Home » Egypt » Cycle to the Summit Part 7- Egyptian border, Suez and Cairo

We had a barren introduction to Africa, starting with a three-day trip over the Sinai dessert to be contrasted by the hustle and bustle of Cairo - the biggest city in Africa. A few sharp culture shocks are experienced by the team.

Cycle to the Summit Part 7- Egyptian border, Suez and Cairo

Toby Hammond
2006-06-25 18:59:44

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source: http://www.cycletothesummit.org.uk

Friday 11th January - Eilat to Taba 22km

After various errands we travelled the short distance to cross the border into Egypt in late afternoon. We were slapped with a £10 'tax' on the Israeli side and just as we thought we were through the Egyptian bureaucracy there was a further £5 tax for foreigners to leave Taba, the border town. We then discovered that we had in fact crossed at the wrong border post, leaving us no option but to take a longer route round. Light was fading fast, but after a few kilometres we found a deserted beach to camp on, overlooked by an enormous hotel still under construction. We contemplated having entered Africa. The people now looked partly African and partly Arab. Amenities and transport seemed very basic and primitive compared with the other side of the border. Another difference was the lack of vegetation, which suggested the degree of irrigation afforded by Israel.

Saturday 12th January - Taba to El Thamad 85km

The pleasingly musical Muslim call to prayer from an unknown source woke us up. We recalled our error of the previous day and readjusted our plans to prepare for a longer cycle to Cairo than we had originally intended. But the detour was not as long as we feared when we came across a road that was not marked on our map and we were soon embarking on the 700m climb up to the Sinai desert. Just about everyone at the roadside acknowledged us, many shouting "Welcome to Egypt". The desert was not the sand dunes we had been expecting, but interesting rock formations eroded by the wind. We soon reached the flat expanse of the Sinai, which appeared to be a barren wasteland. The kilometres were passing with relative ease now, compared with the previous week's labouring. Despite the recent rainfall we were disappointed not to see desert flowers sprouting - hours passed without ...