A panoramic view. For scale, those are people in front of the pyramid.

False entrance to the great pyramid of Cheops. (Khufu)

False entrance to the great pyramid of Cheops. (Khufu)

The real entrance. The guide told me they only let 150 people a day inside.

Both "entrances" to the great pyramid and a sense of scale.

Both "entrances" to the great pyramid and a sense of scale.

Looking up the side of the great pyramid.

Scale of the blocks of the lower courses of the pyramid.

The pyramid of Chephre (Khafre) is in the foreground, which makes it seem larger than the pyramid of Cheops.

Slightly different view of the two main pyramids.

The pyramid of Mycerinus (Menkaure). I went inside this pyramid down to the chamber which held the sarcophagus.

You can still see some of the casing that remains at the top of Khafre's pyramid. The Tura limestone that was taken from the pyramids was used in Cairo.

The back-lit Sphinx (THE Sphinx) guards Khafre's pyramid.

The Sphinx. Somehow, my camera was fooled into not adjusting correctly. (I think I was standing in a shadow.) If you peer closely, you may be able to see some of its features.

The Sphinx. The picture has been cleaned up by changing the contrast and brightness. (I could get to like digital editing.)

You can tell that it is Khafre's pyramid in the background and the Sphinx even in this badly exposed picture.

You can tell that it is Khafre's pyramid in the background and the Sphinx even in this badly exposed picture.

Las Vegas: Could the Sphinx once have looked like this?

Pyramids of Khafre (right side) and Menkaure (left side) with the Sphinx in between.

First look at the Temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel. The front is 108 feet high by 125 feet wide. Although is is difficult to imagine, this (and the Temple of Nefertari) were taken apart, raised 60 meters, moved to this point, and reconstructed. This was done to avoid having them covered by Lake Nasser.