Sunday, February 3, 2008

ENTERING CAIRO WAS FRIGHTENING

A Frighten entrance into Cairo

It had been a long flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Cairo, Egypt, having left Holland in the mid-morning and crossing a few time zones we finally landed in Cairo just after sundown.

After getting our luggage it had become very dark, but knew we had to make our way down a passage way that had wooden fences as barriers to find a bus that would transport us over to Giza about 30 miles away.
"Stock photos provided by http://www.aradise.com/."

It had been a long flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Cairo, Egypt, having left Holland in the mid-morning and crossing a few time zones we finally landed in Cairo just after sundown.

After getting our luggage it had become very dark, but knew we had to make our way down a passage way that had wooden fences as barriers to find a bus that would transport us over to Giza about 30 miles away. However, getting to the bus was somewhat scary as there were hundreds of Egyptians hollering, at us, and to us, which made the journey alarming as we speeded up to get away. It had the feeling of being in a gaunlet thinking they were harassing us and wanting to jump over the fences to get us. Of course, they could have been shouting the names of a person they were waiting for, or perhaps they really were expressing anti-foreigner saying. To this day, I don’t know! But rejoiced when we were safely out from those sounds.

After getting to a beautiful Swiss owned hotel we went directly to our room and collapsed. Due to the time zone changes, I woke the next morning about 3 a.m. thinking it was time to be up and about.

Not wanting to disturb my roommate I quietly slipped on some garments and departed outside and noticed the sky was clear and the sun was already lighting the horizon. To my surprise I saw the largest of three pyramids behind some of the trees. I moved over to the side of the tree barrier and sat down on a bench and watched the sun as it slowly explored the tomb of one of the old pharaohs of this land.

After a couple hours, I saw my room partner, who had been born in Lebanon, but was brought to America as a lad, come over and sat beside me. All of a sudden, he saw what I had been glaring at all morning, and he began to cry. His remarks of “ I have wanted to come back to the land of my people all these years and now I am able to view something I had only read about. With uncontrollable tears he loudly proclaimed. Thank you for letting me see this before I die.”

Before the day was over we had not only had a good look at the outside, but were able to go into a portion of this renowned structure. While there are over 80 pyramids in Egypt, these three in Giza are the best known and the largest. Before the week was concluded in that ancient land we had visited most the areas of historic prominence and the well-known Cairo museum.

For nearly a week and a half my friend and I visited site after site of the Middle East and always his remarks were the same.

Leviticus 19:34
“But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

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