Cairo Egypt 埃及开罗 1/2016 (3)

14-17/1/2016. Egypt is synonymous with pyramids. Raised on the vast and harsh ground of the desert, these were built to loom large and to reach for the sky. Under the blue sky, the triangle clearly points to the heavens, perhaps the final place those entombed here were aiming for. One would be enough to make Egypt proud, but they are three here in Giza and over a hundred throughout Egypt. These are ridiculous sights and awe-inspiring engineering feats that beg explanation. I was one of only a few privileged aliens here. I was told the security situation scared off but the very brave ones.

After Giza. I ventured farther south, about 20 kilometers along the Nile River, and saw another pyramid, Pyramid Djoser, and the ancient burial ground there. From there I came to the Open Museum of Memphis. No, this is not the Memphis of Elvis, the King of rock-and-roll. This one was in Egypt, the real ancient Memphis. The king most memorialized and cast in stone is King Ramses the Great. A large number of sculptures and statues of him were discovered in Memphis. I saw the largest of this, a colossal 10 meters tall statue of him here. It was great! There was also an ensemble of sphinxes, statues of gods and kings, and temples; all jaw-dropping.

After Memphis, I returned to Cairo to soak in more of the ancient air. I do not normally want to spend time stuck indoors in a museum when traveling quickly. But I had to make a rare exception for the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. As I rove my eyes around, Mamma Mia! Mummies after mummies were on display. Cairo was unbelievable.

In the evening, I went to a floating restaurant for dinner. A big group of Malaysian tourists already filled up the boat. Entertainment was provided. As the belly dancer came to the floor to cast her spell, many of the Malaysians at the dinner tables turned their backs on her. The performance was probably too seductive for some. I felt privileged to see this ancient art form. I was glad they had not turned their back on their cultural heritage.

14-17/1/2016 谈到埃及难免联想到金字塔。在干旱无情的黄土上，蓝天的对照下，不是一座，在这吉萨地方就有三座，在埃及境内竟有超百座，角尖直指上天，意义非凡；每座都是庞然大物，浩大工程，使人目瞪口呆，更百思不解。我周围没见到老外游客， 听说治安不好，只有胆识过人的才会到来。

吉萨金字塔看过后我沿尼罗河南下20 公里观赏另一金字塔，左塞尔金字塔和附近古葬场。从这里又继续到孟菲斯的露天博物馆。这里摆着古王的石碑，雕像，庙宇，狮身人面像；乡野情景，好像时代停滞，千年历史，栩栩如生上演。

昨天眼花缭乱了一天我又回到开罗享受这里的古风。今天一定要到埃及博物馆看看埃及千年文明和痕迹。馆内晕头转向转来转去，不少出土文物，都是宝藏。果然不出所料，展示不少木乃伊，很神秘，也使人生畏。

晚上到船上餐厅吃饭，来了不少跟团马来老乡，入座时已高朋满座。套餐还提供娱兴节目，肚皮舞上演时，在餐桌马来同乡将椅背向舞女郎面壁，可能这舞蹈太妖艳，在一个回教国家还是有点意外；但这也是埃及文化遗产也是艺术，欣慰能一饱眼福。