EGYPT
27 December 2007 – 20 February 2008
2332 Kilometers – 46 Days
27 December - Wadi Halfa, Sudan – Aswan,
Egypt (by ferry)
We were keen to get going as this was the day
we purchased our ferry tickets and got police stamps to exit Sudan. Even after all
the checking and stamps, no one said a word about our expired visas. We couldn’t
wait to board the ferry and get out of Sudan before anyone noticed. The ferry
was an overnight one that departed at four a.m. Ernest was lucky as I splashed
out and took a cabin instead of sleeping on the deck.
The border between the two countries ran
somewhere through the middle of the lake. Following a day of sailing, a
speedboat came hurrying along, police jumped aboard, and our passports were nervously
handed over. Mercifully, no one noticed the dates, and we were free to go. Phew!
Once all the formalities were done, one could
unwind and enjoy a beautiful sunset over the Aswan dam.
The ferry from Wadi Halfa, Sudan arrived in
Aswan, Egypt, around nine o’clock the following morning. We, nevertheless, only
managed to place our feet upon Egyptian soil at about eleven. The saying, “Egypt
was like a visit back in time”, seemed true in more ways than one.
Ernest and I cycled the short 20 kilometres
into Aswan. The first thing upon our minds wasn’t the history or the
magnificent monuments and sand-covered tombs, but finding a hotel, a hot shower
and a beer.
Egypt came as a culture shock after spending a
month in Sudan. Aswan was an overly commercialised madhouse with busloads of
tourists and substantial passenger liners laying 4-deep on the Nile. The
streets were jam-packed with hotels, stalls, curio shops, and touts selling felucca
rides. Feluccas are simple, traditional Egyptian sailboats, a popular means of
transport upon the Nile. We clung to each other staring at the madness
wide-eyed. The aggressive haggling when buying anything from toilet paper to water
was enough to send me scurrying to the safety of a room. My first day was thus largely
spent indoors looking at the chaos through the window.
After three days of mainly eating and drinking;
we were more accustomed to Egypt’s craziness and felt brave enough to face the
Egyptians head-on.
30 December – Aswan – Edfu – 116 km
Three days and many Stellas (the local beer) later,
we finally got underway and biked the 116 kilometres to Edfu. The route was a
well-maintained tarmac road that ran next to the Nile. In stark contrast to
Sudan, the landscape featured green crops of sugarcane, corn, rice, clover, and
even mint. The way led close to the palm-lined Nile sporting excellent views
more or less the entire day.
In the process, we cycled past the unusual
double temple of Kom Ombo, constructed between 180-47 BC. It was further in
this vicinity where more than three hundred crocodile mummies were discovered. The
whole way felt like one endless village, and barely ever did one get the
feeling you were in the countryside, the exact opposite of Sudan. Halfway through
the ride, police insisted upon escorting us to Edfu, where our arrival was
announced by sirens blaring. The Egyptians can make a meal of practically anything.
Edfu was known for its ancient Edfu Temple
constructed between 237-257 BC and dedicated to Horus, the falcon-headed god. Ancient
Egyptians believed the temple was built where the battle between Horus and Seth
took place. So, arriving under police escort with flashing lights and sirens
wailing, we ourselves felt like two Egyptian gods.
31 December – 2 January 2008 - Edfu - Luxor –
122 km
The last day of 2007 arrived, and I couldn’t believe
it’d been nine months since leaving home. Looking out the bedroom window at a
view of the Temple of Horus, I realised how much my life had changed in this
relatively short period.
The way north continued along the Nile and had
opportunities to escape police escorts by following smaller paths. It wasn’t
that the police didn’t notice us, but more a case that if one didn’t pass in front
of them, stopping us wasn’t in their job description. Finally, Luxor was
reached in the dying moments of the day. Having the
impression the campsite was on the opposite side of the river, we hopped onto
a ferry to the West Bank. There was, however, no campsite and another ferry
boat ride (this time a public ferry at a fraction of the cost) took us back to where
a bed at the New Everest Hotel was home that night. I’m sure the name referred
to the stairs one had to climb, not something I appreciated at such a late hour.
Three days were spent in Luxor, indulging in all
the tourist attractions, including the Temple of Luxor, Temple of Karnak and
the Valley of the Kings. Luxor was rightly known as the biggest open-air museum
globally and contained a third of the world’s most important antiquities. That
bit of information was such a mouthful. I read it twice before the words sank
in! Unfortunately, even though three days were spent in the area, it would take
substantially longer to visit everything Luxor had to offer.
