And so. Abu Hol. The Father of Terror. The Sphinx. Included in the same LE50 ticket for the Pyramids, this mysterious apparition is part of the funerary complex of the Pharoah Khafre. Its exact provenance is still the subject of fierce conjecture and debate. What is not in question though is the almost hypnotic attraction it exerts. In many ways it is quite rough and eroded, its later head disjointed from the rock that makes up its body. Yet this does not detract from its appeal.

To gain audience with the mysterious sphinx you navigate through Khafre’s funerary Valley temple. This allows you a view of his / her / its profile once you make your way through the scrum of people – headdress, eyes, ears, the trace of a quizzically superior smirk, smiling at our antics and unanswered questions. But the sphinx keeps its mysteries to itself (except during the thrice nightly sound and light shows [LE60] which are ‘narrated’ by the Sphinx). Closer to, one can see that the lower portion – the paws, flanks, and the tail curling up to the right – are faced with brick. The press of people can be pretty intense. I heard one American complain that it was too crowded, especially compared to, say, the Great Wall of China. His wife pointed out that they had been to just one of 500 miles of Wall, but in terms of the Sphinx: "This is it!"

There are toilets out front of the Sphinx’s enclosure, before the carpark. These were clean, free, and did not have a five minute queue outside – unlike those located up at the Pyramids.

Egypt is so rich in its heritage that it has the distinctive honour of being one of the Seven Wonders of the World with its pyramids, especially the Great Pyramid of Giza and Sphinx.

Many people dream of visiting this place, and I was one of them. And also one of the purposed of my trip was shooting full-screen QTVR panoramas.

Results can be found at Digital Egypt.

We made four stops while visiting the site of the Giza Pyramids. Our first stop was at Khufu’s Pyramid. This stop was the place where the vendors were the most annoying. They kept trying to give us stuff, tell us it was a gift, and then ask for money. You basically had to stuff it back into their hands or drop it on the ground. They were also very interested in gaining money for taking pictures using our cameras. They actually pretty much forced the camera off of my dad’s neck so they could take a picture of us. It is not even a good picture because we were so annoyed with them. Despite the vendors, the pyramid is still a wonderful thing to see. If you want, you can climb part of the way up it. I did not get around to it, as I could not get through the vendors. I barely made it to the base of the pyramid before I had to go back to the bus.

Our second stop was at a place where one could take a panoramic picture of all three pyramids. Here we had the option to ride a camel, but I chose to ride on the air-conditioned bus to the next pyramid instead. I instead spent our time at this stop taking photos of the pyramids as well as casually browsing the vendor stores set up here. Unlike at Khufu’s pyramid, here the vendors were not too aggressive.

Our third stop was at Khafre’s pyramid. Here was another picture opportunity. There were very few vendors here, so I was able to leisurely take photos of the other side of Khufu’s pyramid, since I had not really been able to at the first stop, although this view of this side of the pyramid is slightly blocked by the Boat Museum.

Our last stop was at a café that overlooked the Sphinx and the pyramids. It was right net to the Sphinx and the valley temple, but we did not get to go very close to the Sphinx, as we arrived at the same time as the scheduled clearing out of tourists. Several times a day, the Sphinx and temple area are cleared out so that the police can make sure it is safe. I guess they get a lot of bomb threats for that area.

On the one hand, the pyramids and sphinx are fantastic. The city of Cairo is still at a somewhat respectable distance, though I fear that will change in 50 years. You can touch the pyramids and go inside for extra money, whereas you can't get near the Sphinx. Everywhere there will be rude, pushy vendors trying to sell you things or get free tips, and they will even swear they are giving you something for free and then ask for money for it. Guards do nothing about this and expect tips as well for photographs. Go ahead and tip - everyone working there needs the money.

A camel ride from the pyramid lookout point is recommended fun. There are plenty of places everywhere to buy Egyptian souvenirs, etc. In other words, it is what it is - the modern world is kept at bay, but only by a fraction.

When we saw the Sphinx, it was everything we expected and much more. . . Known to the Arabs as Abu al-Hol "father of terror", the Sphinx quietly guards the Giza Plateau. Even though he lost his nose and his beard, he didn’t lose his dignity. You don’t really have to go to Egypt to see its treasures. The first our meeting with the Sphinx, well part of his beard, occurred in British Museum in London. . .

We were mobbed by the Egyptian schoolchildren because my husband was wearing a Manchester United shirt. Egyptians love football nearly as much as English do and they can watch many of the Premiership games on satellite. Many support different English teams.