Too slow out here

Hi there all.

This computer and dial up connection is far too slow and tedious! I'm going to leave it for Khartoum ... still need to get back and pack. We had a rest day today ... did my washing, fixed my bike (or maybe our Bikeboy did - Dean) - had a broken spoke and buckled wheel, cleaned my bike, been re-packing, shaving and relaxing a little.

Thanks for all the comments ... tried to fly thru my e-mails ... and did not reply to everyone due to this slow connection ... please keep them coming and I do really appreciate them!!

I'm happy - or should I say very happy - enjoying the life up here! A bit sore and stiff, saddle sores coming along and settling into a new routine with the good old South Africans running the trucks and overland company that is supporting us. Some article apparently quoted me saying that I will attack in the desert and improve on my fifth place ... no chance there ... firstly the boys up front (Gunther, Chris, Eric and Adri) are far to fast and I'm enjoying a slower/sightseeing tour at the moment.

Keep well and I'll be in touch in six days.

Nubian Desert

Eric with a flat tyre ... number two in ten minutes ... Patrick watches and learns
The same ... corrugation and sand ... over and over again
Lekker morning ride ...
Even deserts have hills
Another common sight ... numerous parallel lanes thru the desert ... one of them has to be better ... but which one???

See you in two weeks

I'm off to play in the sandpit for a while ... will be in touch in Khartoum.

Ciao

Bloody litter

Hi there all. The litter situation around here eventually really pissed me off. I was working real hard in the front bunch ... we were all enjoying the last tar day, for quite a while, and the boys were attacking over and over again.

About 60km into the 112km day, a plastic packet flew across and got stuck in my chain/rear jockey ... aagghh ... it took well over a minute to get it out and I lost the bunch. I did have a pleasant ride alone to Aswan ... along the Nile.

The children have all been quite aggressive along the route the last two days. Shaun got whacked with a stick, Howard had a boulder thrown at him and others were hit and abused too. The traffic picked up a little again, Aswan is clean and tidy - much hotter as we go South - and very beautiful around here.

Sand Castles

Wednesday 24 January ... the honeymoon will be over!

Apparently day one in the desert is only 55km long ... you might say yeehaa ... but we will probably all take about six hours, plus!

Sounds like fun ... ;-)

Unfortunately we will be out of Internet/phone reach for a good 12 days until we get to Khartoum.

I might say Hi tomorrow ... otherwise don't miss me too much, love you all and have fun - even if I'm not ;-)

Tomorrow and into Sudan

Well we have got some interesting days coming up. 115km (racing again - if my body can do it)down to Aswan tomorrow ... maybe one last time for the Internet, but not too sure.

Monday morning we head off to the ferry and wait. Apparently it is total chaos ... a real circus as people scramble, fight, push and pull to get their stuff onto the boat. Apparently we have a booking - primitive cabins, packing space and a dedicated time for boarding ...

The fun, patience and unknown starts as we approach Wadi Halfa ... aka Sudan. Customs and border officials board the vessel and we have more forms, passport copies and monies to hand over - anything from 30 to 50 US Dollars ... we'll see?! We have been instructed to take with a very large dose of patience and a bottle of Unpredictability Treatment.

Once in Wadi Halfa we meet the overland trucks from South Africa (African Routes) - pack stuff over and fix up our bikes for the sand ...!

The bottle ...

It is usually called Johny Walker ... not John Waler ...

Looks identical in all other respects (from a distance) ... but tastes real bad.

Patrick takes a tumble ...

Well it had to happen sometime ... and it was the highlight of an otherwise very relaxed day.

We left at the usual time - around eight - but very leisurely due to it not being a race day. Due to security issues and potential traffic issues. The road ended up being very sparsely populated by vehicles, good quality, flat and open. We had much more problems with unruly kids ... hitting us, throwing stones, begging and generally being irritating. Andrew, Remy and myself again charged along together - welcome to slicks Remy - but ended up enjoying a very nice and relaxed day with Gerhard and Vivian.

The usual security concerns resulted in some riders having to wait 30 minutes, as they were held up at a check point till half of us were together ... and then had to continue in convoy for the last section.

