Good afternoon from Giza, where I'm staying, close to the Pyramids of Giza. And today, I'm about to get a heck of a lot closer, because I'm actually gonna go and visit them, properly. So, join me, as we go on a wee pyramids adventure. Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be a bunch of touts out there, like there was yesterday. As soon as I left the gates of the hotel, yesterday, I was just getting harassed nonstop, asking if I want tours, etc. So, yeah, I'm sure there will be quite a few hustlers on the way to the pyramids. I know a lot of them, a lot of the touts and that around here, they don't like to be filmed. A lot of them are undercover police, who are, you know, plain clothed and, kinda like, moonlight as touts, selling tours, being like a middleman for the camel men and stuff like that. Basically, every vlogger I've seen, who's come here, they've been forced to delete footage or turn off their camera, that kind of thing. So, I'm gonna be a bit careful about who and what I film. So, just down there, where the police guys are, so I couldn't be filming, there's a bunch of guys trying to get you to go in there, telling you that's where the ticket office is. And, that's obviously not a ticket office. That looks like a scrap yard and there's a bunch of camels and horses and stuff. So, that's where they're, kinda, trying to direct people into. But I know for a fact, the ticket office is actually up this way. So, let's go for it. OK, here we are. "The Pyramids of Giza - Built For Eternity". Well, they were built for at least 4,500 years, because that's how long they've been around, and they're still standing, as you can see. Right. Tickets and information, in there. Oh, no, this is all in Arabic. I'm just gonna go for it. I'm just gonna go for this one. Here is the price list. So, to get into the area, it's 200 pounds. That's about 13 USD. It's double that if you want to get into the big pyramid. And then 100 to get into one of the smaller pyramids. I think I'm just gonna buy the entrance to the area. I have been in the pyramid before, the big one. Like 20 years ago, when I visited here, and there's nothing inside. So, not missing out on much by not going in. Hi, brother. Area ticket please. Yes.
- Okay, this way is easier. Thank you, so much. Sorry. Entry is here. Well, here we are, and there does seem to be a bunch of foreign tourists around. So, that's actually good. You know, you do want to come here when it's quiet, and you're the only white man, roaming around. You're gonna have all the hustlers, hustling you. Thankfully, there seems to more than enough tourists to go around. So, hopefully I'll get some peace. I see a guy approaching me right now. Hopefully I get some peace just to walk around. I don't need anything, brother. I'm just gonna have a walk around. Good.
- Where come from? I'm from Scotland. Oh, Scottish. Yeah, thank you. You like the Scottish?
- I not like the British. Hey, look.
- You don't like the British? Excuse me.
- But I am British. You don't like me? Oh, you do like the...? Ah, okay.
- I'm friends with England. England?
- Mo Sallah. Mo Sallah? Ah, okay, for Liverpool. It's okay. I don't need any gifts. But thank you, brother. I'm gonna have a wee walk around, on my own. Okay. So, the thing with the gifts are, they're not really gifts. They give you gifts, and then you're expected to give them a donation. So, that's not a gift, is it? If you're expected to pay for it. Yeah. I wouldn't mind, actually, taking a camel ride. Or, one of these, horses rides. Look at this, beautiful horse. Oh, beautiful, beautiful horse. Yes, yes.
- Yeah. Good. I wouldn't mind, taking a camel ride. But first, I want to have a wee wander around on my own, first. How good, would it be, guys, to climb up that? Aren't you attempted? Aren't you tempted to just scale the thing and get to the top? Oh, it's tempting, isn't it? But, I think... Oh, I think you're gonna get a pretty hefty jail sentence or something, if you try it. I think they don't take that lightly, at all. People doing stuff like that. So, I did see at the front, there were guys kinda on, like, three or four, the third or fourth ledge. I think there is a bit where you're actually allowed to do it. But this bit, definitely not. Yeah. I'll do a circle of it and I'll get back around, and get on the thing. Oh, they're fast, aren't they? They're faster than the cars. Look at the speed of the car and look at the speed of the horse. The horse is sprinting. That looks like that's the way to get around, if you want to get around quickly. Hello. Friendly camel men. Yes, thank you.
- This, Khufu? Coffee?
- This, Khufu. This, no, Khufu. Khafre. Oh, that's the Khufu one, there? Khafre. Uhuh?
- Menkaure is back, right. Ah, okay. Thank you, brother. Thank you.
- Nice to meet you. See you.
- You want a camel ride? Maybe later. Maybe later, okay? Later, yeah.
