Never smile at a crocodile

Hoorah, we have left those all so honest traders (!) of stinky and dirty Egypt far behind. I am convinced that there is a national conspiracy in Egypt for overcharging foreigners. For example, ask an Egyptian how much they pay for bread- 5 piastres they reply. However, when I go to buy, the price is suddenly 50 piastres per bread or even one pound. It is impossible for me to buy at the same prices as locals. It appears that many vendors would rather watch their bread grow mould or vegetables compost before selling at a reasonable price. Gavin said it was quite funny to watch me shop for groceries. Inevitably at some point I ended up just dumping the bags of groceries on the counter and leaving after they have quoted ridiculous prices and I had no desire to haggle over the price of every single egg and tomato.

Our final day in Aswan did slightly redeem Egypt. After returning from the port we made our way over to Elephantine Island. Again, needless to say the ferryman attempted to overcharge us by 400%. We just gave him the money we knew to be correct and walked off, with him shouting after us. Elephantine Island as been inhabited by the Nubians for generations and generations and although it was only 100metres or so from Aswan it was completely different. The children left us alone, felucca captains did not follow us down the street. It was a herding village with people getting on with their lives. It was cleaner and more organised than Egyptian towns and the Nubians appeared to have alot of pride. The excursion was very refreshing.

Egypt is an incredible place. It has been receiving tourists for 2000 years so I do not think that the approach to tourism is going to change soon. The country has so much to offer. The amazing diving and snorkelling in the Red Sea, The Pyramids, Tombs, Temples and the Nile, but it exhausted me and it just felt that the people were always grabbing at us and I never knew who to trust. So you may have gathered, I was glad to leave.

On the day of ourLake Nasser cruise we arrived at the port bright and early, as we had been requested. At 11am there was no sign of the vehicles being loaded so I went ahead onto the ferry to secure a shady area for our gang. Lunchtime came and went, on a few occasions my marked territory was invaded and in usual style I made it quite clear that the area was reserved. It was interesting watching all the cargo being loaded in a most inefficient and incompetent way. One fridge was dropped and everyone just shrugged their shoulders, another box fell off the quay, again shrugs all round. At one point a tower with lights on it fell off another barge into the water and was rammed into the quayside- more shrugs and arguments ensued. Sunset approached and finally the vehicles were loaded on the barge which does not even travel with the ferry. The ferry had been waiting for the drivers to load the vehicles so we were off immediately. Eventually Gavin and the rest remainders of the gang managed to climb over everyone else to our area. Finally I felt vindicated for reserving such a large area as we all tried to squash into the area. However I did find the other passengers very respectful. Many of them were young Egyptian men travelling to Khartoum for work. Only men were on the deck and women and children were below deck, in what looked like a cattle transporter. The Frenchies had decided to travel first class. After shooing a few sleeping bodies out of their cabin when they arrived and cleaning up the rat poo they could enjoy the air conditioning. Also, we were permitted to use the first class facilities. While they looked cleanish, the stench put hairs on your chest and one wonders what the second class facilities were like.

We eventually started to settle down for the night to find everything was getting wet. An air conditioning pipe was leaking fairly foul water. Interestingly when we tried to do something about it, such as ask for a bowl to collect the water we were told “the water is not a problem”. So, in true annoying British tourist style I asked to be shown the kitchen where I would locate for myself a suitable vessel to collect the water. Finally a bowl was found. Interestingly the next morning some of our Egytpian neighbours also helped with emptying the water and when we erected a sunshade, again our neighbours followed suit. I like to think that we managed to create a little community spirit which seemed to be so lacking in Egypt.

Early in the morning close to the Sudanese border we passed Abu Simbel, a wonderful view from the lake. Within a few hours we arrived at Wadi Halfa, after a rather strange immigration procedure we made our way off the boat. At one point it was so crowded and everyone was so much taller than me I felt myself being picked up by someone around the waist and physically pushed through the crowd it was so tight, thank you that man.