Patrick (moi) took the liberty to plant himself face down on the road and take two fellow riders down with himself. Many apologies to Remy and Janet!! We were crossing a railway line running diagonally across the road - paved all round by cobble stones - and my front wheel slipped out from under myself.

Grazed/gashed right knee, right elbow and a bruised right hip (greater trochanter) ... most significantly a hugely bruised ego ... ;-)

Oh ... and for that Turquoise Stone - which is believed to help stop people from falling off their horses ... it obviously does not apply to bicycles ...

At the next railway crossing (I was at the back of the group) the police officer stopped the whole bunch again, got off his motorbike and specifically pointed out the crossing to me as I approached ... Thanks!!

Edfa

Hi again all ... we are staying on a soccer field in Edfa - right besides the Nile, half way between Luxor and Aswan. The Internet Cafe is right behind the soccer field ... so I've just popped in ...

This place is busy, bustling and very lively - yet not overcrowded, in-you-face or oppressive in any way. A nice market/bazaar and a beautiful temple ... one of the most preserved ancient temples around. Apparently it was covered in sand for hundreds of years - Nile flooding. And then cleaned/cleared, etc in more recent times.

What is odd here ...?

And it tastes like real sh1t!!

More Luxor

Thats one way to use an old tomb

The Nile

Luxor

• the robots here are real funky ... there is a count down - in either red or green - above the robot to let you know how long it is still going to be that colour.
• Tour buses rule this city!!!
• We went to the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens ... the tombs are unbelievable and it is really difficult to describe the feelings and impact these sites have on one if you have not been there.
• I had a very comfortable dress code yesterday ... We all got our laundry done at the camp/hotel ... but the second bus with my clean clothes hadn't arrived yet ... so I made do in good old Cape Town/South African style.

Answers to some questions

• The picture is of Frodo ... Sarah's latest investment ... did Gandalph not enjoy his toys anymore??
• The density of the towns along the coast: Very sparsely populated - absolutely nothing besides military and truck stops between towns spaced out a good hundred or so kilometers.
• There are LOTS of cars in Cairo, not too many along the Red Sea (possibly one every three minutes or so). Up towards Qena even less, but more so closer to Qena. Around Luxor surprisingly little I'd say (compared to Cairo). Lots of donkey carts, little tractors and trucks. Cars are very old all over ... lots of Peugeot (especially taxis) and lots of old cars obviously bought off the Germans ... D stickers and old German registration plates still under the Egyptian plates. Cairo had a few ... but noticeable ... real luxury vehicles and a fair amount of newish Hyundai.
• Poverty seems to be very evident. Everyone seems to dress very similar and not fancy at all - it is nice not to have noticeable image conscious branding, etc. Tourism is obviously one of the main - if not the main - industry. Everything seems to revolve around tourists. Around the coast and Cairo there was no sense of farming or cultivation - but up here along the Nile it is evident in every direction. Lots of sugar cane and lots of vegetables. Some land is owner-cultivated, but most is owned by others and local workers tend to the land. There is a sugar refinery about 20km south of Luxor. Around Luxor poverty seems much more evident and people openly ask for money as opposed to trying to sell or offer services to you.
• Communication is difficult ... but it is interesting how much one can do if one really wants to, or needs to. English is not used widely at all ... even the hotels, restaurants and tourist facilities are not very well versed in English. Everyone seems to know the same few words to try and get into a conversation. Admittedly ... even if their use of English is poor, there is absolutely no shortage in their trying to communicate with tourists!!
• Luxor and surroundings are much cleaner, brighter ... especially due to green vegetation ... than Cairo and the Red Sea. Still shocked that the locals (even the apparently better educated Tour Operators) just dump their rubbish anywhere and everywhere ...??

Our Route to come

Tomorrow and Sunday we will be travelling down to Aswan ... about 115km each day (probably lots of traffic, chaos, etc)

On Monday we travel briefly to the ferry and then cruise over night to the Sudan landing ... at Wadi Halfa. Should arrive lunchtime on Tuesday ... expect the border process to be bureaucratic and in need of lots of patience ...

We then enter the SAND ... apparently nothing can prepare us for the barren, endless, tough and awe inspiring appearance of the Sahara Desert ...

