"Forward!
Remember that from these monuments yonder 40 centuries look down upon
you", Napoleon Bonaparte declared to his troops as they gear up for
the Battle of the Pyramids on July 1798.
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| Jumping for joy is an understatement |
Childhood Fascination Streak
I'll have to go back to my youth to find out when my fascination with the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt began. It was probably our geography class's display of images of landmarks throughout the world that captivated me and turned 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.
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| A work of wonder looking down upon us |
The pyramids stood out from the rest because they were built by some of the oldest civilizations known to man. Even as a child, I was fascinated by how humans constructed the pyramids. *cue for Alien theories*
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| The golden hue of the pyramids are well, Golden |
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. The hairs on my arms stood up instantly, and a rush of excitement surged through my body. can't believe I'm finally getting closer to seeing these incredible landmarks of the planet.
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| The Great Sphinx of Giza |
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. My eyes was drawn to the large slobs of stones stacked on top of each other. Glistening in the sun's rays, I see sparkle from every direction. A dreamlike moment has just become 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.
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| Like a scene from that Brendan Fraser movie "The Mummy" |
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.
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| Even from inside the bus, the view is spectacular |
That photo—which garnered 800 plus likes on my Facebook—is framed and displayed inside my room. It now serves as a lasting reminder of that great moment when I accomplished a lifelong dream of seeing the Giza Pyramids.
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| Travel blogger pose |
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.
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| Look mum, where travel writing took me. |
I figured, I’d spent almost a lifetime waiting for this chance, so I may as well milk every second of it by being near as possible to these monuments that “look down upon me”.
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| Napoleon was right "40 plus centuries look down upon us" |
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.
