The entire programme, lasting about an hour, gives a rather simplified but overdramatised version of Egypt's history. The commentary may not be impressive, but it is rather entertaining when re-told by the Sphinx in its booming, albeit accented voice, which sounds suspiciously British.

Having seen the pyramids during a day tour, I was very much looking forward to seeing them at night, and I have to say, I was not disappointed. So call me cheesy, but I was dazzled (and a bit impressed) by the misty, multi-coloured lighting effects, and during the hour-long show, laser hieroglyphic images were projected onto the side of the pyramid.

It is performed three times nightly in three different languages: English, French, and Japanese. It would be a good idea to call ahead to check the timing of the performance in your preferred language. Other languages can be arranged for groups.

Be sure to bring along a thick sweater or blanket, as you won't want to be freezing like I was! It can get especially cold during the winter out in the open desert with chilling winds.

Performance times during winter: 6:30pm, 7:30pm, and 8:30pm every evening.
During summer: 8:30pm, 9:30pm, and 10:30pm nightly.

If you miss the one at the Giza, you might want to consider the one at the Karnak Temple if you do get a chance to visit Luxor. The Sound and Light Show at the Karnak Temple Complex is a little better. However, it can get a bit too popular with big crowds attending the nightly shows, especially the English one at 8pm, and may become difficult to catch the narration, but it is more interactive as the voices lead you through the complex whilst the story unfolds. No laser lights are involved in this show, but the monuments around the complex are each lit up as the narration relates the events surrounding the building of the complex and the many pharaohs involved in its construction at each point. A cast of characters, including Rameses II and III and Nefertari, appear.

We rode behind the pyramids, seeing things most tourists don't get to see, such as the children of the sphinx (limestone columns behind Chephren's pyramid), tombs of the slaves who built the pyramids, and a Muslim cemetery. My favorite image was that of my husband flying across the desert on his dark Arabian horse, kicking a cloud of sandy dust behind him as he merged into the backdrop of the pyramid.

This romantic adventure was nevertheless disappointing, tainted by greed and deception. To begin with, negotiating the one hour ride was difficult, as the stable boys were demanding 70 pounds each verses the going rate of 12-20 mentioned in our guide books. We finally agreed on 30 pounds each ($10 US). Ten minutes into our ride we were required to bribe park officials who suddenly appeared from behind rocky ridges on the perimeter of the pyramids or we couldn't go through, even though this horse riding venture was permitted every day. Later, a man on a camel gave me a "gift" to which he then demanded a monetary gift in return for the lovely turquoise beetle trinket.

But most irritating was being stuck with a boy who tagged along beside me on foot, walking me around like a leashed dog at a snail's pace. His comprehension of English was deceptively selective. He ignored my requests to gallop and catch up to my husband. Yet, when totally out of my husband's sight he stopped my horse and began making demands in English, insisting that I hand over my watch, hat, sunglasses and money. Our standstill was frustrating and uncomfortable.

Later, when the boy asked, "You want to go fast?"(YES!), he tricked me yet again. He gave an Arabic command, and I trotted forward so freely for just a minute or two before coming to an abrupt halt at the voiced command of the boy. When I persistently asked to "go fast" again, he pretended to oblige, yet used noticeably different commands. "Your horse no go fast. He tired," the boy indifferently declared. At least David was having fun somewhere off near the pyramids.

Our final confrontation involved our guides who corned us before returning to the stables. The older one asked for much baksheesh for his dying mother and father... then, when David handed over some money, he gave back a ten, and told us to "Give to owner to give me at stable, and don't tell him you gave me other money, OK?"

You pay around $20 US for admittance to the pyramids and sphinx, however, you are given separate tickets for each complex and will have to pay full price if you lose one of the tickets. Hours are from 8-5 daily. When you enter the complex of the sphinx, you will join throngs of people maneuvering through an adjacent temple before you come to the mighty sphinx. If you have a guide, he will likely give you a lecture about the unparalleled construction techniques used on the walls of the Valley Temple of Chephren. If you are like me, you'll want the briefer version so you can skip the twenty minute lecture and breeze through the temple to get to the sphinx. Tourists are forced to keep their distance from this "Father of Terror," as a gulf encircles the massive beast. An elevated platform enables curious tourists to view the sphinx closer, although at 22 meters tall, he is still not at eye level.

Controversy exists about the date it was built, and whose face it resembles. Some believe it is the face of Chephren. Indeed this lion-pharaoh sits high off the ground in front of Chephren's pyramid. But some scholars insist that the weathering patterns do not match that time period. I thought that the sphinx had an abnormally flat face with both his nose and beard missing (why is the beard in a Paris museum, and his nose in London?). But what was most intriguing to me was the fact that this massive structure was buried under shifting sand dunes repeatedly over hundreds of years, and discovered again in the 19th century. Makes you wonder what else is hiding...

Sound & Light Show:

The mighty sphinx is the narrator for the nightly Sound and Light Show held at the pyramids. It provides an entertaining history lesson for tourists. Children enjoyed hearing the booming voice of the sphinx as he told stories of the pharaohs and their pyramids, which correspondingly lit up in different colors beyond him in the far distance. The presentation lasted about an hour. There is one English presentation nightly except Sundays. Times are posted on a sign at the ticket office. Don't pay $25.00+ to your travel agent in the states to prearrange the show, as it only costs $10 US. You can easily purchase the tickets hassle- free prior to the show. There are a few souvenirs available after the presentation if you must send off a postcard pronto. All in all, it was a good introduction to the pyramids on our first night in Cairo. Our plane arrived late that afternoon, yet we had plenty of time to check into our hotel, eat dinner, change some money and catch a taxi to the pyramids for the 8:00 pm show. If you are like me, you can't wait to see them.