We travel close, but not directly on the Nile, southwards through Dongola and leave the Nile at Abu Dom towards Khartoum. After Khartoum we will have a little bit of sanity and tar under our tyres as we head for Gedaref (South-East) and then really rough it down to the border to Ethiopia at Qallabat/Metema

Not sure about our Internet access in Sudan (Khartoum should have) ... so besides a possible quick "Hello" at Aswan in two days time I will be gone for a while ...

Security Madness!

Ten years ago Egypt was rocked by some severe bombings and killings - where many tourists lost their lives. The were several different incidences round 1997 and 1998. And due to Egypt's severe dependence on Tourism for income ... they do have a VERY evident security presence all over!!

Our days on the road, as well as nights at the camps, are continuously supervised and supported by military and police entourages. We have lead vehicles, sweep vehicles and vehicles driving up and down along the whole distance covered by all the riders.

We go through regular police checkpoints ... probably every ten kilometers on the main road from Qena to Luxor and less in the previous areas along the Red Sea and towards Qena. All Tour buses have to travel in convoy, with police escort, between Cairo and Luxor - so we had convoys of well over 50 buses creaming passed us as all other traffic gets stopped for the convoy. All traffic also gets stopped for us as we progress thru the countryside.

There are some major checkpoints out of some bigger towns ... where those cyclists leaving early in the morning were getting lots of hassles about cycling alone ... especially the women. We started out Safaga- Qena day from the check-point and we were all stopped and our Race Numbers were noted down (probably as registration numbers??) before we could continue. By the way ... my number is 127.Throughout town there is also always a very strong police presence.

On our Tour of Luxor (today) we had a plain clothed police/security person travelling on the bus and walking to the sites with us - armed with both a machine gun and a hand gun. No other tour groups had this type of escort ... maybe they don't trust us crazy people who cycle thru Africa?? Oh, yes, we also had some fancy, well dressed and stiffly cold (high ranking?) official from the Tourism Police travelling with us on the bus.

Thru Qena to Luxor

Everything changed from Qena!!

We camped in a desert camp a good 15km before Qena. The traffic was noticeably denser closer to Qena and we had no choice but to ride in a convoy ... security pressures/instructions. We were led thru Qena ... still in convoy and witnessed our first Tour Bus Convoy ... over fifty tour buses screaming past with intermittent police vehicles escorting them.

From Qena to Luxor we travelled along one of the irrigation canals - supplied by the river Nile. There are continuous houses and shops along the way, people and ample cultivated fields.

The people persistently call out greetings and requests for money and endless screams of "Hello!!" from waving children on all sides.

We were going at quite a pace ... all the "racers" together ... when Andrew unfortunately broke his chain and I dropped back to watch him - sorry my mechanical skills are useless so I only offered to watch.

We ended up having a very pleasant and relaxed ride ... tagging along with Alice, Darrel, Gerhard and Remy ... who had a puncture on the start line ... aagghh - I hope I never have that.

Luxor to Qena

The hectic hill ... was an absolute joke ... not sure what they were smoking last year if they remember there being a hill. It was the most gradual of inclines - that one didn't even notice it. Not even 700m climb over a distance of 40km!! The wind was not too bad in the morning ... but we were quite hungry and tired by the first lunch stop after 60 odd kilometers.

Food, Music, Bike and an Open Road ... HAPPINESS!!

After the lunch stop I put on my ipod and felt totally exhilarated. We were once more cruising along at over 40km/h and simply having an awesome time. It is difficult to put in words how I really feel ... it is unbelievable to be under the sun, on an open road, speeding along, with little to no stress and knowing that the whole of Africa is still lying ahead ... ;-)

I spent most of the day cruising along with Remy and Andrew ... and the never absent police support vehicle. We later caught up with Pierre, Janet, Nels and some others and worked very hard into a strong afternoon headwind.

We were very happy to find our desert camp a little earlier than anticipated ... and we had a hosepipe to shower under!!!

You are getting spoilt!!