Wadi Halfa used to be an old Nubian city which now lies beneath the water. Now it is a collection of fairly tatty buildings and feels like the end of the world. We stayed in the best hotel in town! Apart from the odd person asking us if we wanted to change money there was no one hassling us for a felucca ride, for a taxi, for this for that, ahhhh we could relax a bit. There is still quite a bit of tension between the Egyptians and the Sudanese and by the next day many of the Egyptians still had not received their passports back, and when they did they had to pay a small fee. There are a few occasions that as foreigners or westerners we do seem to receive different treatment to locals- but it is not always clear that we do have it easier in some ways.


The next day the barge arrived and after a few hours of sitting around the vehicles were released and we all planned to make an early departure the next morning.

Up with the sun we made an interesting convoy, four motorbikes, one Toyota and two Landrovers (one with a campervan body). All of us were travelling at slightly different speeds. The bikes can speed off into the distance but have to stop more frequently for breaks and had to wait for us eventually because we were carrying the bags of three bikes and some of their fuel. We are not a "support vehicle for nothing". That day we travelled mainly though hilly desert with some short sections of tarmac, a new road is being constructed. We passed through one town of about 5 houses but there was not really anything there to sustain a living and after driving about 150km for the day we made camp.



The following day we hit the Nile passing through many Nubian villages with beautifully decorated homes. I sometimes caught a glimpse inside a compound gate to very neat yards with flowers growing and beds in the shade. People were busy working in their cultivated plots. We saw very few other vehicles and the locals always seemed happy to see us. That night we camped right by the Nile and amazingly the mosquitoes were not horrendous. One of the Dutch Boys was brave enough to risk Bilharzia and the crocodiles, taking a quick dip. They do get pretty grimy and dusty on the bikes so I can understand wanting to have a quick wash. Being in our luxurious car we can spare a litre or so of water in the evening for washing.



Our saga of punctures continues and yet again Gavin had to fix a tyre. One of the Dutch boys has been really amazed by Gavin's "manliness, he is always doing such manly things" (said with a deep dutch accent). Although we are making quite slow progress, being so many vehicles, it has been fun travelling with everyone. We are all travelling for different reasons which is interesting because we all see and observe different things, also we are not in a hurry. Louis has made the journey many times before and knows some good spots. The bikes are limited by what they can carry, there has not been much opportunity to buy fuel and all the water comes from the Nile which takes forever to filter because it is so brown.


Evidence of the recent flooding in central Africa was apparent but this was not a problem for us. The bird life is becoming quite interesting, hoopoes, rollers and larks to name a few. One crocodile was spotted by the group and quite a few Nubian homes proudly displayed crocodile skulls on their gate posts.

The following day our merry bunch started to divide. Two of the bikes decided to push on after we decided to stop by the 2nd Cataract, where there are some more ancient Egyptian heiroglyphic rock carvings. There were still a few hours of light left but it was a good place to stop and the going had been quite heavy. So off went the English and South African bikers. We hoped that they would be OK because only the previous day one of them had been suffering with dehydration and was falling off ever such a lot. Also we had been carrying one of their very heavy bags which they would have to carry now making the riding on rough terrain more difficult.

We had a lovely evening. There was a wedding in the local village. I was not sure what all the singing and drum beating was for do I went over and soon I was enveloped by a group of women in their brightly coloured wraps, beating their drums and dancing. Then the men appeared and one even had a video camera. I eventually extricated myself. Later a local lad appeared with what we think was some sort of perch, we agreed a price. It was very fresh and big. I took the tail half, attempted to fillet and fried in flour flavoured with cumin, JF took the head half and steamed it with coriander and cloves. I provided noodles with courgette and JF provided rice with mayonnaise. There was plenty for everyone and we had a feast.

In the morning we were up again with the sun and in the next town we found a fuel station, better than the fuel out of drumspreviously available. There was also clean looking water from a tap. So while the Dutch Boys re-fuelled (we still had plenty of diesel), we filtered more drinking water, this time not having to clean the filter every 5 litres. We then made our way to the ferry to cross to the West bank.



