The year-end and New Year trip has entered its second half.
Thinking “This is something you must see at least once in your life,” I kept putting it off somehow, and finally made it here.
Foreigners’ entrance fees are 10 times higher
The entrance fees are vastly different for foreigners and Egyptian nationals.
It’s the complete opposite of Japan, which is cold toward Japanese people but offers discounts to foreigners.
*Egyptian (Egyptian)
Area entrance fee: 60EGP
Inside the Pyramid of Khufu: 100EGP
Inside the Pyramid of Khafre: 40EGP
*Foreigner (Foreigner)
Area entrance fee: 700EGP (11.6 times)
Inside the Pyramid of Khufu: 1,500EGP (15 times)
Inside the Pyramid of Khafre: 280EGP (7 times)
In any country, it’s normal for citizens to get cheaper access, but Egypt is particularly extreme.
For some reason, I wish Japan — which offers discounts to foreigners — would learn from this.
When I passed through the gate, the iconic collaboration of the Sphinx and the Pyramids that everyone knows appeared before me!
I mostly ignored them and walked up the long slope, when
As I tried to head toward the Pyramids,
“Not an entrance! (This isn’t the entrance!)”
“Staff only! (Authorized personnel only!)”
“Go that way! (Go that way!)”Various people called out to me, and I almost turned back, but it was all lies!
I had seen so many times on blogs and YouTube was exactly as described.
There’s no fixed route, so it’s fine to ignore them.
It’s a desert, so the sand and dust were intense…
The Pyramids look lined up like this.
From the front, they are the Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure.
The first place I headed to was the Sphinx.
The ground is sandy, so even though it looked close, it was quite hard to reach.
It felt like it took about 15 minutes to walk there.
The Sphinx seen from the side looks kind of silly lol
From behind, the Sphinx is just an unrecognizable rock.
Next, I headed to the Pyramids.
I was going from the Sphinx toward the Pyramid of Khafre.
Walking on the sand seemed like it would take more time than the actual distance, so I decided to ride a camel.I was prepared for some rip-off, but what I got was far worse than I imagined.
These guys right here.
First, we agreed on “300 pounds to go to the Pyramid of Khafre.”
However, midway through, another guide joined and arbitrarily doubled the price, saying “It’s two people, so 600 pounds.”When we arrived… huh?
They said “Walk from here,” and it was about a 5-minute walk.
I felt like the distance was also overcharged…
Once I got off, they demanded a tip.
In the end, they asked for 200 pounds each…
It ended up going from 300 → 600 → 1,000 pounds, more than triple the original amount.
Don’t these guys have any sense of service… I handed over the tip on the condition that “I’ll put the photos on the internet,” so I guess it’s fine.The Pyramid is huge. Up close, it’s seriously massive.
This photo might convey just how enormous it is.
You can enter the Pyramid of Khafre. It’s simpler than the Pyramid of Khufu, with only two passages and a burial chamber.
This is what the inside looks like.
And finally, the Pyramid of Khufu.
You can also enter the Pyramid of Khufu.
The entrance isn’t too narrow, but the path gets narrower as you go deeper.
The narrow space is filled with body heat and it’s steamy and hot!
It stinks!
It’s the smell of people!
It’s quite a long way to the center, and climbing the narrow, hot, smelly stairs was exhausting.
When I finally reached the center after much effort, there was just a stone sarcophagus sitting there alone.
After all that struggle, what I saw was nothing more than an ordinary stone coffin.
I paid a lot of money, went through a hot, narrow, smelly, crowded hole all the way to the deepest part… and this is what I got.
You’ve got to be kidding me!
By the time I got outside, it was already completely evening.
Seriously, give me my time back.After leaving the entrance, I went to a nearby restaurant.
It looked delicious in the photo, but…
Vermicelli rice: barely any flavor.
Grilled vegetables: the green chili peppers are spicy.
Salad: not chopped much, almost no seasoning — just raw vegetables as they are.
Egyptian grilled dishes traditionally involve grilling whole peppers and tomatoes, and they don’t use much seasoning.
It feels like the vegetables are served almost uncooked and plain, which might be why it tastes bad — or at least doesn’t suit Japanese palates?Then, when I tried to find a taxi for the return trip,
Here they come!!!!
“Money, money!”
When I turned around, there was a little girl who looked like an elementary school student.
I tried to shake her off, but the number of kids following me increased from one to three before I knew it, and they kept following me no matter where I went.
They were so persistent that I eventually gave in and handed over some money.
The more I tried to escape, the more kids seemed to appear…
I gave them money on the condition that “I’ll take photos if you dance.”
Shooting Date: January 2, 2025
Location: Giza, Egypt (around the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx)
Camera: OLYMPUS OM-D E-M1 Mark II + M.ZUIKO 12-200mm F3.5-6.3 / iPhone
Weather: Clear
High Temperature: 20℃
Low Temperature: 10℃