Honey I shrunk the kids

Honey, we lost the roof!

True story.

Now I don’t think many of the Modern Egyptians would have seen the 1989 classic ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Kids’. But if they did, I bet they would have said the same thing about the missing roof trend that developed in Egypt over the last 20 years. And not just in Cairo, houses in Luxor, Aswan and even little brick shelters in rural Egypt have a peculiar similarity: a missing roof. It seems as if all newlywed couples had the same thought pattern.

Wife: This looks like a perfect place to build our new home!

Husband: Sounds great. Let’s get to work.

(6 months later)

Wife: Doesn’t our house look beautiful? All that is left is to put a roof up.

Husband: But honey, I like it just as it is. One and a half stories high. No external walls or ceiling on the second floor. Gives off the open space vibe, don’t you think?

Well actually the Modern Egyptians are a lot smarter than we think. Turns out, one smart cookie figured out that a house does not have to pay tax when it is still externally under construction. Therefore no roof equals no tax on your house. Our tour guide said that once this trend caught on, many perfectly stable houses had fake extensions added to them to weasel out of the system. Ten, twenty and thirty years later these houses are still ‘under construction’ and completely roof free. Many locals use this extra space as a place to keep their chickens, goats and donkeys. Brilliant idea. I don’t know how well that would go down in Australia, but I give you my full encouragement!

Walk like an Egyptian

Hello my friends,

Well if you have checked my facebook you would have probably figured out that I am back home in the country safe and sound. Honestly I will never, ever, EVER complain about food, beds or the state of a toilet again. There are just some things that will never be written about…

As university is my main time-eater, I have committed to posting at least once a week to tell my tales overseas. Therefore I will never really end my adventure; will I?

Let us begin: The pyramids. Sandstone upon sandstone. They floated from Luxor, up The Nile to Cairo, dragged from the river and strategically placed one on top of another. Ultimately forming one of the only standing wonders of the ancient world. According to history, it took Pharaoh Khufu ten years to build the Great Pyramid of Giza. But honestly looking up at these giant sculptures, how did a single society create this? Each pyramid block was dragged from the Nile to Giza (it was longer than a 15 min bus ride I assure you). With the bottom blocks beginning 1.5m high and rather difficult to climb up when taking photos, I have no clue how they built it 150 meters tall! No ladders? No cranes? One theory was the Egyptians lined massive amounts of dirt/sand at right angles to the pyramid (forming a flat walkway or ramp) and pulled the blocks up. As the pyramid got taller, they reduced the sharpness of the right angle and added more dirt to create larger triangles. Then looking on the inside of the pyramid, how are all the walls cut to perfection? Chamber after chamber. It just blows my mind. The pyramids are absolutely beautiful.

The three pyramids are so straight. So magnificent. So overwhelming. It is not just the pyramids but everything in Egypt. Luxor Temple. The Valley of the Kings. Abu Simbel.

Regardless of heat of the day and the scorching sun, Egypt gives me the shivers. The good kind of shivers. Something no photo can capture. But when you see the pyramids, it is like all the air has been sucked out of the room. It seems impossible in the Sahara Desert. Doesn’t it?