(Eighteenth of a Series)

The desert was hot, pushing 100 in the early morning. And about a mile away from the Nile, all vegetation quickly turns to desert. But the Pyramids at Giza are a must-see. Altogether, there are six pyramids at Giza, though three of them stand out more clearly. Tomorrow night, we will be returning here for a light and sound show. But for now, we get to walk right up to them - and even walk partway up the pyramids.

The three major Pyramids stand 400-470 feet high, and the staircase we climb goes up about 15 feet, so we don't get very high. But there is something fascinating about climbing even that high.

A band of hucksters waits for us to come back down the steps. And I knew what we were in for. They will stuff various (worthless) objects into your pockets, and then ask you to pay for them. Generally, a one-pound coin (about 18-US-cents) will get them off your back. But I didn't really want them on my back to begin with.

We decided to take a camel ride to the Sphinx, about a half hour trek. The camel owner's first quote was 700 pounds ($130), but our tour guide talked him down to 400 pounds. Since the negotiation between the Egyptian tour guide and the Egyptian camel owner proceeded in English, I judged the negotiation pure choreography so we'd be impressed with the tour guide.

I was advised that the name of my camel was Michael Jackson. Somehow that was supposed to make it easier to get onto his back. Once we were on our respective camels, the owner turned the camels over to a young boy introduced to us as his son. They said he was ten, but 12-14 would have made more sense. The young boy was quite skilled with the camels, notwithstanding that he kept calling my camel by a different name. And the boy did know his way around the desert.

Whenever I looked past the obvious scams, I really did enjoy the ride. The sun was very hot, but the ride was effortless. Once we got behind the three major Pyramids, we were able to see the three smaller structures. Hills in the sand made the ride interesting; the camels can't keep their backs level on the hills. Every two or three minutes, the boy asks if we are happy. He really did do his job well.

I didn't know it at the time, but Immigration Forms into New Zealand and the United States would later ask us if we had been in contact with live animals within the past thirty days. Both countries are concerned about importing disease. Dutifully, we reported that we had, though neither form asked for more detail. And when we presented the Immigration Forms, neither country asked about the Yes replies. I never did find out why they bothered to ask.

The Sphinx then appeared in the foreground, and five minutes later, the camel ride ended. The boy asked a few more times if we were happy. When we dismounted, I told Tricia to give him 100 pounds for a tip. He was polite and thankful to her. And then he turned to me. "What about you, Sir? Do you have a gift for me?"