I still claim the Temple of Luxor among the
most beautiful in Egypt. It consisted of a complex constructed approximately
1400 BCE, and is one of the best-preserved ancient monuments in Egypt.
Construction of the temple was started by the pharaoh Amenhotep III (1390-52
BC) and was completed by Tutankhamen (1336-27 BC) and Horemheb (1323-1295 BC)
and then added to by Rameses II (1279-13 BC). I only mention this as I considered
it a seriously long time ago.
The Karnak Temple was equally impressive and dated
to around 2055 BC-100 AD. Being the largest religious building ever constructed,
the structure measured 1.5 kilometres by 0.8 kilometres. The Hypostyle Hall, at
16,459 square meters and featuring 134 columns, is still the biggest room of
any religious building in the world. In addition to the main sanctuary were several
smaller temples and a vast sacred lake measuring 129 metres by 77 metres. One couldn’t
help but stand in awe of these magnificent structures. The Egyptians sure had a
vast workforce, time and money in those days.
The Valley of the Kings didn’t disappoint
either. The ancient Egyptians didn’t just build vast public monuments for their
pharaohs but went to great lengths to create hidden underground mausoleums. The
Valley of the Kings was such a place and was made famous by the discovery of
the tombs of Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses II. Walking around and crawling
into dusty tomes admiring what remained of these places (even in the presence
of hordes of tourists), made me feel like an explorer.
3 January – Luxor – Qena – 70 km
On Luxor en
route to Qena, the road again was dotted by numerous police roadblocks requiring
convoy riding. We, nonetheless, ducked and dived along minor tracks and managed
to avoid all the police blocks. Upon arriving at Qena and finding accommodation,
food was next on the list and surprisingly reasonably priced as Qena was out of
the touristy area. Our staple of ful, or foul, and aysh, a brown broad bean
dish eaten accompanied by a type of pita bread, was inexpensive and could be
found almost anywhere.
4 January – Qena – Roadside camp - 84 km
Qena was primarily known for its proximity to
the ruins of Dendaralat, not visited as we were all ruined out by then. From
Qena, Ernest insisted on cycling to Cairo via the Red Sea Coast, even though I
surmised the coast would be extremely windy due to my previous experience. He
was by nature a hard-headed guy and we made our way towards the coast. After nearly
84 kilometres, and upon reaching a settlement sporting a police checkpoint and
a few shops, we called it quits as Ernest wasn’t feeling well. The tents were
pitched off the main road, which turned out a tad in the eye and a noisy affair,
to say the least.
5 January - Roadside camp – Safaga – 84 km
The next day was another 84 kilometres to
Safaga through what was known as the Eastern Desert or the Arabian Desert. The
area is a mountain desert and features astonishing and dramatic scenery and
colours. The day started promising but the wind picked up, and by the time the
port town of Safaga came into view, the wind was close to gale-force. Being a
windy area, both Safaga and the coast were popular destinations amongst kite-
and windsurfers. We hunkered down in the nearest hotel, hoping the weather
would improve by morning.
6-8 January – Safaga – Hurghada – 64 km
Sadly, the weather didn’t improve and biking out
of Safaga, the wind virtually blew me off the bike. On such days, there wasn’t a
great deal one could do but battle onwards. In the process, I lost my sense of
humour somewhere between Safaga and Hurghada. I didn’t regain it until turning in
a westerly direction a few days later. The Red Sea coast was an unforgiving
arid and windswept one. The two “desert rats” were travelling into the
prevailing wind, a constant and intense wind, judging by the wind farms going
ten to a dozen.
At times like this all one could do was put
your head down and concentrate on one pedal stroke at a time until arriving at your
destination. Hurghada was barely 64 kilometres away but took practically the
entire day to reach. Hurghada turned out a nightmare, albeit a tiny fishing
village until the 1980s. It by then stretched 40 kilometres along the ocean and
sported thousands of tourist resorts. Ramped development by both Egyptians and
foreign investors left the area dominated by a multitude of unsightly structures.
A budget room in the old town was more to our liking. Ernest was definitely
better as he finished off a substantial amount of Stellas.
Hurghada offered little more than
scuba-diving, and as the weather was cold and windy, all one could do was eat
and drink. Ernest claimed he still wasn’t feeling well, and we stayed an extra
day. Maybe he’d a case of the “wine-flu”.