Hi all ... arrived in Luxor today - our first rest-day of the trip tomorrow!! Yeeha ... my legs can do with a little rest and recovery after nearly 800km in the last six days. I'm still absolutely ecstatic about the tour ... simply awesome ... cruising thru the countryside with no stress and all the time to see and absorb the world around us.

Off on a tour of the West Bank tomorrow morning and maybe fit in the Temple of Karnak in the afternoon. I'll fit in some blogging and e-mailing in the afternoon.

This town is much nicer than Cairo ... but full of tourists ... especially all the Krauts!! Got a hotel room again ... yes, I know, I'm going thru Africa and shouldn't take it so easy ... but I recon I'll be real sick of my tent very soon ...

I'll be in touch tomorrow ... cheers for now.

once more today

uugghh ... just had garlic laced dinner ... even for me too much. I'm not complaining ... food on the trip is absolutely brilliant! And way more than enough.

I'm absolutely pooped and ready to dive into bed in the next thirty minutes or so.

Just got our race briefing for tomorrow: Gentle meander out of town to the police check-point. Then the racers can head off ... 45km uphill (continuous) with a guaranteed head-, or possibly side-wind. No downhill to follow ... we travel another 110km along the plateau with the sane continuous wind ...

Some more interesting tit bits:

• If one wants attention or guaranteed service from the local men ... sit with Alice ... the blond hair attracts all their attention immediately
• Darrel was interviewed by The Cape Times on day two ... one question the interviewer asked: "So, would you do the tour again?". My, my ... not the brightest ...
• Not sure if one calls it culture or what ... but littering is absolutely crazy here. We set up bins (packets and cardboard boxes) at the camps. Only for the local support group ... or some of them ... simply to throw the stuff out in the open, into a ditch or so once we are done.
• My legs are stiff and sore!
• The hotel here is odd ... 80EP for a single room (which has two beds) and 182EP for a double room (exactly the sane type of room) ... don't even try to reason with them ...

That's all for now folks ... hope to catch up in two days whilst enjoying our first full rest day in Luxor.

Lotsa love ... Patrick

heading off for now

i'm getting kicked out of this chair by my fellow cyclists ... i have been sitting here for a good three hours ... i'll check in later again ... after dinner

ciao

Some more thoughts

• The picture above is what we have been looking at for the last four days ...
• Many more English signs around the towns, resorts, settlements in this area ... even a ERA Steer FOR SALE sign
• The towns Hugada and Safaga are noticeably cleaner, more upmarket, better sign posted, etc ... but then these are tourist areas - especially for the Germans!!
• My Polar Watch stopped reading my speed/distance ... it seems to be the battery in the sensor ... and the agents said they checked it in December ... THANKS for nothing. I did get another speedometer from someone else ... truly thanks to Nels.

keep the comments coming

hi there ... i really like the short comments and greetings here on my blog and to my email address ... keep them coming ... even if they seem arb and simple ...

Daily Kilometers: 110/170/140/130/140/95/rest

aagghh ... 170km on day two!!!

Day one was tiring - the convoys are slow and tedious! The adrenalin and excitement all made us very tired.

Day two was not too bad ... actually very good .. but long

Day three was awesome ... eat your shorts all you cyclists!!!! 140km at an average of over 42km/h. We completed it in under 3h30 with a lunch break, on an MTB!! ... But I must admit that we had no real hills and a gale force wind of note pushing us along!!!

Today was not 130 ... closer to 110km. Bombed along with the wind again ... ran out of gears several times and clocked 78km/h at one stage - was even doing 54km/h uphill!!

Unfortunately this euphoria will end soon ... probably tomorrow as we head for the mountains, direction Luxor ... and the wind in our faces ... I recon my good mood will be destroyed half way through tomorrow morning.

Day after tomorrow will be a quick 95km into Luxor and a rest day to follow ... so the first very important WASHING DAY will soon be upon us!

Daily Routines

Currently we get woken at 06h30 by the bus horn and Duncan walking around blowing a whistle.

