Idfu is a town of 150,000 where the tour camps between Luxor and Aswan. It offers a fascinating glimpse into everyday Egyptian life, from its colorful souk to its busy streets and happy people. Horse drawn taxis whisk the tourists from their Nile river cruises into the hustle and bustle of downtown.
For our riders it was a fascinating afternoon of haggling and baksheesh after a 116 km ride paralleling the Nile.
Idfu is also home to what is considered to be the best preserved of ancient Egypt’s temples. The Temple of Horus pays homage to this falcon headed god and was completed during the 1
st century BC and the reign of the Ptolemaic Pharoahs.
The hieroglyphics are particularly stunning as witnessed in this photographic essay of Idfu town and the Temple.
On the one hand keeping 50 hungry cyclists and the staff well fed is one of the most intensive and important jobs on Tour. On the other our Cook Jon Shepheard will experience Africa more intimately than many of the participants as he explores and barters in the local shops and markets in his quest to restock the kitchen with high carb and protein biking food and, when the chance is presented, with local delicacies.
A big food shop was done 2 days ago and so this morning Jon’s aim was to replenish a few key items. Here’s how it unfolded: first we went to the Al Shaimaa bakery where the owner plied us with Egyptian baked goods while Jon purchased 2 bags of long rolls plus honey pastries, date pastries and sweet cakes for dessert tonight. Total cost $18.
Then it was across the street for feta and la vache qui rit cheese, salt, tea, and bleach - cost $26. There Jon related what happened once in Dodoma, Tanzania. Entering a similar sized shop and being advised by the Tour Leader that this was the last decent store for 3 days, Jon surveyed the goods and told the lucky shopkeeper he’d take everything on the shelves and in the storeroom in boxes!
We needed to fill a propane tank and so Remon our Egyptian support partner asked the baker where we could find it. The baker answered that he had an extra full tank at home so off we went through the back streets of Safaga where our empty cylinder was exchanged for his – cost $6.
After a quick stop at a fruit and veg stall for some cilantro to make tonight’s supper delicious we were on the road and soon passing the cyclists en route to lunch and camp. All in all it had been a wonderful and insightful little journey into the food and lives of ordinary Egyptians!
Two days after crossing into South Africa the Tour d'Afrique trucks have arrived at Strandfontein, a quiet summer cottage resort along the Atlantic Ocean about 300 km north of our final destination of Cape Town.
The riders should start rolling in soon, after completing their last real tough day - a 164 km ride from the dorp of Garies to a campsite overlooking the waves of the Western Cape coast. Yesterday brought a challenge in the form of a cold and heavy morning dew that meant we rode in thick soup-like fog up to the lunch truck along the N7 and up and down the heather-strewn hillsides of Namakwaland before the sun broke through.
But nothing can stop the excitement now that the riders' (and staff's) goal of reaching Cape Town and completing this epic trans-Africa odyssey on two wheels is in sight. From here its only 2 more nights next to the roar of the Atlantic surf before Table Mountain looms in sight and we convoy for the final time with friends and family into one of the stunningly situated cities in the world.
It's been an unusually challenging 48 hours in the normally dry desert lands of southern Namibia. After a crystal clear day of riding from Betta a front started rolling in at Konkiep Lapa camp. By dinner it had begun to rain. The night was full of thunder and lightning and a steady downpour meant many would've rather stayed hunkered down in their tents. While it didn't stop pouring until afternoon, the show had to go on. And so after breakfast the riders dealt with 30 km of gumbo like mud in the rain, some of whom were exhausted after 4 hours of grinding through this stretch. Fortunately the pavement then started at Bethanien and while a new found head wind was daunting more than half the riders completed this epic day into the rustic Seeheim Hotel.
After scouting the next day's route all seemed passable but when the lunch truck arrived at the normally strightforward Lowen river crossing it was greeted by a torrent due to the dam upstream having been opened. Luckily there was a railroad bridge a mere 300 meters away and the riders dragged their bicycles through the bush to the bridge while the vehicles doubled back 60 km to cross over at the Naute Dam. Now the 1st riders are arriving at the unique and bizarre Canon Roadhouse where a museum of ancient cars, amarula cheesecake and Windhoek draught are fine rewards for having completed "just another adventure"on the Tour d'Afrique.
This afternoon its off to the Fish River Canyon and then its time for early bed before
tomorrow's last mando day of the race.
25 intrepid TdA racers took part in the 30.25 km individual off road time trial this morning between Solitaire and Seeheim along a relatively smooth stretch of the Namibia C19. While strong head-cross winds, a wet and sandy surface, and a looming thunderstorm posed challenges, the riders rose the occasion, pedaling madly to the finish line just short of the lunch truck. Here are the results for the top finishers:
Men:
Scott DeMoss 55:04
Dennis Kipphardt 55:57
Adam Stickler 56:06
Paul Spencer 56:29
Jörg Hartmann 1:01:22
Luke Naish 1:01:29
Kim Frandsen 1:01:37
Paul Wolfe 1:05:14
Women:
Tori Fahey 1:06:25
A mere 40 km spin from the lunch truck brought the riders into Seeheim, gateway to the famous dunes at Sossusvlei which we all hope to explore tomorrow on the 2nd last rest day of the 2011 TdA.
Our 2nd day in the Namibian outback took us from Weissenfels Horse Farm to the gas station junction dorp and apple pie haven of Solitaire. With record rainfall the desert & berg landscapes were in stunning shades of psychedelic greens reds and browns and wildlife sightings were plentiful. The rain also provided challenges for both riders and vehicles with several mudbaths to be negotiated, one of which threatened to swallow the lunch truck. Once freed it turned around to follow the Indaba trucks in negotiating the tamer Remhootge Pass while the cyclists and bakkies headed for the more treacherous Spreetshoogte Pass. With a gradient of 1:4.5 – 1.6 (15-20%) on the descent towards Namib Naukluft Desert park this is not a route for the faint of heart, but it is another of the innumerable highlights on the Tour d’Afrique. By mid-afternoon the entire cast and crew were gathered once again in Solitaire recounting the day’s tales and remarking how beautiful Namibia is over bottles of tasty Windhoek Draught.
