Sefaga Red Sea
Hello everyone,
Here I am in Luxor enjoying my first rest day but of course there is no time to rest. I have lots of things to get sorted before the next leg of our journey, but I did manage to get to the temple of Karnak, which is one of the only sights missed last year. The riding conditions over the last two days have been much different than anything else we've seen so far in Egypt. From Safaga we turned west from the Red Sea into a 50km climb over the Santa Ana (sp) mountains the headwind was gale force and relentless. The hills were barren rocky and dusty. The only life we saw out there were a few nomadic Bedouin women herding goats in search of food and water. Yesterday our ride took us through the city of Qena and along the Nile to Luxor. It is amazing to see how the barren dessert becomes so green and fertile as we draw closer to the Nile. The infrastructure of irrigation canals and channels allows for endless agricultural fields of sugar cane and coriander. The people in these towns are very friendly cheering us on and waving. My use of Arabic is much better than last year so I don't feel like there is so much of a language barrier. So has anyone ever been inside a public Egyptian hospital. Well if you have the option don't. The conditions there are enough to scare anyone to make sure
they don't get injured. I just wish the racers would share the same attitude. Yesterday there was another collision of cyclists and again riders drafting too close caused it. Unfortunately he ended up with a severely broken collarbone and he has now returned home to Europe to recover and hopefully he will rejoin us in Ethiopia. The group this year is much more laid back than last year. Last night we stayed up late into the night drinking and Egyptian knock off of Johnny Walker, called Jonnie Wailer. Looking at some of the riders this morning I would say that it took its toll. But it was a great night our host who we named Captain Islam wore a back scarf around his head and face, he also wore a long back cape over is dirty gown. But every five minutes, he would fly out of the darkness into the circle bringing another round of drinks, more nargila for the giant shisha (water pipe) or more diesels to keep the fire going - truly an Egyptian superhero. Today most of the riders are out seeing the sights and tonight Captain Islam is preparing a pig roast for us. I hope all is well and thanks for all the emails.
PS. I would once again like to thank Mr. Tod Eliot Earle for his incredible words of inspiration
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Posted January 21, 2005 by Randy Pielsticker
Egypt | Tour Updates |
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