On the other side the road was much improved, not nearly as many corrugations and flatter. I think the bikers were much relieved by such improvements however I admit a sense of disappointment. In a few years there will be a tar seal road all the way to Wadi Halfa. I enjoy the slow roads, the driving is more fun and you see so much more. Also life along the Nile will change very quickly. Yes, infrastructure is progress but people living in these villages seem to have an organised way of life already.

By lunchtime we reached Dongola, a bustling city. That means it had shops, pharmacies, an hotel and a hospital. We shopped for some groceries while the Frenchies took their son to the hospital. When we caught up with them they were deliberating what to do. The doctor wanted to keep him in for 24 hours for observation but had barely done any tests, when JF asked about the tests I had suggested the Doctor had apparently said they would not really show anything- I think it is because they did not have any of those facilities. They decided to carry on to Khartoum to see a doctor there. A good thing they did because the following day he had his appendix removed.

We also headed south to Khartoum, but more slowly camping behind a sand dune. Khartoum is awash with white shiny 4x4 United Nations and NGO vehicles- UNICEF, Save the Children, MSF, World Food Programme to name but a few. The driving is far more civilised than anything we experienced in Egypt and the people are very friendly. More time for personal administration and yesterday we applied for Ethiopian Visas. We had been informed of the hoops to jump through, such a letter of recommendation from own embassy (I was not going to do that again) proof of onward travel etc. The Ethiopian Embassy is the friendliest I have been to. They were apologetic at having to look into my bag, apologised for keeping us waiting etc. At 3pm we returned to collect our passports with visas. All we had to provide was two passport photos, they even photocopied our carnet for us. Also it cost less than we had expected.

We are camped in the National Camping Residence of Sudan which also seems to provide accomodation for groups of Ethiopian refugees in transit. In the evenings hundreds of frogs, some the size of a halfpenny entertain us by jumping in the artificial light. Tomorrow it looks like our gang, which intially formed way back in Luxor, will be disbanding. The Dutch boys and Louis head towards Ethiopia and we head back north for a bit to the Meroe pyramids, before heading towards Ethiopia ourselves. The Frenchies are staying Khartoum for a while. Their eldest son needs to recuperate and has correspondance school work to catch up on.

Camel arrived safe & sound. 3 days tough driving in desert & along Nile, hard going for bikers. 3 cars, 4 bikes in convoy. All well, dust everywhere!

Wadi Halfa, Sudan.
Arrived today after overnight sailing.
Waited all yesterday to load vehicles - hopefully they arrive on the barge tomorrow. All well.

Going nowhere, slowly

Well, here we are, STILL in Egypt. Our planned voyage along Lake Nasser from Aswan in Egypt to Wadi Halfa in Sudan has been delayed by a week due to circumstances beyond our control.

After spending four days at the Rezeiky Camp in Luxor, relaxing in the shade, swimming in the pool and catching up with maintenance on the Land Rover, we bade our farewells and headed south. Only for a few kilometres though, as we were soon stopped at the police checkpoint. All tourists travelling to Aswan have to travel in one of three daily convoys, with police escorts front and rear. We were travelling with another overlander, Louis the Dutchman, who had also been staying at the camp in Luxor. He is a seasoned expert, as he travels through Egypt every year to spend a few months in Africa. He had hoped that our two vehicles might be able to travel on our own, but the police were having none of it. Louis is quite forthright, and has no hesitation in telling the police what he thinks of their stupid rules, half in Dutch, half in English.

Unfortunately, when pulling to the side of the road at the checkpoint, our left rear tyre had an altercation with the checkpoint’s set of roadspikes that they had conveniently hidden behind a barrier. Luckily none went fully into the tyre, but we still got another puncture from it. Much to my joy I got more practise at removing the tyre and mending the puncture. Luckily the tyre is still useable, because it is one of our best.