- I'll be here. Good, thank you. Good price for you. Okay, good. Guy seems fairly friendly and knowledgeable. Okay, so I thought that one was the Khufu, I always thought that one was the Khufu one. The main one, that has the, kinda, you can see it's been eroded. Right? So, the pyramids, they used to be a lot bigger, than this. Obviously, over the years, they've been eroded with the elements and stuff. Sandstorms and all that. And obviously, people, when they needed material. Ah, okay. When they needed materials, back in the day, for their houses, like, the people in Giza, like, where are you gonna come if you need stone? You're gonna come here and just chip a bit off and carry it to your, where you're gonna make your home. So, that's what happened. The layers have been taken off of it. Okay. I'll head over that way. So, aye, after starting talking to that camel guy, I don't think he's gonna leave me alone. I think he's gonna just follow me around until, I take him for a ride. You guys tell me, is he behind me? I'm pretty, I'm about 80% sure he's behind me, following me. Aye, and there's these wee pyramids, as well. I dunno, maybe that's where the pharaohs buried their wives or something. Or it was just less important people. But, yeah, the big bosses, they were put in, in these big ones. Okay, so we've got the beautiful view of the Giza area, of the actual city, right there. And, looks like you're allowed to climb up on this. Whatever it is. I don't even know what this is, right here. A bunch of rubble. Did this used to be a pyramid, as well? And it's all collapsed? I dunno. Or did it used to be some kind of building? If it was some kind of palace or something like that, it certainly had a beautiful view. Didn't it? And down there, guys, is the Sphinx. We can see the back of its head. So, let's get all the way down there and get a front view of it. Whoa, gotta watch where I'm standing, though. Where I'm putting my feet. So, guys, I've just learned from Wikipedia... Oh! That horse just fell, there. Guys, I've just learned, from Wikipedia, the names of the three pyramids. Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. And the three pyramids that I wondered about, the three smaller ones, that I thought, maybe they've buried some wives in there, or something like that. Apparently, they're subsidiary pyramids that were built at the time that the Menkaure pyramid was built. So, that's why they're there. And this Sphinx, I don't know much about. I'm gonna have to Wikipedia that, as well, to get some info. How are you? Oh, nice glasses.
- Thank you. Very nice. Stylish.
- Nice to meet you. Okay, let's go all the way around, and get a view of this thing from the front. The body of a lion. Oh! Need to be watching where I'm standing here. All this muck! The body is of a lion, and the face is supposed to be of a human. That's the thing with the, with the Sphinx. It looks like they're doing some kinda maintenance on it, some kind of restoration. You can see there's, like, some scaffolding, Exactly. some scaffolding, there. They're doing work on it. That's good. Keeping it, keeping it nice. I guess they keep finding stones and bricks and stuff that's fallen off these structures, and then they have to figure out where it used to be. And then, yeah, they, eventually, they stick it back on. I think that's what happens, to maintain these structures. Oh. Ah, it's difficult to vlog, looking at the camera and trying not to step on any horse or camel droppings. Right. I want to be there. How... Do I actually have to go all the way around? I guess I do. I guess I do. There's a wee market, here. Might get something to eat or drink. Hey, want to buy? Ah, no, thank you. Have a nice day. Thank you, brother. Very cheap. What are they?
- Look? What is it, headscarves?
- Yes. How much are they? We have a headscarf, we have scarabae. Yeah. Yeah, but tell me the price, then I will know if I'm interested or not. No problem, your face look like Egyptian. You have, like, orange.
- Yes. hair. Yeah.
- Yes. Very nice. Okay. Getting a headscarf.
- Yes. You're from where?
- Scotland. Welcome to Hong Kong. This is not Hong Kong, this is Egypt. Yes, I know.
- You're tricky, you're tricky. I joking. If it was Hong Kong, we would have to wear masks, you know? Yes
- And we would probably be locked down. Yeah?
- Yes. Look, like this.
- Yeah? Look. One second.
- I look good or not? Yes, it's good. Yeah? I look Egyptian?
- Yes. Okay.
- Close. So if I wear like this, nobody will ask me if I want camel ride or No.
- horse ride? No.
- They will think I'm local? They'll think I'm a local man?
- Yes. Brother, how much for something like this? 200 Egyptian pound. Oh, come on, brother. Come on, you said you will give me good price. You said you will give me good price. Now you're saying 200.
- Listen, listen. Listen, this is big one.
- Yeah. Egyptian cotton. Yeah.
- I have a small size for 100 pound. Small size.
- No, brother, it's too much. It's too much.
- No problem, listen. Keep it. Whatever given to me, no problem. Brother, come on.
- Whatever. Whatever.
- Really, uh? Whatever, no problem.
- Okay, 50 pounds, no problem? No problem.
- Really? Okay. No problem, because your face look like Egyptian.
- 50 pounds. We have a deal. Okay, thank you so much, brother. Okay. You have English...?
- This is good for, if it's cold, right?
- Yes. For the wind and the sand?
- Yes, yes. If the sand is coming, I can put over my eyes.
- Yes. Like this.
- Ah, okay. Good. Just like this.
- Thank you. Okay, maybe I will wear, like this. Okay, like this.
- Okay? Yes.
- It's good. Do I look good? Do I look good? You tell me. Okay. We have a deal, 50 Egyptian pounds. You have English pounds, no problem.
- No. 50 English pounds? No!
- Oh, that would be... That would be a lot. I love English pounds. You have English pounds? No, I don't. I haven't been to the UK for a while. Thank you so much, my brother.
- You pay 50, you pay 50 pounds. Yeah. No problem, because is friend. Okay. So, if you come here and you want one of these, you can give this guy 50 pounds and you can buy one.
- Yes. From him.
- Yeah, this my, this is my job. Egyptian cotton. Yes, and I have a scarabae, necklace. What is it? scarabae?
- Yeah. This alabaster stone.
- Ah. Look.
- Yeah. This is alabaster. You go inside the valley temple, from King Khafre and you see granite stone, alabaster stone. This is alabaster. This actually came off of that?
- Yes. This alabaster.
- Ah, okay. You see the alabaster stone, into night, look, is light. Ah, okay.
