A Wonder of The World

How often in your lifetime do you get to pee facing a World Wonder? Well, I did it. Wonder or not, I had no choice.
After hours of being chased down by camel and horse riders offering you rides to this or that pyramid, to this or that tomb, to the viewpoint, back and forth, etc, I had enough. None of them was offering a ride to a toilet. I think those would be popular, too. Under these circumstances you simply have to take control over your life.

There's a Great Wall in China and there's a Great Pyramid in Egypt. Unfortunately for the Chinese the wall is not a world wonder. It's too young for that. And, in a sense, it's not a wonder. You have to keep all that population busy. On top of that you can destroy parts of it and then rebuild them. Just to keep things under control and people busy. However, it does get listed among the medieval wonders and, sarcasm and mockery aside, it is one! For an interesting listing of world wonders you can try World Wonders.

The pyramids also keep a lot of people busy in various ways. The archeologists are still trying to decipher their secrets. The hotels and restaurants make a living from the hordes of tourists coming to see them. The taxi drivers get their tips, the guardians and tourism policemen hang out and do not miss opportunities to ask for a bakshish. You may pay a bakshish simply for their tolerant nodding your way when you get closer to the pyramid for a picture. The horse and camel owners offer you rides for ever smaller rates as the day progresses. Last but not least, they keep millions of people busy dreaming about going there, about seeing them and marvelling at them.

The pyramids: when you see their tips from the distance you suddenly realize that they are for real and how huge they are. As much as you read about them or watch documentaries or pictures, you're not really prepared for the encounter. The huge constructions made of stone blocks weighing between 1.5-2.5 tons each are impressive enough. But when you get to see the treasures at the Egyptian Museum you are left completely stunned. They are like the precious organs that gave life to these huge stone giants.

Nearby, the Sphinx looks very noble in spite of its mutilated face. I like the way it looks far away, over everything and beyond everything. It is enigmatic, indeed. But it has guarded the world wonder well over millenia.