My Experience at the Pyramids of Giza

This is my experience at the Great Pyramids of Giza, and the treatment I received by staff and law enforcement.

When at the corner of the Pyramids, I was taking photos when a police officer asked if I wanted to get closer to the Pyramids, motioning me to duck under the chain link. I politely declined knowing he was going to ask for a tip, but was told that I 'couldn't afford it,' to which I laughed. He didn't take kindly to that, and was 'detained' and surrounded by 3 officers for no apparent reason. They made me stand there for 15 minutes before telling me to 'keep walking.'

In one of the mastabas (smaller tombs in front of the Pyramid of Khufu) I saw that multiple people were walking in and out of the complex, and I even asked whether there was a charge for going inside. After being reassured by 3 people that there was no charge, and that this was not an additional fee site, I went down and was there for maybe 2-3 minutes, taking some photos. I then hear loud yells telling me to get out, and that I was spending too much time down there. As I leave, 4 men try to physically block the exit, asking for tips because of my 'extended stay.' I refused and pushed through them. They kept asked me for tips as I was leaving.

On the eastern side of the Pyramid of Khufu, I was walking on top of the smaller mounds to get a picture of the Pyramids. There were multiple other tourists where I was, and this was NOT a marked restricted area. I was then approached by a plain-dressed man who immediately flashed his handgun at me, telling me to come down. I asked for identification, to which he did not offer any documentation. He then asked me to either delete my photos or to give him a tip, with his handgun fully pulled out. I deleted the photos one by one on my camera and left. I will note that the other tourists gave him 300 EGP and were not hassled. This was then proceeded by them following me around the entire pyramid, watching me from a distance.

This is my experience at the Pyramids. To be honest, this was the biggest disappointment of the entire trip. I wasn't given the opportunity to fully enjoy my moment at the Pyramids, something only a rare-few in the world have ever had the chance to experience. While I attribute most of my experiences to being a solo Asian-traveler who appeared to be easily extort-able, it is an absolute shame that this is the experience people who have invested thousands of dollars to explore your country have. For a place like the Pyramids, this was simply unacceptable.

Invest in an Egyptologist to take you around, who mainly to keep you away from the predatory action of others. I met so many delightful, extremely knowledgable guides that elevated my experience so much, although it wasn't the most cost-effective for me.