- Yes. And this is green, we have blue. Oh, beautiful. Yes.
- Okay. Thank you so much, brother.
- You know, you know how much this? Necklace.
- It's okay. It doesn't matter, I got enough. This, I'm happy with this. I'm happy because you buy from me.
- I'm happy with this. Thank you, my brother. What is your name?
- Hossam. Hossam? My name is Dale. Nice to meet you.
- Thank you. Thank you for the scarf. Okay, I'm happy with that.
- You're welcome, any time. I got a wee headscarf.
- Okay, one second. Make photo?
- What's that? Ah, no, no, it's okay, brother. I'm gonna have a look around the market. Thank you. Okay.
- You want a camel? No, no. It's fine. I think, once you buy something like this, it's like there's a red dot. There's, like, a bullseye, on your back, for the touts. It's like, okay, he bought that, so he's gonna, he's gonna take our guide service, he's gonna take our camel. We're gonna be able to sell him anything. But, yeah, what do you think guys? Do you think it's worth 50 pounds? That's about, oh, it's about £2.50 British. Maybe about $3 USD, something. Not too bad, is it? All sorts of knick-knacks and stuff, around here, in this wee market. Ah, so there's all these chairs, here. I think that's for the sound and light show. So, at night they light up the Sphinx and the pyramids, kinda like laser lights, and they give you headsets and then they do a big story and everything like that. Eh, yeah. I did that, like, 20 years ago, as well, so I won't be doing it again. But, the guesthouses that are over there, I'm gonna be staying in one tomorrow. These guesthouses, they get a view of that. So you can actually, you won't get the sound, but you will get the light, just by staying, in one of theses cheap guesthouses, here. So that's a good idea. Right. Try and find my way, right to the front of that Sphinx. Oh, I think I've gone the wrong way. I think, where I got a scarf from that guy, I think you have to, kinda, curl round, where all these people are going, actually. I think that's the way I need to go, to get close to the Sphinx. And there's some kind of palace, there. I think he said that was a palace, right in front of it. Hi, brother. How do I get there? Get around, from there. Ah, okay, I went the wrong way? Yes.
- Okay. Thank you so much, my brother. Thank you. Well, here is the Sphinx. And as you can see, it doesn't have any nose. It's noseless. I bet what happened, was the nose fell off and then it was just one of those bricks that was lying around on the ground. And then when the residents of Giza needed to build their houses, that's what they used. Probably one of these, well actually these look like fairly newer buildings, but probably some building over here, was built with the Sphinx's nose, as one of its bricks, I reckon. Okay. They're saying, this is Khafre's Valley Temple. Four and a half thousand years ago. So probably built at the same time as the Khafre pyramid, I guess. And It's a temple. Based on whatever religion they had back then, in the ancient Egyptian times. Let's go in and have a wee look. Well, here we are. The beams of the temple, still standing. Still looking solid. Aren't they? After four and a half thousand years, a little bit of erosion. But not too much. Do you think any buildings that people are building nowadays, the beams and all that, are still gonna be standing, after four and a half thousand years? I very much doubt it. Look how they used to build things. Look how thick, look how thick that stone is. That's made to last for eternity. So it is. Well, guys, I've been back, on the Internet, doing some research, because, unlike some of these guys, over here, yer man doesn't have a guide. And I've learned that this stone is local limestone, that they used to build this. And the reason for building this Khafre Temple, it was for the mummification process. Mummification. Basically, turning the king Khafre into a mummy. So this was the first process. They would purify, purify the king, the dead king and then mummify him. And then, after that, he would be taken to his pyramid. So they would have been built at the same time. And this was just, you know, the first part of the process of the whole, burial ritual, that you know, 20 years in advance, at least, they would have had to be planning this. Building it all and stuff, for the king's eventual death. That's how important the guy was. Just think how many man hours went into building all of this. And all that. That's how important yer man Khafre was. Right. Let's get back to the pyramids. Camel ride? Ah, no thank you. Oh, this one's got tattoos. Tattoo.
- Or it's like shaved. Tattoo. I think it's got, like, markings shaved into him. Oh, it's giving a good old yawn, right there. Do you wanna ride horse?
- Ah, no, thank you. I'm gonna walk over there.
- Photo? Ah, it's okay, brother.
- You know how much? It's okay, brother. So this one is the Khafre pyramid. And over there, that's the Menkaure. So that's the only place I haven't really been over, yet. I've been over there. I've been down to the Sphinx. But I haven't been over to those three mini pyramids, which are also for Menkaure. And you can see, here, these are the lights that are used for that sound and light show, that I was telling you about. They light this pyramid, right up. But to get to there, I don't know how. How have I ended up on the other side of this? Everyone else seems to be over these barriers. I think there are some security guys there, but I think I can just climb over this, to get to where I'm supposed to be right now. In fact, I haven't touched the pyramids yet, have I? I should at least, while I'm here, at least lay hands on them. So this one, Khafre's pyramid. Let's touch it. Let's give it a wee touch. Oh, that's unfortunate. Some guy's scrawling their names. Mr. Eslam, has scrawled his name over the thing. Imagine doing that. Imagine, vandalising something that's four and a half thousand years. Who do you think you are, mate? Who do you think you are to vandalise something like that? Aye... Okay.