We finally did get going in convoy, but that only lasted about five minutes of the 220km journey. The bus and two vans took off at high speed with the lead police vehicle, never to be seen again, while Louis and ourselves trundled along at our usual 80km/h, despite the tail car urging us to step on it. Catkin had been looking forward to the “convoy”, and even had the song of the same name playing on the ipod, but the end result was a bit disappointing.

Louis pointed out all the important places in Aswan on arrival, and we then headed out of town and across the Nile to spend the night in the desert. Next day (Sunday) it was off to the Nile Navigation Co office to book tickets for the ferry. Outside, we met Louis, along with two Dutch motorcyclists Luuk and Guido, who had also been staying at Rezeiky Camp in Luxor while we were there. They had already been into the office, and told us that the company won’t sell the tickets until all traffic police formalities have been finalised. So, off to the first traffic police office we all drive (a better convoy this time), but because of the Eid-El-Fitr holiday for the end of Ramadan it’s closed until Tuesday. We decide to try the second Traffic Police office on the off-chance that it might be open, but it’s not. The news is all bad. The ferry will leave on Monday as scheduled (a miracle in itself), but we won’t be on it (typical). So now we’re spending a week in and around Aswan.

The day before we left Luxor, our new friends from France, JF and family, caught up to us again, so it was good to see them and hear where they had been since our brief reunion in Cairo. Of course, we touched on the subject of the rugby, but only briefly. They also very kindly took us out for dinner in Luxor that night. It looks like they might catch up to us again now!

On Tuesday we managed to satisfy all the necessary traffic police requirements and handed back our temporary number plates and driver’s licence. We have booked 2nd class passage on the ferry for ourselves and a space on the barge for the Camel (cars travel separately and take an extra day). We head back to the Nile Navigation Office tomorrow (Sunday) at 9am to complete ticketing and hand over the cash (about 3000 Egyptian Pounds all up), before driving to the harbour to pass through customs and load the vehicles on the barge. We then have one more night in Aswan before the ferry leaves on Monday. The journey is overnight, passing the great temple of Abu Simbel on the way, and we should arrive in Wadi Halfa on Tuesday morning. The car probably won’t get there until Wednesday, and then might take a day or two to unload and get through Sudanese Customs…

After spending most of the last week camping out of town in the desert, we are again treating ourselves, spending our last three nights on land in Egypt in an hotel. We have a nice little room next to Louis, Luuk and Guido’s rooms, and it’s been good to get properly clean, do some washing etc. The hotel has a restaurant, but they only serve soft drinks and eggs (either boiled or omelette, for breakfast), so last night Catkin cooked a delicious meal of pasta, aubergine and sausage out on our tiny balcony.

We have a pretty good view of the Nile from the balcony, too, where we can watch the feluccas run up and down the river.

By the time we reach Sudan, it will have taken two full months to travel through Syria, Jordan and Egypt, which by my reckoning is about twice as long as it needed. It feels a bit like we have been getting nowhere. Hopefully things will pick up from here. During our ferry trip we will cross the Tropic of Cancer, and from there it’s only another 23½ degrees of latitude until the Equator! As of today, we have been on the road for 118 days.

And no, no Massey Fergusons sighted in Egypt.

The BEF

After four nights in the desert we descended off a very barren limestone plateau towards the Nile Valley. Suddenly I saw tress in the distance through the haze to be followed by the lush cultivated fields flanking the Nile a few kilometres on either bank. The contrast with the desert was quite stark. After spending the afternoon relaxing and attending to “personal administration” (laundry, repairing kit etc) in the shady Rezeiky Campsite in Luxor, we asked about hiring bikes for the following day. An hour later two bikes or, as Gavin would describe them, lumps of junk arrived. We enquired after the price but the man who brought them had to rush off again apparently. I think he was rushing home for breakfast. Later the campsite manager informed us of the price of which I think the majority was his commission.

