As I'd never been to the famed Red Sea Coast before, I was keen to cycle via that region towards Cairo. Right now I'm regretting that decision, as the N-wind (like the S-Easter in the Cape) is all but blowing us off our bikes. After leaving the protection of the Nile Valley at Qena, the route through the moonscape desert to Safaga was uneventful enough. The ride North along the coast to Hurghada took up most of yesterday, and the breeze was of a sufficient velocity to clear our sinuses and cleanse us of the desert dust. It didn't help that I was suffering from a stomach bug, and understandably Leana is threatening to take a bus to Cairo. We've decided to spend the day in Hurghada to try and figure out what the attraction is for the hordes of tourists. We're staying in a budget hotel in the older part of town, but on the way we passed through about 20 k's of fancy resorts (there's even a large airport - with a constant flow of aircraft bringing even more visitors). The area is known for good scuba diving (there are many dive operators around), but in this windy winter season diving is probably not a priority. We've heard that there are a number of good eating and drinking establishments, so we plan to visit some of those places today. Daily distances since Luxor have been:- Qena 72 km; Desert stop 84 km; Safaga 84 km; and Hurghada 64 km.
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