I visited the Great Pyramid of Giza, and while it's as incredible as you'd expect for the only wonder of the ancient world still standing, I made a rookie mistake

• The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World still standing, which was acknowledged when the New Seven Wonders of the World were introduced in 2007.
• I recently fulfilled a childhood dream to visit the archeological site, as well as many of Egypt's other pyramids, during a trip to the Middle East.
• While I have seen countless photos of the Pyramid prior to visiting, they don't do justice to just how impressive it is in person. 
• The key to a good visit is having a solid tour guide, knowing what scams you might encounter beforehand, and leaving enough time to see everything you want to see. I wish I had split my tour into two days.

There are few monuments in the world as iconic as the Pyramids of Giza, a necropolis that dates back nearly 5,000 years.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World still standing, which was acknowledged when the New Seven Wonders of the World were introduced in 2007.

As a history buff, I've read more books about Ancient Egypt and seen more photos and videos of the Pyramids than I can remember. I even made a diorama of the Giza complex for a project in middle school.

Upon arriving in Giza in December, I caught my first glimpse of the Pyramids, a sight I had been waiting to see since childhood. I fully expected to be disappointed. How could it ever measure up to the Pyramids of my childhood dreams?

But the Pyramids are there, and they are very real and very big. Seeing them for the first time induces the distinct feeling of vertigo.

I took a full day to visit as many of Egypt's 138 discovered pyramids as possible, including the Pyramids of Giza, as well as the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the Pyramid of Unas, the Bent Pyramid, and the Red Pyramid.

The experience was unforgettable, for both good and basd reasons. Here's what it was like:

To take full advantage of the Pyramids of Giza, I stayed as close as I could get. I booked a room with a balcony at the Pyramid Loft Guesthouse. Seeing the Pyramids for the first time in daylight when I woke up induced a distinct feeling of vertigo. It's shocking. They're real!

Breakfast came included with my room at the guesthouse. It was a tasty mix of Egyptian salads, baladi bread, falafel, and ful medames, an Egyptian dish of spiced cooked fava beans.

At 9 a.m., my tour guide picked me up. As I walked out I got a view of Giza life. Many tourists complain about how close the Pyramids are to the city, but I think it makes it more special. As Abrahim, the manager of the guesthouse said to me, "It's kind of amazing that many of our livelihoods are tied to something built 5,000 years ago."