(Picture with chauffer...we pritended like having fun but look at the chauffers face)
Brad and the limousine chauffeur then went on the horse.
I said no but the man
pressured me saying "common now". Brad also said,
" we didn't come all the way here for nothing."
I was so uncomfortable.
I was not sure but I felt like we were walking into danger.
I still went on the horse but the saddle did not have any grip to
hold like the one in Texas. And after riding 5 yards I told them,
"I can't ride a horse!!"
The leader of hill bandits said, "I will get you a carriage".
Soon after his order, a younger hill bandit brought a carriage.
The leader put me on a carriage then he said
"My request to you is to make a smiling face".
He saw my nervous face.
However for me, I felt that something was going wrong,
and I could not give them a smile.
Finally, the midnight tour started.
I rode the carriage with the carriage operator.
The leader, Brad and the chauffer were riding a horse.
Going up the hill we went through total darkness several times.
Some places were very rough and the horses almost fell several times.
Many groups of hill bandits with 5 to 7 horses were running opposite
way with full speed and many times they looked like they wanted to
attack us.
There were also groups of vehicles look like snow mobile coming
toward us many times with smoke of ground.
I was so worried that the surrounding horseback men in the area
would attack us, and the leader said to us very often,
"Be careful with your belongings. If you lose anything here,
you will never find it again."
The leader said this so many times. It sounded like if someone
had killed you, nobody would ever find you.
The leader told us the tour takes 15min each way but that was
a big lie.It took us more than 3 times of what he said.
Groups of hill bandits came across us so many times.
Most groups were riding horses while some of them were with
special vehicles.
"Be careful with your belongings. If you lose anything here,
you will never find again."
(If someone kill you here, nobody will ever find you)
We are already nervous to the max.
His words did nothing to calm us.
With maximum strain, we finally arrived to the peak of the hill.
We could see the pyramids in the total darkness but there was
no light at all.
They took us tothe back of the pyramids.
The front side was lighted and the back side was engulfed in darkness.
The leader said "from here, you can see the pyramids by the heart".
For our purpose that we went there for the photograph that was
not an acceptable tour. As I felt earlier it was a total trick.
However our priority was going back alive.
Brad is telling the leader "This is great" "This is awesome"
"Thank you for taking us here"
(He later told me that all of those words came because he wanted them
to be great tour guides, not a group of hill bandits…for our safety reason)
I so many times prayed to god…I want to go back to the hotel with
both of us alive.
Finally, we left the peak going down the hill.
The leader is still repeating "Be careful with your belonging.
If you loseanything here, you will never find it again"
(If someone kill you here, nobody will ever find you)
I don't remember how many times or how long I pray….but finally
we arrived to the place that we got off the car.
The leader said, the government prohibit the pyramids tour after
3 o'clock. At that time I thought we have to finish in 30 minuets
or so.
I want to go back to hotel with both of us alive.
At the end, the leader said "give me the money."
"How much"
"I am not telling you to give me all you have. For a carriage 1200 pound.
There were 3 horses and 600 each for horse. Total of 3000 pound".
At the airport, one U.S. dollar was about 5.5 Egyptian pound…..
It was so much money but I didn't want any risk or argument.
I simply paid 500 some much U.S.dollars.
The leader said "you don't tell police or anyone in the hotel about this
tour".
Brad said "I promise you. You gave us such a wonderful tour.
There is no way that we tell anyone".
I said "I understand. we will keep our mouth shut".
Then the leader said "You promise to god?"
Brad and I both said "Yes, we promise to god".
Luckily it was only money and they did not take my professional camera
(Canon EOS-1D) or my Rolex.
Finally, we made it to the hotel.
We told the hotel manager immediately and the manager fired the chauffeur
on the spot. The limousine became free and he also gave us free Mercedes
ride back to the airport.
For any other people than me, it was probably impossible for photograph.
Thank god I was full time press photographer for more than 20 years.
I know how to adjust…
The next city will be Paris…
Teams.Please,be extra careful. Do not go to Pyramids any time after 3 pm.
We were lucky that came home alive.