Two nights ago some police car decided to blow his siren at 03h56 in the morning. I heard Darrel rummaging around but thought nothing much about it. It turns out he got up at that hour and started dismantling his tent thinking it had been the wake-up call. When it dawned on him that it was still quite dark and no one else was around he went in search of his cellphone to check the time ... ;-)

Some people get up a little earlier - pack and leave on the trek for the day - one can leave at anytime after sunrise. Basically we need to eat breakfast (provided), get dressed and pack up camp to leave at eight. 08h00 is the time the racers all leave ... the fast and the slow racers. We have to register as a racer before each section and it basically means that our time will be recorded - not necessarily that we will be going for a win ... we will let Chris and Adri fight that out over the next four months.

Once on the road we will encounter the lunch truck somewhere roughly half way along the day's route where we get some energy bars and sandwiches and drinks. Then we head on to the end of the day's cycling. I generally head off with all the fast guys - and Janet. This bunch tends to break up along the way with some screaming off ahead and others dropping off behind me.

Once at camp we get our kit off the bus, put up our tents and get changed. I tend to have a quick wash in the tent. Then we lounge around, fiddle with bikes, read, snooze, re-pack, organise, go swim (the last two days), etc. Just after sunset (about five thirty I think ... don't wear a watch after the ride) we have a rider meeting re problems and the next day's route. Then a very big dinner and off to chill before bed ... about nine - give and take.

Toilets have been over this or that sand dune with a shovel and a roll of toilet paper ... and yes we were supposed to bring our own toilet paper ... aahh how much I miss the two ply with the little puppies printed on it.

General

As you might seem to notice - I AM in good spirits. I'm currently thoroughly enjoying the trip. My muscles are a little sore, my butt as well - but neither too bad. The weather has been WINDY!!! beyond belief - last night some people had to dismantle their tents and lie inside them due to the wind nearly destroying them standing up. It has been fairly cool with this wind - but quite pleasant today and yesterday - quite chilly as soon as the sun sets though.

The terrain is very consistently barren - sand!!!

No trees. Lots of police and military outposts and checkpoints on the way. Roads generally VERY good - two and three lanes both ways. It has been very flat to downhill nearly all the way ... hence the good spirits. We still pass many incomplete developments along the way. Today we passed thru Hurgada and into Safaga ... noticeably more upmarket holiday resort areas - palms, gardens, painted and structurally complete buildings all round. People are friendlier and generally everything more pleasant.

The bunch

The top picture includes all the South Africans ...

• Shaun - Formerly East London, now here and there and I can't remember what field he is in
• Darrel - Cape Town, marketing field. Totally chilled, relaxed and never cycled more than 50km before this tour
• Alice - Jo'burg, physio - just finished community service and decided on Christmas Day to do this trip!!
• Dave - currently living in Zurich - I think formerly from Stellenbosch, IT industry
• Howard ... used to be in South Africa - now lives half his life on his yacht and the rest doing crazy things like this tour

The Germans are in the picture below ... Marcus, Patrick and Gerhard

Lots of other interesting people. The Tour leader is Jack - he did the tour two years ago and decided in the first week that he'd come back to help another time. Duncan - a Kiwi - did it last year and is assisting Jack. Shanny is from Canada - working for the organising company and is helping out for the first six weeks. We have a bike mechanic - Dean from Canada - not too busy yet ... but I'm sure he will not get bored!! The nurse - Elaine - works with the nurse who came thru last year and had heard so much good about the tour. Rachel - our sheep loving Aussie who is able to crash a bicycle on an open, flat, uninterrupted stretch of road by going over her handle bars ... thank god she is the communications person and not responsible for other more intricate stuff ... They are all totally chilled, relaxed and real good fun!!!

There are many others amongst the 32 riders. I'll touch on some here and there ... as I get to know them better.

Patrick having fun in Cairo

The other guy on the pictures is Sean - from Canada and Sarah is from USA.

Around Cairo

Some pictures from Cairo ... trying to put several in this one entry ... not sure how it will work.

Three pictures of the pyramid/s at Giza ... far away, closer and stone work - real close.

The market (Khan el Khalili) is real good fun to shop for artifacts, souvenirs and lots of junk. Real good fun to haggle!

The hieroglyphics are from one of the Tombs next to the Giza Pyramids.

The Sphinx is much smaller than I expected.

These locals are not that bad ...