The price was OK so the next day we were up with the birds to cross the Nile on the ferry to the west bank to explore the ancient tombs. We finally figured out the rather complicated system for tickets and decided to visit one of the Tombs of the Nobles, but first we headed up the hill to the Valley of the Kings. Despite a dog almost taking a chunk out of Gavin’s calf we made it one piece to the gate where the police told we must leave the bikes. When we returned they had, very considerately moved bikes into the shade for us!! They did not look impressed when we rode off without giving bakshish for such a thoughtful act.

Getting back to the Valley of the Kings, the tomb of Tutankamon is the most intact of all the tombs. That means that none of the treasures were taken by the locals to be melted down or burned and there was no roman graffiti and the like. However, not only did we have to pay the entrance fee for the valley but also pay even more again for this one tomb, so we gave it a miss. We were more than happy with the three tombs we visited. Each tomb was very different to the next one. The exquisite carving and painting was the common theme. To enter one tomb we climbed up a ladder and then descended to quite deep through a number of different corridors- it was very hot and humid inside. We did ask ourselves whether the humidity caused by all these bodied huffing and puffing up and down the steps was damaging the paintings and plaster.

Of course we were back in “Tourists Ville” and even when visiting the tombs the whole tour group seems to stick together. In one tomb we were patiently waiting at the entrance to the tomb room for a group to enter so that we could leave via the network of corridors. After we finally made it out we realised that by the time the whole group had entered the tomb the same group was already starting to leave and we had ended up waiting for the whole group to arrive and leave before we made our own escape. Another tomb, higher in the valley had far fewer visitors and we even had it to ourselves for a short spell. There were beautiful carvings flanking the entrance and although it was not a large tomb with many corridors we looked straight down to the large stone tomb of Sethi II. I think King Sethi died quite a bit prematurely because some of the artwork appeared to be completed in quite a hurry and some of the walls just had the outline traced out. The local “hangers on,” who obviously do not have to pay an entrance fee each day, were making a nuisance of themselves in the tombs; ready to point out something of interest with their torch or offering to take a forbidden photograph.

Next we squeaked, rattled and wobbled our way down to the Tombs of the Nobles. The absence of any information telling you where you might find the group of tombs, let alone the specific tomb we had paid to enter turned this part of our excursion into an orienteering trip. One lad offered to how us the way for far too much money which we declined, his final words were “you will never find it” and indicated that we were looking in the wrong direction (which we were not and were actually quite close). We certainly found lots of tombs but they were all blocked off and there was no one around.

Eventually another chap found us and took us the long way round, we had been very close- a matter of metres, and even when we arrived there was nothing to indicate in any language or communication method that this was the tomb. Another chap awoke from his slumber and produced the keys to let us in. As he was hurrying me down the steps, Gavin was left behind with our original helpful local with no money for bakshish, oh dear. Here we viewed two tombs much smaller than the kings tombs but absolutely delightful. Our two guides also helped us solve a conundrum. We had been wondering how the original Egyptian artisans illuminated the tombs because any kind of candle or lamp would have left a sooty residue on their beautiful work. In these tombs the light was not very good so using a couple of pieces of cardboard covered in foil the guides reflected sunlight into the tombs, just as the ancient Egyptians did. Needless to say we did reward for their hard work, and again needless to say they wanted more. Whatever you give it is never enough!

On the way home a tour bus driver had some trouble understanding why I could not see him indicating he was turning left when he then proceeded to overtake and turn left through me. I did try to explain that both my eyes are in the front of my head rather than in the back, but I am not sure if such a detailed anatomical description was too complicated for him.

The next day we visited the extremely impressive Temples of Karnak, less than half a kilometre from our campsite. We left an hour so later than we had intended after chatting to a Dutch couple in a 1986 Series 3 Land rover who had travelled up from the direction we are travelling in. So we got lots of tips and heard about all the things that had gone wrong with their car.

S0, the Temples of Karnak, a huge complex, yet the main entrance seemed to be through a hole in the fence.

