(^30) Cairo - Desert Camp – 122 km
Having itchy feet, we moved along and returned later to collect the visa
extensions. Getting out of Cairo took the best part of two hours. Still, our chosen
route spat us out along a toll road, making for comfortable and effortless biking.
The way headed north towards Alexandria and after about 120 kilometres camp
was set up by the roadside.
Desert Camp - Amriah – 97 km
To my surprise, it started raining during the night and I could hardly believe it ever
rained in the desert. Upon second thoughts, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise
as our route was fast approaching the Mediterranean. The way north continued
past farmlands and many pigeon lofts, as grilled pigeon was a speciality found on
nearly all menus.
Amriah - Alexandria – 42 km
The short distance to Alexandria resulted in a leisurely start, and we soon arrived
at the Mediterranean coast. Alexandria was a vast and ancient city, formerly home
to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, a 120-metre-high lighthouse,
built by Alexander the Great. There was, nevertheless, no sign of it except a few
terracotta lamps in the museum. Alexandria was famous for its Great Library,
considered the archive of ancient knowledge in its heyday. But, once again, no
sign of its past grandeur remained and appeared replaced by traffic more chaotic
than in Cairo. It was scarcely possible to cross a street on foot and even more
difficult by bicycle. Nonetheless, the city sported a fancy modern library,
incorporating both the old and the modern in its design.
A vicious storm picked up, and the wind blew at over 30 miles per hour,
accompanied by horizontal rain. Ernest and I stayed put and waited out the storm.
Day after day, the storm continued without any sign of abating. We cleaned and
oiled our bikes (let me rephrase that: Ernest cleaned and oiled the bikes),
repacked our bags, read books and watched the same movies repeatedly.
Our visa extensions were ready by then. So, we hopped on the express train to
Cairo and returned the same evening (the train covered 250+ kilometres in under
three hours).
leana
(Leana)
#1