These locals really are not that, nor that local. I had a very nice day with Billy and Christy (my friends riding by horse thru Africa). They were currently several kilometers south of where we were staying in Cairo. Met them in town (Cairo) and had lunch, mailed at the internet cafe and then went with them to find horse feed thru the back streets of Cairo ... starting at the stables where the horses get kept for the pyramid rides.

They are doing very well and are in very good spirits ... good luck, enjoy and it was good to see you guys again!!!

Stop pissing off the locals, Patrick

110V means 110V ... NOT 220V

Sean popped in to quickly shave my hair with his electric razor on Friday evening at about 23h30 ... just before he packed his clippers far away.

Cool - lets have one millimeter all round and we''ll see how well/far it grows. All started well for about half of my head ...

... KABOOM ... flames, smoke, ashes and a couple of hotel room circuits less ... and his clippers were no more. I'm not too sure how he imagined 110V clippers to survive in 220V supply ... ;-)

Well ... no problem I said ... we will be roughing it anyway. "No, No" said Sean, "I'll shave it quickly!" So four razors later and 02h10 in the morning we eventually finished ...!

No luck there with a good nights sleep before day one ...

Where to start ...?

I've got so many things to share with everyone ... and simply do not know where to start ... do I go day after day or do I just highlight exciting and interesting stuff?

Well day one was real exciting and COLD!! We were dragged out of bed at 05h00 and got our last stuff together. A quick breakfast ... where I noticed Sean and Andrew were absent ... I called them from the lobby at 06h35 (we were to leave at 06h30) and they were still fast asleep ... they never got their wake-up call. Poor Sean has had a real rough time from the Cataract Pyramids Resort ... and yes they are pathetic - service, etc.

We eventually left at o7h30 in convoy with police and military escort to the Pyramids ... Giza. Second time round and still amazing!! Here we had a brief address by several persons and off we went. Obviously with thousands of photographs all round.

It was cold and windy. We went a good 20km in convoy again till we left town .. and started to RACE!!

Well ... I tried to keep up with the racing bunch ... but after 15 minutes of panting and a heart rate of 186bpm. I dropped back and we formed a real nice group for the first day.

We have continuous police and military escorts - who drive up and down the whole field checking on everyone. They determine the camp sites ... a god distance from anywhere on the side of the national road.

On day one we headed out eastwards. Slightly south of the main national road to Suez. We camped on the side of the road about 20km from the Red Sea.

I'm alive in Safaga ... on the Red Sea

Hi there all. We had a quick sprint ... about 105km in 2h50 and arrived in Safaga - on the Red Sea - just before 11 o'clock. Ive booked into a little hotel and just had a great shower!!

Cairo - Egypt

What a place ... my feelings from day one till today have changed a lot! Once you find your bearings, meet locals and other tourists/tour members, experience their cuclture and see more of the town - one enjoys it much more!

The town is DIRTY! Very Dirty. But surprisingly today, on a Friday, they a cleaning big time. Not sure if this is due to it being Friday or because it is so much safer due to much less traffic and people around. The Pyramids, Bazaar and other areas though, are also very filthy and this is not due to numbers. Speaking to other travellers though - the city is apparently no worse - actually better - than other huge cities with equal populations ... a good 20 million inhabitants in Cairo alone.

The people are extremely friendly ... apparently in the city they always want a tip and money. In the country (that sounds so English and green/lush/hilly I say ... as opposed to sand, sand and more sand in this country) the people are even more helpful and friendly and do not expect money all the time.

The town is full of incomplete buildings ... endless kilometers of developments - appartment blogs - that have no window frames and completed top stories/roof ... these are still occupied, but top floors are empty or makshift coverings applied and windows routinely varied and improvised. Apparently the developers/inhabitants do not pay a final building tax until the building gets completed ... so they simply never get completed.

P.S. the keyboard I'm using is terrible ... the spell check on this site is iffy and I'm rushing to fit in stuff before my taxi arrives ... so sorry for any irregularities ...

lets try this ...

Howdee all - been having difficulties with this sight access .. so lets see how far I get.