- Hello, camel ride? Ah, no, thank you. It's a very nice camel, though. Okay. I'm gonna head over to this one. Menkaure pyramid. And you can see all these lumps of stone, right here. They would have fallen off of this. I guess. They kinda look different. This one kinda looks reddish. And that's not red at all. That's yellow. All these ones kinda look red, so I don't know what these are from. Maybe they were some kinda, I dunno, decorations outside. Some kind of statues or something and they've crumbled apart. I don't know. But they're still lying here. I don't know if they're ever gonna piece together the jigsaw puzzle or not. Well, there you are. Climbing is forbidden. And it's punishable by no less than one month imprisonment. And/or a fine of no more than 100,000* Egyptian pounds. So that's what you can expect, if you dare to climb up there. No matter how tempting it is. Oh it's tempting, oh it's so tempting, guys. Honestly. I love to climb up stuff. And, oh that is just so tempting. But, you can't do it. You're just 100% of the time gonna get caught. Aren't you? I don't know, maybe you should come at night. With some torches. I dunno. Yeah, I think you're still gonna get caught. I think you're still gonna get caught, no matter what. I don't think anybody gets away with doing that. Right. Aye, it's a lot more quiet over here, isn't it? This one, the farthest away pyramid from the entrance. So, the one with the least people. Not everyone's legs are strong enough to get them all the way up to this one. And guys, as I walk over, I'll give you a couple of stories from when I was here, before, two decades ago, at the pyramids. I've got a couple of funny stories, guys. So the first one. We enter one of the pyramids. I think it was the, Khafre pyramid. It was one, you go inside and it was a very, very narrow tunnel into the, into the chambers. It's like, basically, you can just you have to kinda crouch and it's like that. And you go in, in groups. So there was like 10 of us went in, one after another. And, maybe the third person to go in, was some fairly oldish woman. We'll say she was, like, 60 years old or something. Fairly oldish woman. And she had a panic attack, about half way. And she wants to go back, but there's no way back because everybody has to go in, to get in, through the tunnel, to get into the chamber, so that you can turn around, to get back out. Everybody is going in one direction, misses. You can't, you can't go back. And she's screaming and she's screaming, and there's like a guide behind us, and he's saying "Go forward! You can only go forward!" Please stop, go forward. And, other people started to freak out. So, yeah, it just takes one, one scaredy cat to have a panic attack, feeling claustrophobic. I mean, yeah, if you're claustrophobic, definitely don't go into the pyramids. It is super, super tight in there and you've got other people behind you. So, yeah, you've got no way out. You just have to deal with it, suck it up and deal with it. So there was that and the other one was, after the pyramids, we took a jeep into the desert somewhere. And it was with a big group. It was a group tour. So there's British and there's Russians. And there was this Russian guy. Some music and stuff going on. Don't wanna get the copyright strike, so come over here, a bit, i guess. Aye, there was a Russian guy sitting in front of us in the jeep. This guy, with a big meaty neck. This big, big. I was just staring at the back of his neck. This big meaty neck. And he's smoking, the whole time. It's all going in our faces. The windows are open, but it's all blowing in our faces. He doesn't give a damn. He's just sitting there, smoking away and stuff. Bit of an arrogant guy. Anyway...
- You like a t-shirt? Ah, no thanks. Anyway, we got off the jeep and we were gonna take camel rides, in the desert. It's the middle of desert. There's nobody around. It's just, the camels are waiting for us, some Bedouins, apparently, they said they were Bedouins, were brought over, and, yeah, they brought over their camels. And, yeah, we were about to take our camel rides and he's getting a photo beside one of the camels. And he puts his hand on it, like that, posing for the photo. And the camel just goes, boot! And just kicks him in the leg. And his leg is, like, gushing of blood. And, aye, nobody felt sorry for him, other than, his wife and his daughter or whoever he was with. And, aye, he ended up getting what, another jeep came and took him away, to get first aid or something, and we never seen him again. And that was great. Got to take the jeep back, without getting smoke in my face. So, aye. That was about the only two stories that come to mind, from my previous time here, 20 years ago. And it looks like this one, the Menkaure pyramid, you can't... Hello, brother. I nearly fell, there. This one, the Menkaure pyramid, I think you can get inside, but I guess that's one, where you need the ticket? Or not? People just seem to be walking in. Shall we go? Shall we go for it? It looks like we can just walk straight into this one. Oh, you taking photo, uh? Okay. I will wait. I'm good. No, no.
- Oh, no, no. Danger, danger. Okay. Oh, you can't get in. The door's, the door's locked. Maybe some people can get in. VIP's or something. Specially arranged visits. Or maybe they're renovating inside, making it ready, for people, to go inside. I remember at the ticket office, there was prices to get into the Khufu pyramid and the Khafre pyramid, but there wasn't a ticket price to get into this one. So I guess that's what it is. This one's not open for visitors, yet. Only those two. I was hoping to walk all the way around it. But there's a sign saying no climbing, and claiming is the only way to get over those rocks. So again, it's like, just like that pyramid over there. The rocks that are on the floor, are all kind of reddish. You see, they're all kinda like, I would say, that's kinda like a pinkish colour. But they're very different, to the ones that are actually on the pyramid. So, did these actually fall off? And then, I dunno, over time they've turned red or something? I don't know. Guys, if you know any more than me, which, I guess anybody who's actually studied this stuff, definitely knows more than me, let me know in the comments, what the deal is with that. Because, I'm kinda interested. This one, the Khafre, Khafre pyramid. Hello. Oh, beautiful camel. Look at this one as well. It's got like... Is it tattoo, or is it shaving?
