Last Day in Cairo

We stayed in Giza the night before our last day in Cairo so that we hit the Great Pyramids early in the morning. Our hotel was over by the Sound and Light show entrance, which was great.  None of the tour groups arrive there, so we entered with no crowds and a great view of the Sphinx. 

I did the entry into the center of the Cheops Pyramid. One of those things I just had to do. 

Something we found quite fascinating was the solar boat museum. Full sized boats were packed in carved out granite chambers on each side of the Great Pyramid for sailing through the heavens in the after life. The boat was packed in 13 layers to be assembled when needed. 143 feet long. The museum contained one of the original boats fully assembled. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khufu_ship

Otherwise, the main things here are the big Pyramids.  

One story has it that a sultan wanted to destroy these pyramids. After working on one of them for eight months, they had a pile of rocks, but the pyramid didn't look any different, so the idea was abandoned. 

One of the guards took me over to the corner of the Great Pyramid and proceeded to tell me to climb it. This is contrary to the signs "Do not climb pyramids" everywhere. He felt he was providing something of value. I refused. He had a machine gun. He wanted a tip even though I refused to climb. Never fun to barter with someone with a machine gun. 

Other places the guards have keys to rooms not otherwise open to the public.  And for a small donation, one can often climb a minaret at a mosque.