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We leave the bustle of Cairo to pedal along the Nile for Luxor, Aswan, and the ferry across Lake Nasser to Sudan. The ride is spectacular - the river is lined with palm trees and subsistence farmers wave as we speed past on the smooth roads. Upper Egypt is still considered a bit dangerous for tourists (a legacy of the Luxor massacre), so we are escorted by police wagons as far as Luxor, where we have to take a night train to Aswan.
Cycle to the Summit Part 9 - from Cairo to Aswan
Toby Hammond2006-06-25 19:11:53
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source: http://www.cycletothesummit.org.uk
Sunday 27th January - Leaving Cairo 40km
It is lunchtime, and with a full compliment of visas, dollars and as four cyclists once more, we are finally ready to leave Cairo. We bid our farewells to Nazir, Ahmed and other friends from the Dahab Hotel - pausing only for a last minute scoff-stop at 'Gazaz', -the cheap falafel and fuul (mashed beans) joint just round the corner. We head south along the Nile, spotting the pyramids on our right through the palm trees. As the light starts to wane, we race a donkey cart down the road, the lad driving it standing up, beating the poor beast, and yelling in excitement…but we win the race. We stop at a village called Badrasheen, near Giza, and attract lots of attention as we optimistically ask, using a combination of sign language and miming, -are there any hotels in the area? Our questions provoke a mass of tut-tut-ing and finger wagging - there are no hotels in the area at all. We rule out camping on the village football pitch after villagers are concerned for our safety, and end up being invited to sleep in a kind family's house by their son Magdi. We are told we are the first foreigners to have visited the village, - for at least as far as anyone can remember. While we talk politics with Magdi's brother in law, an English teacher, Ruth goes into the next room where the women are preparing our food - Paul, Owy and myself never meet any of the women, - they are either too shy or are not invited to join us.
After insisting we eat their food rather than our own, we hungrily devour fuul, hard boiled egg, chips, giant warm chapatis and feta-type cheese which is homemade (the family business). Only when we prepare for bed do we realise that they have given us the room and beds/couches they normally sleep on.
Monday 28th January (Badrasheen) to Saturday 2nd February (Luxor)
• Monday
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See photographs from:
Egypt Gallery
