"Forward!
Remember that from these monuments yonder 40 centuries look down upon
you", Napoleon Bonaparte declared to his troops as they geared for
the Battle of the Pyramids on July 1798. Indeed, the history of the great
pyramids goes back to one the earliest civilizations on Earth. This fact
made my experience of being there feel more surreal in real life. I remember
looking at the pyramids with wide-eye wonder while standing motionless, as I lost myself in a spectacular now
kind of moment. There is no better way to cap our Holy Land trip than a chance
to see the Great Pyramid of Giza up close.
Childhood Fascination Streak
I'll have to go back to my
childhood to trace when my fascination with the pyramids of Giza in Egypt started. It must be our geography class showing photographs of landmarks around the world that captivated me and flicked my wanderlust switch on. It was
also during this time that I learned about the Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the Great
Wall of China, the Taj Mahal in India and Petra in Jordan.
The pyramids stood out among the
rest, as it represents a stunning construction marvel by some of the earliest
civilization known to man. Even at a young age, I was already in awe at how human beings built the pyramids. *cue for Alien theories*
There’s no better way to bookend the
best travel writing assignment I’ve had so far, than a trip to Cairo to see the
pyramids up close. We were still inside our bus when I caught sight of the
three pyramids. Instantly, the hairs on my arms stood up and a jolt of
excitement shot through my body. I can’t believe I’d finally see the day when I’m
inching closer to these amazing landmarks of the planet.
As soon as we got out of our bus
and bought our tickets, I separated from our group and just made a mad dash to
the pyramids. Appearing bigger as I come closer. The massive slobs of stones
piled on top of each other arrested my attention. Glistening under the bright
sheen of the sun, I see sparkle from everywhere. A surreal moment just got
real.
The Pyramids of Giza
Also known as the Giza
Necropolis, the Giza Pyramid complex is where the Great Pyramid of Giza stands
along with two other smaller pyramids: The Pyramid of Khafre and the Pyramid of
Menkaure. The Giza, aside from the biggest, is also the oldest being
constructed between 2580-2560 BC. It remains as the only surviving Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World.
As if sensing my jubilation, our
guide asked me to do a jump shot in front of the pyramids. Not wanting to take
much of his time, I jumped four or five times and to his credit, he captured me
in fine form mid-air.
That photo—other than garnering
800 plus likes on my Facebook—is framed and displayed inside my room. Forever
reminding me of that wonderful moment when I finally realized a childhood
desire to see the pyramids of Giza.
We spent at least an hour just
walking around the complex. While some from my group ventured out to find a
shade to rest, I regaled at the sweltering shower of the sun by remaining closer to the
pyramids.
I figured, I’d spent almost a
lifetime waiting for this chance, so I might as well milk every second I have
to be as near as possible to these monuments that “look down upon me”.
As I saw our guide from afar
mentioning for us to board our bus, I ran back to the outer walls. I rub my
hands on some of the stones as if trying to imprint some of the history of the
Pyramid of Giza on myself. I also realized that it was the fitting thing to do, as if stamping my journey that began when I was touching the glossy pages of travel magazines to
finally seeing and even feeling the pyramids with my bare hands.