- It's tattoo, tattoo. It's tattoo, really? This is Michael Jordan, here. Michael Jordan? Oh, wow.
- Yes. Later, use. What? Why you give me this? Wait, wait. I don't know. He just, he just handed me a stick. For... I don't know what I'm supposed to do with it. Come on, sir. Oh, no. He's gonna take me to one of his friends or something. Wanna give you good picture with Michael Jordan. You want to take me a picture of me and Michael Jordan? Ah, okay.
- Yes, yes. Lean back. Ah. Your daughter?
- No. You go, madame? No, no, no, no. Oh, this... You're not giving ride, you're only taking photos? Ah, I see. Look at him. Come on, brother. Brother, how much for the photo? Whatever, you're happy, make me happy. Because you look like Egyptian, nice pickles. Ah, because I look like Egyptian, because I'm wearing this scarf?
- Yes. Come this side.
- Ah, okay. Come.
- How much, brother? You need to tell me, how much, though. Whatever to get. You're happy, make me happy. Really? 20, okay, yeah?
- No, problem. 20, okay, fantastic. Brilliant. Hello, Michael Jordan. It's actual...? Can I touch? Yeah, first sit.
- It's actual... First sit.
- First sit, uh? I wonder if it's a tattoo or shaving.
- Put your legs here. Put your legs here. Where, where come from?
- It's an actual tattoo? Scotland.
- Huh? Scotland.
- Welcome, Scottish. Thank you.
- English forever. No! Scotland forever. Scottish forever. He just said, welcome Scotland, English forever. I dunno if he's trolling me or not. One of my feet doesn't have... Can give me your phone, I make a picture for you.
- Okay. Where...?
- Only, one. Only, one. Oh, there's only one? Ah, okay.
- Give me this, I make a picture for you. Okay, I will... Let me, get my phone out. English forever. English? No, Scottish forever.
- Scottish forever. Scottish forever. Okay, good.
- Excuse me, stop this. Really?
- Sure, is bad way. Not good here. Why not?
- Police is stopping here, for this. Really, uh?
- Yeah. I think it's okay, inside, after the tickets. Put it in your bag. Ah, okay, okay.
- Put it in your bag. Put it in your bag.
- Okay. You have a bag with you? Put it in the bag.
- Okay. I'll put it in my pocket. He's asking me to turn off the video. Brother, I don't need the ride, though, I only want... I only want the picture. Say, aloha. Aloha. English forever. Scottish forever.
- Scottish forever. Take another one, with the big one. Ah, no, brother, it's fine. Enough already, khalas. Okay, give me this, give me the rope. Give me the rope, the rope!
- Okay. Brother, khalas.
- Happy? Yeah, okay, I'm happy. Take this.
- But, brother, khalas, khalas. No, not khalas.
- Yeah, khalas. Back there. Enough already, brother. No, brother, I don't want. I don't need the big one. Brother. Brother, khalas.
- From here. Brother, khalas. Michael Jordan, go down. Michael Jordan. Brother. Brother, brother, really. La, shukran. Khalas, brother.
- Okay, here. No, brother, brother. I'll give you 50, brother. 50 is nothing. 50, just one picture there. Now make ride and picture.
- No, brother. Somebody give 300. Some give 200, whatever. Brother, come on. Give me some American money. What, 300? I don't have American money. I only have a Egyptian pounds.
- Okay, give just 200. 200.
- No, I give 50, brother. 50 is nothing. 50, just two picture. Brother, don't do like this. I see you're happy, make me happy.
- Yeah, I'm happy. I'm happy, if you're happy with me. Brother, just...
- You're happy. I see you're happy, make me happy. Please, I make you happy by giving you 50.
- Okay, give me another 20. Another 20.
- Brother, come on. This is for the camel.
- Come on. Brother, brother. It's fair, it's fair.
- Give me 20 for the picture. Be a friendly man. Thank you so much.
- Have a nice day. Have a nice day, my brother, okay. Assalaam alaikum, brother. Assalamu alaikum.
