoying. Maybe because it was early morning and it was a bit foggy, the pyramids were hard to see. But fortunately, after a while, it cleared and we could admire those miraculous monuments. One tout offered us to take picture on his camel and small ride. He repeatedly assured us that he would take the agreed price of 1 USD per person and won’t try to ask for more. But of course, he did… My husband was still sitting high on a camel when I heard: 50 dollars to come down. Knowing my husband very well, I did realize that the tout just made a big mistake. My husband is not the sort of the person who quietly will pay for nothing. So, after long and strong arguments, my darling said that he would call the tourist police if needed. Those were the magical words in all of Egypt. After hearing the tout pleading "please, no police", my husband threw two one-dollar bills on the ground and walked away. So if anyone has any problem, we advise simply to say these magical words.

After wondering around the Great Pyramid for about an hour, we admired the hard work of ancient people.

It is forbidden to climb any of the pyramids. So naturally my darling tried to do just that. Near the smallest pyramid we met a security guard who was responsible for not letting anybody to climb. We were shocked when he asked (of course, for bakshish) if we maybe would like to climb one of the small pyramids near the pyramid of Menkaure. We said "no, thank you". And when he left, my husband went for the Menkaure pyramid. Naturally, after about 10 minutes, other security guards saw what he was doing and politely asked to come down. Well, it was worth a try. After we saw the pyramid of Khafre and as much as we were impressed by all the pyramids and the Sphinx, we couldn’t stop wondering how ancient Egyptians worshipped the magnitude of their dead pharaoh. In polished white limestone and with gold-covered pyramidions (pyramid-shaped capstones) which caught the first rays of the sun, even we probably would believe that it is a work of God and a pharaoh is God…