Again, quite understandably there were many, many tour groups and the inevitable “hangers on”/ “guides” just waiting in the wings to show you something which, if you are walking around with you eyes open you will see, just so they can demand bakshish. Gavin, such a polite boy, would patiently explain to them that they may as well go away because they will not be getting any bakshish from us. I just ignored them. I have had enough of them interrupting our conversation, standing in the middle of my path so I have to stop etc.I realise that there is the argument that they are only trying to make money. It is however counter-productive as far as we are concerned. For example, the idea of going into a shop selling souvenirs (some of which are quite interesting) is totally abhorrent to me and the hassle technique does not appear to work so well with other people either. Also the touts are SO irritating it just makes you want to leave the area, otherwise we might stop for a drink etc.We have been thinking about setting up the "Bakshish Eradication Front" (BEF), using passive resistance methods to make our stand. Let us know if anyone is interested in joining?

We have been whiling a way the time a bit in Luxor because the ferry to Wadi Halfa in Sudan does not leave until Monday and the campsite here is good. In that time we have developed another flat tyre- the same tyre that has had punctures on three or four different occasions so far. We do need a new tyre but the tyres available in North Africa are not suitable for the rest of the journey so we are trying to hold out until we are further south. So Gavin has become quite expert now at getting the tyre off and mending the tube. Naturally, I have also become expert in advising and supporting. I just hope I never have to do it on my own.

Why do we enjoy the desert so much? Amongst many reasons is that it is beautiful and peaceful. Given the number of mosques on the towns and cities it is inevitable that when staying in a campsite we are not that far from one. This is fine, some are really quite lovely, until 4am in the morning when the Call of the Faithful to Prayer seems to take longer and longer as the end of Ramadan has approached. Yesterday I am sure it lasted for more than 40 minutes. I just wish that it was not quite so loud. Ramadan is now finished which means that we do not feel quite as bad when we eat or drink in public.

Tomorrow we head south to Aswan in a tourist convoy and prepare to spend an extortionate amount of money to use the ferry to Wadi Halfa. We have learned tat the convoys, mainly tour buses like to travel quite fast at about 120km/hr, we travel at a maximum speed of around 85 km/hr. So I suspect we shall annoy a few more bus drivers. We have already decided that when we get back to New Zealand we will be shouting at each other to communicate normally because we are so used to shouting over the noise of the engine. If we go any faster we might become permanently deaf.

It is quite likely that it will be quite a while before we post any more entries because once in Sudan it can take a while to retake possession of the car (potentially days) and then there is only desert for a few days until Khartoum.

Walk like an Egyptian

Everything seems to happen slowly in Egypt, especially during Ramadan. We have now been in the country for over two weeks but have really only just made it out of Cairo. Admittedly, our first week was spent lounging around the Sinai Peninsula, as Catkin described earlier, but our "quick trip" to Cairo to get visas spare parts and see the pyramids took the best part of the second week. It seems that no matter what you plan, it really is only possible to one thing per day. If you tell anyone what you have got planned for the afternoon they will without fail tell you that it will be too late, and that you must go in the morning instead. Anyway, after extending our stay for another two days we have managed to do all we set out to.

The pyramids were pretty awesome. It’s hard to comprehend their sheer size until you are standing there next to them. The whole day was a bit of an adventure in the end. We decided to go by public transport, and took the Metro to Giza Station. Whilst waiting to cross to road to the bus stop, a local struck up conversation with us, and, as luck would have it he was taking the same bus and would show us the way. Once on the bus, which involved running out to it across two lanes of traffic and jumping on as it slowed down slightly, he confided in us, saying that the tickets at the main entrance to the pyramids were very expensive, but there was an "Egyptian" entrance which was cheaper, easier, included everything, and entailed taking a camel or horse ride into the pyramids area. Catkin laughed her head off when he told us that his name was Omar Sharif, but he didn’t seem to see it as a joke, and I think that might really have been his name after all. After getting off the bus, he insisted on showing us to the entrance, and before we knew it we were sitting astride horses and bargaining on the price and how far we would be taken. Every time a price was offered our friend Omar would be in the background nodding his head vigorously, indicating what a good price we were getting. Obviously he was watching his commission decrease each time the price went down. We still have no idea whether we were ripped off or not, suffice to say that the final agreed price was a quarter of what was initially asked. In a land where a fixed price on anything is the exception rather than the rule and bargaining is a way of life, we have taken the view that there is no such thing as being ripped off - there is either a mutually agreed price or no sale, and if you pay too much it is your own fault!