- I want your happy, brother. I'm happy, thank you. Okay, good. As soon as that guy asked me to put my camera in my pocket, I knew I was getting shafted. Or, there was some kinda trick involved. Hello, brother. Because, yeah, if... He said, oh, it's a problem with the police. That was his excuse. No, not in here. You can film and take photos of anything you want, inside the pyramids complex. And I knew that. So I knew that I was getting shafted. But by then it was too late. I was on top of the camel. Right? So, I've no way down. He's got my phone in his hand, and all I can do is, kinda like, obey him and put the camera in my pocket. If he had told me to put the camera away before I got on the camel, I would have just said no. I would have said, mate, I'm making videos. That's what I'm doing. I'm allowed to take videos. This is the Pyramids of Egypt, one of the most major tourist attractions in the world. You can take photos and videos, here, no problem. And then I would have just walked away. No business for him. But he was sneaky. He specifically waited until I was on the camel, he's got my phone in his hand and then I'm trapped. I can't just jump off the thing, can I? It's a tall thing, a camel. And that one, especially, particularly tall. He called it Michael Jordan. So he did. A basketball playing camel. A tall, basketball playing camel, that I couldn't jump off. So, yeah, I kinda knew something bad was gonna happen at the end. And that's what happened. He was asking, he was saying, oh "Whatever you want, whatever you want, no problem." And, like, you seen, when I bought this headscarf, the guy said, "Whatever you want, no problem." I gave him 50 and he's like, "Thank you, so much, my brother." "Have a nice day." Okay? This guy, I wanted to give him 50 and he's, "Oh, some people they give 200." "Some people give 300." "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." Nobody gives 300. For 300, you can get a one hour tour of the pyramids, a panoramic tour, taking the camel, trekking all they way, over there, around that pyramid, all the way around, like that, for like one hour. That guy, had me on the back of that camel, for, I dunno, what, 2 or 3 minutes? And when I was telling him... He took like 10 photos or something. Well, in two different places. So he took photos in two different places. And after the first one, I told him, stop. I said, khalas, khalas. "No khalas." "No khalas. I take you to another one." "I take you..." "View of the three pyramids," "view of the big pyramid," "view of this..." and I'm like, no, it's enough, brother. And he just wouldn't listen to me. He wouldn't let me down. So, you know, he forced me to take that many photos. I didn't ask. I didn't say "Okay, can I get..." I thought I was gonna, literally, jump on the camel and get a photo, right there, where it was. Where that girl was. And that was going to be it. And then I was gonna give him, I dunno, 20, 30 or whatever, like that. I did see how much that woman had gave to him. She was paying in US Dollars, and she gave him a 10, and she got, it was like 5 or 6 US dollars, back. So, I guess she paid like 4 bucks. Which would be 60 Egyptian pounds. And, he didn't ask her for more money. I gave him 50 and I had to have an argument with him, about it. Which kind of sours the experience. I would rather, like, he just accepts the 50, says, "Thank you, very much. Welcome to Egypt." "Have a nice day." "Enjoy the rest of your trip." And then you feel all nice about Egyptian people, don't you? But then, when they do something like that, it sours the experience and then you go back to your home country, with a bad opinion about Egyptian people. So, yeah, just... People like that, they kinda just, they just ruin it for the honest people, for the honest Egyptians. Like that guy down there, who gave me the headscarf. The nice guy. You know? People who see him, are gonna assume they're gonna get the same treatment, that they got, up there, if they go to him, after that guy. So, that's how it works, isn't it? But, never mind. Hopefully some of those photos turned out to be nice. Have a look at my Instagram. I'll post them, if they're good. Speak Arabic?
- No, only speak English, brother, sorry. Okay, thanks. Okay. Time? You need the time? Maybe it's, like, 3 o'clock or something like that. 3:10 Okay, 10 past 3, it is. We've got another couple of hours of daylight. Maybe I'll try and find an honest camel rider. But how do you find the honest ones, guys? How do you find the honest ones? Look at this. There's a trail. This must be, like, a big group tour, that are taking camels. Having a trail. This guy's taking, what, is he taking four at once? They're all connected to each other, like a train. This guy's taking two at once. And this wee guy, he's taking four, at once. So they're all connected? They are. Amazing. Hey, brother. Okay, nice guy. Okay, good. It's okay. So, I reckon, if I see a friendly looking camel man, what I'll do is, I'll just ask him if I can take videos. Go on a tour with him and take videos. And if he agrees straight away without thinking about it, it probably means he's honest. So, that's the plan. Okay, I'll try not to ruin somebody's photo. I'll go round the, go round the side, there. Your name, what?
- My name is Hamdi. Hamdi? Ah, okay.
- What's your name? Okay... I dunno, are we're doing fist bump or we doing the handshake? Assalamu alaikum, brother. What's your name? Assalamu alaikum, sir.
- My name is Dale. Is Dale?
- Ah, okay. Dale, I'm a work here.
- Okay. If you change your mind, I'm here, I give you Egyptian price.
- Yeah. 150 Egyptian pounds.
- 150, uh? 150 Egyptian.
- That's for 1 hour? For 1 hour, yes.
- For panoramic tour? With the camel?
- All the area. The panorama, see the 9 pyramid,
- Ah, okay. and after that you go the Sphinx. I can take video on the camel, everything?
- Yes, everything. Photos, everything?
- Yes, okay. Ah, okay. Okay. 150, okay?
- 150. You won't ask me for more money, no? Final, 150?
- That's, that's, that's, just all you pay. Just only pay 150 Egyptian.
- Ah, 150, all to you? No middle man, no tout? Only, to you? Okay, that's a good thing. I'm not steal you. Okay, good.
- I'm a man. And this your camel, here? Yes, I have a camel. I will bring it, the camel now?
- Okay, yeah. Okay, we will go, for one hour. Okay. So, that's the guy I seen earlier, when I was walking in. He says, he'll give me local price. 150, for 1 hour panoramic tour. See all the pyramids. Go around with the camel and no problem with taking video or anything. So it's all good. Ah, so your camel has a number? They have to get a license or something to come here? To work here, you need a license.
- Yes, yes I work here. I will get... I have a license, yes. You want show you?
- I don't need to see. Yeah, I trust you. I was just wondering, even the camel, he needs a license because he has a number?
- Yes, yes, yes. Ah, okay. So, not anyone can just come here with their camel and and do this guide? You have to be a licensed guide?
