Alexander

The buildings with broken tiles, litters on the ground, an over abundance of vehicles that makes traveling difficult and the incessant sirens of car horns in the ancient city of Cairo gave me a false impression of the capital of Egypt.

However, the scenery along the way to Alexander changed my opinion of Cairo. We traveled on a modern expressway with views of high technology areas, high-class golf courses and soon-to-be developed luxurious residential areas, lining up both sides. Although there are rooms for improvement, if Cairo continues to develop healthily, this could become a desert oasis!

The city of Alexander faces the Mediterranean Sea and resembles a Greek-style city because it was built by the Macedonian King, Alexander. It has the air of a metropolitan city. We traveled by car from Cairo and the journey was approximately 3 hours. Due to the distance of travel and this being a day trip, we have a packed day ahead.

Our first stop at Alexander brings us to the mausoleum of Kom El Shouqafa, which was discovered in 1900. The mausoleum is a blend of Roman, Greek and Egyptian architectural features and is one of the most complicated and most balanced in yin-yang elements that I had ever came across in my years of traveling. Even though this underground mausoleum is not big, its sophisticated designs are delicate and detailed.

The King’s grave lies at the center of the mausoleum and there are hundreds of complex looking graves of different sizes surrounding the king’s grave. This mausoleum comprises of three levels and looks spectacular. I was unable to take pictures, as cameras were not allowed. Unfortunately, I was also unable to conduct any Fengshui research as compass is prohibited. Nonetheless, with the memory of the mausoleum tour, our guide and I drew a blueprint of the catacombs.

Around 3pm in the afternoon, we enjoyed lunch at a restaurant that faces the Mediterranean Sea. The scenery is beautiful and I took many pictures. Thereafter, we visited the spectacular Palace and Grand Garden. The Grand Garden is a few times bigger than the Botanical Garden and gave one the impression of being in paradise.

Our last stop in Alexander brought us to the Ancient King’s working office. It has since been transformed into a five star luxurious hotel. A beautiful public relations consultant gave us a short hotel tour before we made our way back to Cairo. We finally arrived back in Cairo close to midnight. It has been a long day and after dinner, I fell asleep shortly.

Pyramids

The Pyramids in Egypt is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is as prestigious as the world famous India’s Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China. The reason why these places are so mysterious and intriguing is because to date, no one can determine how people in the olden days built them.

Cairo is the capital of Egypt and is full of mist in the morning. We had travelled out to the pyramids early but the queue at the entrance is already swarmed with people. Due to the great mist, we were unable to see the pyramids in full view but one can still feel its magnificent presence.

We had to walk very near to the architecture before being able to see its vague outline. I stood at the north entrance of the pyramid with my compass to determine the directions and as expected, it is sitting in the South and facing the North. This year marks the 30 years milestone for the wedding anniversary with my wife. Our guide joked with us that only sincerity, which is strong as gold, can achieve such a milestone and the pyramids are the best evidence. Amused, I could not help but to lament that our relationship is simply beyond words.

Our guide mentioned that the pyramid faces off four directions, meaning that the pyramid is made of four planes, converging at the tip. I always had the impression that the pyramid has three surfaces but discovered otherwise when I opened a crystal shop in 1994. At that time, I still retained some reservations but after witnessing the pyramid in person, I was finally convinced.

Towards the North of the pyramid, there is an entrance to the tomb, whereby tickets are required. I was intrigued to explore part of the pyramid and the tombs that lie within. After all, part of my profession relates to the placement of tombs. Being a foolish tourist, I was disappointed to find that the tomb contains a narrow walkway that eventually brought me to a somewhat square room that contains one coffin. I understand from a guidebook later that tomb raiders created the path that I took to the tomb.

Nevertheless, I discovered a great secret! The caves are a natural miracle created by the mixture of deposition of volcanic lava and granite. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed and thus, I am unable to share with you here.

There are much confusions and unsolved mysteries with regards to the construction of the pyramids. It is almost impossible to imagine how people can lift a rock mountain that is tens of thousands in tons from a flat ground to build the pyramid and perhaps, it may be easier to accept the explanation of a volcanic mountain being reformed into the pyramid. Though this explanation does sound more feasible, it is still a speculation.

Moving on, there are actually three pyramids in the area but due to time constraint, we are unable to visit all. We certainly hope that there will be a chance in the future to revisit!