The traffic in Cairo is something else, and possibly the worst we have driven in. Half the locals seem to be practising for competing in the touring car championship, with bumper to bumper driving and last minute overtaking manoeuvres, while the rest seem to have no concept of road safety, stopping in the middle of three busy lanes to fix a broken light cover or turning left from the far right hand lane across lanes of traffic. Add to this the pedestrians-with-a-death-wish and it makes for happy times. We were even run into, and by a Land Rover Discovery of all vehicles! Luckily it was only a light tap and no damage was done (to us anyway – not sure about the Discovery).

We met up again with our French friends, who spent nearly a week longer in Aqaba after we left, waiting for their new Carnet. They had just arrived in Cairo after a few days in the Sinai, and were about to apply for visas for Sudan. We briefly touched on the subject of the forthcoming quarterfinal between France and the All Blacks. Jean-François delightedly exclaimed that he would be cheering for the All Blacks. I’d like to think that I had converted him, but it turns out he has a strong dislike for the French Coach, who it seems is tipped to be the next sports minister if France win the World Cup. Looks like he might have a chance…

At last, on Thursday, we left Cairo in our dust, after spending the whole day completing our remaining errands. First up we picked up some spare filters and parts from the Land Rover service centre in 10th of Ramadan City (40km east of Cairo). Next we had another puncture repaired, which involved a very animated discussion about the price – I think we are finally getting the hang of Egyptian bargaining now. The remainder of the day was taken up driving all over western Cairo trying to find the Carrefour supermarket so we could re-supply our food crates.

The Western Oases beckoned. Not very well signposted though… Luckily, while were staying at the hotel, I happened to read an article in a magazine about an archaeologist who is director of the Antiquities Department. His ideal long weekend was to be spent visiting the western oases and desert. In it he described the route taken out of Cairo and mentioned driving through 6th of October City (which isn’t on our map). Fortunately we saw a turn-off to this city which we took, and it has since turned out to be the right way. Otherwise we would have ended up a long way from our intended destination although we still would have made it to Luxor eventually.

We have had a night in each of the Black and White Deserts. These make up part of the Western Desert, which extends into Libya and is part of the mighty Sahara. The desert nights have been very peaceful, with clear skies full of stars, no one around for miles and a comfortable temperature. On the first morning in the desert I took the opportunity to do some work on the car, replacing some worn suspension bushes.

On Saturday we stopped early to tune into the BBC World Service Sports World programme which, thanks to the lack of any 8th division football from East Anglia, deigned to play the commentary of the last 12 minutes of the England vs Australia Quarter Final of the World Cup (bad news about the result, Gilly). So there we were, sitting in the Sahara listening to the rugby on a shortwave radio. It could only have been better if we had remembered to put beer in the fridge instead of Miranda Orange. Late last night though the trusty BBC brought me the bad news about the All Blacks exit. In between the static, I thought maybe I had misheard, so had to read for another hour until the next news bulletin. Unfortunately I had heard right the first time…

Finally, some news for tractor buffs. So far, Egypt has been the first country that we have been through on this trip where the noble Massey Ferguson tractor has not been sighted. They have been everywhere else in numbers, most notably in Turkey, but not yet here. We are still looking though.

Happy birthday Andrew,

from us in the Sahara.
Hope you have now decided who to back to win
the World Cup!!
Love G&C