- Yes. Ah, okay, that's good. Okay.
- This one, wait, wait, I will change you the camel. This is the easy. Ah, okay. We're getting a different camel. This one. Oh. He's hungry? No, no, no, no, he say, "hello."
- Or, angry? He say hello? Ah.
- He say, "hello." I thought maybe he's... Oh. I dunno. It looks to me like he's hungry. He needs food or something.
- No, no that's not hungry. Not hungry?
- Put you legs here. Okay, he's just speaking?
- Yes. Okay. Okay, good. One man say that I look like Arab?
- Arafat. Yes, Arafat.
- Arafat. Yasser Arafat.
- Yes, you look like Yasser Arafat. I look like Yasser Arafat. Lean back.
- Okay. There we go. Beautiful. And the name for the camel? Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse? Really, uh? It's a boy camel, yeah?
- Yes, It's a boy. How many years old? About 7 years. 7 years, uh?
- 7-8 years, yes. And how long do they live, until? Camel, it lives until, like, 20 years, or? Yes, maybe 20 years, 22 years. Ah, okay, so he's like, in human terms, he's like a, like 21 year old or something like that. He's kinda like a young adult. Young adult, right? Look at the view from up here. You know any information about the pyramid, or not?
- Yeah. The story to pyramids. You know the story? I know some stories, but I don't know all. I know about the... This is the Cheops (Khufu), Khafre, Menkaure. We have, here, 9 pyramids, not 3 pyramids. Yeah, but 3 big ones, right? For Khafre, Khufu and Menkaure. Yes, Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure. Yeah, I know this is the temple for Menkaure, right? Or temple for... This temple for Khafre, right? Yeah, for Khafre. This is to make his mummy, right? For Khafre. That's the temple for Khafre. Yeah, that's Khafre, there. That's his, pyramid and that's the temple, where they made, they did the purification for his mummy. They wrapped him up and everything, before taking him to be buried, in the pyramid. And the one up there, Menkaure. So the Menkaure, it has the big one and he also made three other ones, right? Yeah. For his wives.
- Yes. For the Queens.
- For the Queens. For the Queens, ah.
- Yes. So Menkaure's queens were buried in the three smaller pyramids, and he was buried in the big one. Yeah. These guys on horses. Granite stone. Yeah, this, granite stone. This comes from down the Nile. Like 500 miles away, right?
- Yes, you know the story. I know some stories. I'm not an expert, but I know this. The stones for this, they carried them from the Nile, like, 500 miles. So that's before they had, even the wheels were invented. So, I guess it must have been on boats, right? On the Nile. They must have brought them on the Nile.
- With the boat on the Nile. Yeah, because they didn't have any vehicles, even horse and cart, they didn't have. They didn't have wheels, right?
- Yeah. Yeah. And this, these pyramids, it's still a bit of a mystery how they, how they did it, because the... It's built perfectly vertical, to like, you know, a fraction of one degree. And even with modern technology, it's kinda difficult to pull that off. But, four and a half thousand years ago, imagine what the technology was like. They managed it, somehow. They don't know exactly how. Some things are a bit of a mystery, concerning these amazing structures. Oh, this area more peaceful. Not so many tourists,
- Yes. here. Okay. Oh, wow. Some people taking the horses, right the way through the desert, there. So you've got this, open desert, right here, right next to the city, Giza, there. You're from Giza or from Cairo?
- Yes. Me, from Giza.
- Ah, okay. Most of the people working here are from Giza? From Giza, yes.
- Ah. Yes, my house, behind the pyramids, there. Ah.
- Yes. Good.
- My city. How long have you been doing the camel tours? How long?
- Yeah, how many years? How, me?
- Yeah. I work here?
- Yeah. About, 15 years, I work here.
- 15 years, wow. Since you were, like, a teenager or something, then? Yes, I'm now, 34 years. 34? Oh, so since you were a teenager, you have been doing this. You must have met everyone from all around the world. Every country. Yeah.
- Right? Yeah. Every country. Japan, Korea.
- Japan, Korea. Afghanistan.
- Afghanistan. Everywhere you can imagine.
- Yeah. Okay. Do not, you forget me?
- No, no, I said tomorrow. Tomorrow.
- Bob Marley. Bob Marley.
- You walked all the way over there? He's the best guy. No, we didn't go that far. We just went around there. Ah, okay, good.
- The pyramids. Fantastic. Where are you from?
- I'm from Scotland. You're from the States?
- Yeah. I recognise the accent.
- From Portugal. Portugal? Oh, really? But, originally from the US. Yeah, and you've, you've been walking?
- Yes, yeah. Most of... You're the only people who are walking. Everyone else is on the camels. You must be strong guys.
- This is exercise. Yeah, it's good. Good exercise.
- Yes. Yeah, with a beautiful view. And that's the best way to think about it. Okay, later. Thank you. Enjoy it, my friend.
- Yes? Yes, I hope, enjoying.
- Yes, I will. So you have customers for tomorrow? Yes, this is the tomorrow, will come to me. Ah.
- They ask me tomorrow. Oh, wow. Look at this. We've got, the three big pyramids and then the three smaller ones, for Menkaure, right there.
- This is the 9 pyramid. This is the 9 pyramids? Okay. So I see three small ones and three big ones. And... Behind the first one,
- Yeah? three small. Three small? So who are those...