Briefly ... I've relaxed a lot! Eventually got my Visa, found my comfort zone and met lots/most of the other participants. The local touts, beggars and irritants obviously recognise those persons that have been around for a while and their drive to sell, swindle and annoy us has dropped drastically ... our responses and attitudes have obviously become more resolute and confident over the last few days. We tend to joke and comment back as much as they do ... and we all have a lot of fun when we obviously don't understand each other.

Today is a very quiet day in Cairo - the streets are comparatively nearly empty and most shops are closed ... PROBLEM - 'cause I need a bank urgently to buy more dollars. I forgot a stack of it at home and need more for border crossing, etc.

At one o'clock we are have our tour briefing and questions - a good two hours - and this evening the Department of Tourism is taking us on a Nile River Boat Dinner Cruise ... probably not too much boozing if we are starting at about seven tomorrow morning ... yeeha/eventually!!!

Pyramids, etc

WOW!! The Pyramids are immpresive! The main ones at Giza are huge and very imposing ... 4600 years old! And the Spinx is so tiny ... I always imagined it much bigger. So many people have said not to waste you time here, especially not to go inside ... not sure what they were thinking, but I think it was well worth it - I went into the first big one (can't remember the name now) and no it was not stinking and too simple.

The camels, horses, donkeys, postcard sellers, etc are a pain in the arse ... not sure if they don;t understand english ... but "No" means "No" nthe first time and the 50th time. I'd maybe change my mind if they gave me some interesting reasons ... but "No" is "No". And I will not tempt fate two days before my epic cycle tour and fall off one of these huge dangerous beasts ... ;-)

The Bazzar at Khan al-Khalili is awesome ... little alleys and coffee shops with all sorts sold to locals and tourists. The haggling is fun and humorous and the bustling and people full of life and atmosphere. There is never a fear of pick-pockets, theft or violence ... you just have to barter hard to get an acceptable price on all goods - from coffee to silver and other crafts.

The Egyptian Museum was good ... but VERY dissapointing in that it is more like a huge (impressive building) store room with all the items laid out and little to no information and details given. The Mummies are incredible - real mummies wrapped and partially exposed with some interesting info on each one ... at an extra cost of EP100 (roughly R120). King Tut's ornaments and burial "goods" are unbelievable ... especially for a ruler who was so young, only ruled for a good nine years and apparently he had relatively little influence on the empire while he ruled.

OOps ... gotta run ... and goota find my way back to the taxi ...

Sorry no pictures yet ...

gotta problem with the computers and their ability to utilise my memory stick with pictures at the moment ... will try to find a solution soon!!

GOT IT!!

I have never ever (honestly) felt so nervous before ... but eventually got the Sudan visa!!

Went there this morning to drop it off ... supposed to open at nine ... welcome to Africa - no one at the counters till quarter-to-ten ... then drop this here, go to that window, do this, do that ... and you just pray you are doing everything correct. Everyone there has some horror story of someone who didn't get their visa for a good month or so.

I was told to come back later ... tried to converse and one person said two hours - the other said two o'clock ... maybe his English is bad and he ment two hours and not two o'clock??

Well we went to a market for some time ... sight seeing and stuck in traffic. I went back at one and the right person was off .. who knows where? Eventually someone came with all the passports ... except mine ... yeehaa-f.....-yeeha!

A while later another pile came and mine cropped out of the woodwork ... with my stamp ... imagine me with one hell of a smile now!!!

Just an interesting point ... in '93 travelling all over - including north Africa - people always exclaimed "Mandela" when I say I'm from South Africa. now everyone exclaims "Bafana Bafana!!' .. and adds that they just recently kicked our butts!

Sudan ... why art thee so difficult

Feeling a lot more settled and comfortable today. Slept well, ate well and found my bearings a little. After running around all day yesterday organising everything for my Sudan Visa - I made an assault on the Sudan Embassy early this morning ... CLOSED FOR THE DAY!

aagghh!!

We simply had a good laugh ... and I'll just have to get another taxi into town tomorrow ... again.

Just met up with Billy and Christy (mates riding by horse back thru Africa) and tagging along with Sean - also doing the Tour.

Well that is all for now ... thanks for the pictures (farewell at the airport) and comments/e-mails from friends.