9 January – Hurghada – Desert Camp – 52 km
The wind wasn’t as ferocious as the previous
days and we managed 106 kilometres before setting up camp. But, being winter, it
became dark by six o’clock, making short cycling days, especially when setting
out late.
10 January – Desert Camp - Ras Gharib – 52 km
The route took us to Ras Gharib, an oil
production town along the Red Sea coast. Unfortunately, the day was again marred
by a gale-force wind. Although a mere 52 kilometres to the next place, it was
considerably further than what I cared to go in such conditions. Moreover, I
weakened at the thought of a clean and warm room.
11 January - Ras Gharib – Desert Camp - 72 km
The following morning the panniers were
packed reluctantly. I suggested waiting out the weather, but Ernest wanted
nothing of it. I’m unsure what his hurry was as we weren’t going anywhere.
I subsequently discovered this was a typical
mindset amongst cycle tourers early in their journey. Many bicycle tourers are
first destination-minded, and time and distance all-important, allowing little
time to sightsee and explore. That said, everyone cycles in their own way; some
go slow, exploring and experiencing new cultures, food and sights, others go
fast and challenge themselves. For Ernest, it was very much about the latter.
These are minor differences that, if not discussed beforehand, can ruin a cycling
partnership.
Seventy-two kilometres were all we could manage
and towards the end of the day imagined a huge dune could give shelter from the
howling wind. However, the dune did little to stop the wind and instead created
a whirling effect and in no time, the tents, bikes and sleeping bags were
covered in sand. Eventually, Ernest managed to light the stove and as could be expected,
the food had a generous sprinkling of sand. Chewing our grainy meal, I was
grateful we’d something to eat, and when darkness fell, we crawled into our
sandy beds.
12 January – Desert Camp – Zaafarana – 40 km
From our sandy home, the distance was a mere 38
kilometres to Zaafarana, more a truck stop than a village. I couldn’t believe
the wind was even stronger on this day. I honestly didn’t think it possible.
I complained nonstop. Ernest never said a
word, only put his head down and grinded into the unforgiving conditions- me
following in his wake, swearing to the wind.
I read the wind farms of Zaafarana and El-Tur
were the windiest stations in Egypt. I surmised something like that!
13 January – Zaafarana – Desert Camp – 84 km
I was long-lipped getting on the bike, but
the day held a surprise in meeting the Tour D’Afrique riders heading in the
opposite direction and flying south powered by a tailwind. Wimpy, Errol and
Thor, from my 2005 tour were still with the tour, and super awesome seeing
them. As soon as the road reached Sukhna, a surprise awaited. The Cairo road turned
onto the new highway heading west and thus brought a tailwind.
Grinning from ear to ear we proceeded a few more
kilometres before pitching the tents, hoping the wind direction wouldn’t change
during the night. That night, I made sure to toast the wind and performed a
little wind-dance.
14-20 January – Desert Camp – Cairo – 130 km
The breeze was still in our favour the next
morning, and I thought I should be named the next Modjadji. Unfortunately, packing
up was at the speed of light before the breeze could change direction.
Cairo was reached after 130 kilometres and in
rush hour traffic. No one wants to be in Cairo with its 9.5 million inhabitants
in rush hour traffic, especially not by bicycle. It took ducking and diving through
the horrendous traffic before miraculously arriving downtown.
Being already late, the first budget hotel
spotted had to do. So, following a quick shower, we took off to a popular beer
joint, which Ernest rightly deserved on reaching one of his primary goals. Still,
I didn’t think his celebrations would last an entire week, but that’s Ernie!
Our days were spent trying to obtain visas to
Europe but it was a waste of time as one had to apply in your home country. The
next challenge was extending our Egyptian visas, an arduous task. Finally, after
many filling in forms and being shunted from office to office, we were informed
the process took ten days. Phew.
The next few days were spent visiting Cairo’s
well-known sights, of which there were plenty. Our exploring brought us to the Great
Pyramids of Giza, the Stepped Pyramid south of Cairo, as well as the well-known
Bent and Red Pyramids. As, in my mind, no one could leave Cairo without
visiting the Cairo Museum, I dragged a very reluctant Ernest to the museum. The
museum was mind-boggling, and it was best to hire a guide. One could only stare
in amazement at the items on display, from the famous Rosetta Stone to the
items recovered from Tutankhamun’s tomb. It’s pretty amazing what was deemed
necessary in the afterlife. Then, back to our favourite drinking hole where
beer was cheap and accompanied by a plate of hot fuul and salad.
