The smallest of the Pyramids at Giza is that of Khufu's grandson Menkaure. This pyramid was built out of limestone and granite, which you can see at the base of the pyramid. We were able to go into this pyramid but were not allowed to use photography. Upon passing through the entrance you must bend at the waist and climb down a long and narrow corridor that leads to the burial chamber. The chamber was empty in this pyramid because the king's sarcophagus was found by excavators in the 1800s and put on a ship to England. Unfortunately, that ship sank in the ocean taking the sarcophagus with it.
After our visit to the pyramids we walked over to the solar boat museum which was at the base of Khufu's pyramid. This museum contains a full size solar boat that was sealed into a pit and was intended for use in the afterlife. It's amazing how a dry climate like Egypt can enable wooden antiquities to survive! On the way a group of young ladies were taking photos of our group, so we took some photos of them too!
Just in case anybody was wondering, yes, we did have an armed guard with us for most of the duration of our travels in Egypt. We had different guards depending on our location but this was our guard for a portion of the time in Cairo. Most of them tried to conceal their weapons (or not) under their jacket, but we could almost always see what they were packing.
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