- That is the queen. These three small ones, queen for who? Yes. For, which king? For first king. Cheops (Khufu).
- Cheops (Khufu)? Ah, okay. These one's for Menkaure, right? Yes, Menkaure. Behind the Menkaure is
- Menkaure. Ah.
- three small for the queen. Ah, okay, so that's, Menkaure's big pyramid and then the three small ones. The one in the middle is the Khafre and then the first one is the Khufu, Khufu pyramid. Yeah. Thank you.
- Look, the view backing you. Oh, wow, that's amazing.
- Yes. Yeah.
- Okay? Beautiful, beautiful. You said we're going to the Sphinx? Yes.
- Ah, okay. Wonderful.
- Later we go the Sphinx. Ah, okay, later?
- Lean back. Just rest here, first and after that... Oh, we're going to rest? Ah, okay. Okay, good.
- Yes Enjoy it, first, here. Rest for me and rest for Mickey Mouse as well.
- Yes. Lean back.
- Okay, lean back. Yes.
- Okay. The camel's moving forward, so I,
- Rest for Mickey Mouse. I need to lean back. Because if I lean forward I'm gonna do a somersault. Yeah. Did anyone ever fall off? Yeah, happened before, yeah?
- No, no, no. No? It must have. This, we have a, we have a easy camel, here. Ah, easy camel? Ah, Mickey Mouse. Oh, so some camels are easy and some are a little bit tricky? Yes.
- Yeah? Okay. I'll help you.
- Thank you, brother. Fantastic. Have a good rest.
- Enjoying something, here. And this one, he doesn't have tattoos. Some camels I see, they have like shaving or tattoo or something.
- Yes, yes. My second camel, he have a tattoo. Oh, it's actual tattoos? It's not shaving? I thought maybe...
- Yes, not shaving, it's handmade. Oh, okay.
- Handmade. And it's permanent, forever? Forever. Not forever.
- Ah, tattoo. Oh, it's like henna or something?
- The tattoos are handmade. Handmade, after maybe one months, Ah, okay.
- two months, that's finish. The skin,
- Yes. turns over, yeah? What's wrong, Mickey Mouse? Is he just talking, yeah?
- Yes. Ah, okay. And how many times does he eat during the day? Watch your legs. So what is he eating every day? Every day eating corn. Corn? Ah, okay.
- But not sweet corn. Sweet corn?
- Not, no sweet corn. Normal corn. You know the corn? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, so he's eating grain. Cold corn but not soft. Normal corn.
- Yeah. And how many kilos? How many kilos of corn every day? Must be a lot, 'cause he's big..
- About, maybe, maybe some, some camel eat that, five kilo, sometimes, some camel, he eat the three kilo.
- Ah. Ah, okay. And that gives them all the energy to Yeah.
- be walking around, and carrying Scotsmen on his back, through the desert. Brother, I'm falling off. I'm falling, I'm failing. Yes, yes. Yeah, okay.
- A little bit like this. I need to be to the side. Ah, that's better. Yes.
- Ah, okay. I was starting to slide off. Okay. Going down to the Sphinx. That's the back, the back of the Sphinx's head. The Sphinx, hair, hair woman. Face, face man. Body, body lion. Yeah, the body of a lion.
- Of a lion. Yeah, but the human face.
- Yes. Yes, this is the guard of the pyramid. Ah, okay. And it's a woman's face or a man's face? Man face but hair woman. Oh, man's face but hair woman? Oh, wow. And no nose. The nose has fallen off, right? Yes.
- The nose. Yeah. You wanna go to hotel by camel? Ah, no, it's okay, I'm gonna walk. That's enough? You wanna walk. We stop here, yeah?
- Yes. Okay.
- This side is here, to go inside, this way.
- Okay, I will do it. Just lean back. Thank you, Mickey Mouse. Thank you, so much. Thank you, Hamdi. Thank you. Okay. Anytime you can come to me.
- Thank you so much. Are you happy? I am happy, brother. That's why I'm gonna give you a little extra. Brother, please take 500, okay? My gift for you. Okay? Thank you so much. I ask you, just, only 150.
- No problem, I know. Because you are honest man, I want to give extra. And because you have given me a good tour. Thank you, so much. Thank you. Are you happy for this?
- Assalamu Alaikum, brother. I'm happy.
- If you're not happy, I will give you money back. Because I asked you 150.
- I'm happy, that's why I give you extra. If I'm not happy...
- I ask you 150, that's it. Okay. It's all good, brother. Okay. Thank you.
- Thank you, so much. Have a nice day, okay?
- Thank you. We'll speak soon.
- I wait for you to call me. Any time.
- Thank you. Okay.
- I wait for you to call me, my friend. Thank you, brother. Okay, so, that guy was honest. Wasn't asking me for more money and stuff. So, thought I'd give him a wee reward. And, yeah, I've got his WhatsApp number. He says he can arrange different things. Sunset dinners, camps, barbecues, horse rides. And everything, so, now that we know that guy is honest, I'll give you guys his WhatsApp number. I'll put it in the comments or in the description. And if you guys are coming here and you want to be sure that you're getting somebody honest, you can just contact him and job done. Okay, guys. I'm gonna get out of here. You wanna go on a camel?
- I just did it already. Thank you.