21 January - Cairo - Desert Camp – 122 km
Having itchy feet, we moved along and returned
later to collect the visa extensions. Getting out of Cairo took the best part
of two hours. Still, our chosen route spat us out along a toll road, making comfortable
and effortless biking. The way headed north towards Alexandria and after about
120 kilometres, camp was set up by the roadside.
22 January - Desert Camp - Amriah – 97 km
To my surprise, it started raining during the
night and I could hardly believe it ever rained in the desert. Upon second
thoughts, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise as our route was fast
approaching the Mediterranean. The way north continued past farmlands and many
pigeon lofts, as grilled pigeon was a speciality found on nearly all menus.
23-25 January - Amriah - Alexandria – 42 km
The short distance to Alexandria resulted in
a leisurely start, and we soon arrived at the Mediterranean coast. Alexandria was
a vast and ancient city, formerly home to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World, a 120-metre-high lighthouse, built by Alexander the Great. There was, nevertheless,
no sign of it except a few terracotta lamps in the museum. Alexandria was famous
for its Great Library, considered the archive of ancient knowledge in its
heyday. But, once again, no sign of its past grandeur remained and appeared
replaced by traffic more chaotic than in Cairo. It was scarcely possible to
cross a street on foot and even more difficult by bicycle. Nonetheless, the
city sported a fancy modern library, incorporating both the old and the modern
in its design.
A vicious storm picked up, and the wind blew
at over 30 miles per hour, accompanied by horizontal rain. Ernest and I stayed
put and waited out the storm. Day after day, the storm continued without any
sign of abating. We cleaned and oiled our bikes (let me rephrase that: Ernest
cleaned and oiled the bikes), repacked our bags, read books and watched the
same movies repeatedly.
Our visa extensions were ready by then. So we
hopped on the express train to Cairo and returned that evening (the train
covered the 250+ kilometres in under three hours).
1 February - Alexandria - Baltim – 140 km
Finally, the stormy weather cleared, and we
could resume our journey. The coastal route led 140 kilometres east in Port
Said’s direction, along a flat road with a tailwind. I knew it had to happen at
some point. In the process, the route passed over the Nile delta, where the
river drained into the Mediterranean, an unimpressive place for such a mighty
river, consisting predominantly of farmlands along canals. Tailwind-assisted
Baltim was reached in good time, primarily a holiday resort in summer, but then
deserted without a soul in sight. The digs discovered were dusty and one could tell
the room hadn’t been used recently.
2 February - Baltim - Port Said – 140 km
The next morning, the weather was mild and
the breeze still in our favour and we gunned it to Port Said.
Port Said was the place one could stroll
along the Cornice to view giant cargo ships and tankers move through the Suez
Canal, an impressive scene by anyone’s standards. Ernest was fascinated by ships
and staying another day to eye these giant ships going in and out of the canal
came naturally.
5 February - Port Said - Ismailia - 87 km
Departing Port Said was on a beautiful sunny
day, and biking was pleasurable as we picked up a slight breeze from behind.
Ismailia made an excellent midway stop en
route to Suez. Ismailia was established while building the Suez Canal in 1869
and named after Khedive Ismail, the founder of the canal. The city was
initially created to house European engineers and labourers who worked on the channel.
To this day, Ismailia has a European atmosphere and French architecture.
6-7 February - Ismailia - Suez – 115 km
Getting away early wasn’t difficult as the
room must’ve been one of the filthiest in Egypt, and we were on the way before nine
o’clock. The streets were dead quiet as, typical of a desert country, the Egyptians
slept late. Nearly all business was done after sunset. Biking along the canal sounded
a great idea but wasn’t possible due to police roadblocks. No other option remained
but to head to Suez’s seaport town at the mouth of the Suez Canal along the
main road. A few days were spent watching in awe as the massive ships and
tankers moved through the narrow canal.
More impressive than the modern-day channel was,
a canal dug linking the Red Sea and the Nile way back in the 7th
century AD. This little-known fact blew my mind.
8 February - Suez - Desert Camp – 113 km
Departing Suez was via a tunnel that ran
underneath the canal. I subsequently discovered most foreigners didn’t realise
Africa was connected to Europe and the Middle East. In fact, I considered the
tunnel underneath the Suez Canal more of a subway.
The Sinai coast was uniquely beautiful and
even more so when powered by the wind. Looking back, the unique thing was that one
could see huge ships moving along the canal, but not the channel, resembling
ships sailing through the desert—an extraordinary view. A great deal of the day
was biking through desert terrain dotted by farms cultivating olives and
tamarinds. The area appeared predominantly inhabited by Sinai Bedouins who
lived in settlements throughout the region.
By evening camping was a couple of kilometres
past Ras Sedr.
9 February - Desert Camp - Desert Camp – 130 km
Spectacular desert mountain landscapes
greeted us as we pedalled along, stopping ever so often to enjoy a cup of tea. Eventually,
the route left the ocean and turned inland, soon reaching the turnoff to St
Catherine. Interestingly Bedouins still lived in the area and wouldn’t be
offended if one sought shelter with them. This was, after all, the Sinai Desert.
They were generally honoured to offer hospitality to travellers. If you do, don’t
overstay your welcome. Bedouins believe a reasonable stay is three days. The
first day is for greeting, the second day for eating, and the third day for
speaking.
10-12 February – Desert camp – Saint
Catherine – 106 km
St Catherine is situated 1,570 metres above
sea level, and the 106 kilometres were almost all uphill. We barely noticed as
the landscape was unique, and the mountains changed colour from white, red,
blue, black and purple. En route, the way led past Ferrin Oasis, Sinai’s
largest and broadest wadi covered by plenty of palm trees. The uphill ride made
reaching St Catherine, located at the foot of biblical Mt Sinai, long beyond sunset.
Being winter and at altitude, the weather was
understandably freezing by the time we pulled into Fox Camp, and tents pitched
in a tremendous hurry. Ernest made food, while I remained curled up in the sleeping
bag.
There was no getting out of bed the next day
before the sun warmed the air, and 9h30 before we surfaced. Instead, the day
was spent lazing around, solely leaving camp to visit nearby St Catherine’s Monastery,
constructed between 527–565 AD. Saint Catherine has an old and fascinating
history, important to all three major Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Islam
and Judaism). It’s rumoured the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments
as well as the site the Prophet Mohamad wrote about in his Letter to the Monks.
Fox Camp was fascinating, and by evening, we
joined the other travellers in a massive Bedouin tent where a fire was lit and it
turned out surprisingly warm inside.
The following morning, we didn’t defrost
until midday and thus late when we started up Mt Sinai. The walk up the
mountain was beautiful, featuring stunning scenery and views of the surrounding
mountains. At the summit was a mosque, still used by Muslims, as well as a
Greek Orthodox chapel. After exploring, we hurried down the mountain to join
the others in the tent already warmed by the fire.
13 February – St Kathrine’s – Desert Camp –
91 km
Waking to ice on the tent indicated time to seek
warmer weather. Once again, it was midday before getting underway and onto the east
coast’s hilly road. Our late start made wild-camping along the way, only
reaching Dahab the following day.
14-18 February – Desert Camp – Dahab – 45 km
Dahab was a smallish town along the Gulf of
Aqaba and considerably warmer than the mountainous interior of Sinai. Years ago,
pleasant Dahab was a Bedouin community, but today it’s a major (but still
low-key) diving destination. It had a real holiday/hippie/Goa feel featuring a
turquoise sea, palm trees, waterside restaurants, and plenty of budget
accommodation, just the thing needed. Our choice was an abode practically on
the beach, and the upstairs bar with its happy hour made it a perfect spot. The
warmer weather, snorkelling, an abundance of books and good food made us linger.
19 February – Dahab – Nuweiba – 82 km
Laid-back Dahab made kicking back easy. No
wonder many got stuck there. A breeze picked up, signalling time to move along.
We did precisely that and set out to Nuweiba along a hilly and windy section.
The wind made a late arrival in Nuweiba and Dolphin Camp was an excellent
choice, located right on the seafront. Nuweiba was as close to paradise as one
could wish. A few days were spent watching the sunrise over the Hijaz mountain
range of Saudi Arabia and the Aqaba Gulf, a truly spectacular sight.
Nuweiba, Egypt – Aqaba, Jordan
From Nuweiba, one could bike via Israel and
Lebanon or take the ferry to Jordan and cycle via Syria to Turkey. Being
difficult or near impossible to get into Syria having an Israeli stamp in the
passport. The uncomplicated ferry crossing from Nuweiba to Jordan was a
no-brainer. I was sure a boat sailed from Taba to Aqaba, which would’ve been significantly
cheaper, but I could not confirm its existence. Moreover, the ferry departed
after 5 p.m. instead of 3 p.m., resulting in reaching Jordan after dark. Out
late arrival further meant an hour’s riding at night before getting to the city
centre.
