GOING UP JORDAN

After a short trip across the Gulf, the high speed ferry delivered us in Jordan. We managed to find our way in the dark to the city of Aqaba, where we acclimatised for a day before climbing North into the mountains along the "Kings Highway". A day was spent exploring the magnificent ancient city of Petra, with it's amazing structures carved into the mountainside. The late winter weather saw to it that we were hiding in our room in the nearby town of Wadi Moosa for another day before proceeding along the mountain ridges towards the Dead Sea. On the road it was quite chilly, with patches of snow from the previous day (I couldn't resist lobbing a snowball or two at Leana - she wasn't impressed!). After that we dropped steeply down to the warm weather of the Dead Sea, where the GPS told us we were 394 m below sea level (after being about 2000 m high the previous day). We did the obligatory floating thing, where the salty water would have cured us of any ailments (if we had any). From there we spent a whole day climbing uphill to the capital, Amman. Along the road we met Peter & Jill (ex NZ & SA), who had been out for a day's cycling in the mountains. They've been living and working in Amman for the past 4 years, and they invited us to their home for an enjoyable braai one evening. Things in Jordan are very expensive, but we have managed to stock up on a number of essential (and non-essential) items. Leana needs to replace a damaged wheel rim on her bike, and as we can't find a suitable rim here we've ordered it (and other spares which we'll need in future) from Cycle Maintenance Centre in Cape Town. The shipping costs about half the price of a new bike, so we've asked Leana's sister, Amanda, to fill up the parcel with some SA luxuries like pasta sauce and dried sausage. While we wait for the spares to arrive we're exploring the place. Amman is a relatively westernised city of about 2 million, and all the buildings (even the new ones) have a chalky stone appearance. Buildings, especially in the older areas, are perched precariously on the many hillsides over which the city is built. One of the sites we've seen is the old Roman Theatre (photo), just around the corner from our room in the old downtown area. We would have liked to make a turn in Lebanon, but after a visit to their embassy it seems unlikely. Once we've finished our business here, we plan to move North towards Syria, where we hope to obtain a visa at the border. Distances cycled since Dahab were:- Nuweiba 82 km; Aqaba 28 km; An-Naqab 88 km; Wadi Mousa 43 km; Tafila 91 km; Suwayma 112 km; and Amman 62 km.

(NOT) 40 YEARS IN THE DESERT

Some remarks from back home seem to suggest that I've lost my sense of direction somewhat. Rest assured, just because this is Sinai I have no intention of wandering around in the desert for 40 years like the Israelites of Biblical times. When we crossed to Sinai from Suez (via the tunnel under the canal), we noticed some obvious differences. Unlike the large Egyptian towns and cities, the Beduin population of Sinai is spread rather thin, mostly in small towns and isolated settlements. We cycled South along the picturesque Gulf of Suez, before proceeding to the mountainous interior of the peninsula. We set up camp at St Katherines, not far from the famous monastry, at an altitude of 1600 m (there was ice on the tent in the mornings). We spent a few days there, taking the opportunity to climb Mt Sinai (Jebel Musa). We were keen to get to a warmer climate again, and proceeded East to Dahab, on the Gulf of Aquaba. We found Dahab to be a rather charming holiday town. Many of the tourists seem to be younger backpacker types, and scuba diving is the main attraction. This is the sort of place where one could get stuck for life, and there is plenty of evidence of people who've abandoned the Rat Race. The place is fairly cheap for a holiday destination, and a decent breakfast at one of the many waterside restaurants will set you back about R12 (SA). Before we grow roots here, we plan to move North towards Nuweiba (apparently much like Dahab) within the next day or 2. From there we need to take the ferry to Jordan by 26 February. Daily distances cycled since Suez have been:- Ras Sudr 113 km; Ras Sharatib 130 km; St Katherine 106 km; Wadi El Ghaib 91 km; and Dahab 45 km.

EGYPTIAN WATERWAYS

After being holed up in Alexandria (photo accross bay) for about a week due to stormy weather, we crossed the Nile Delta to Port Said. The Delta area is very scenic with a combination of lakes, farmlands, large towns, and channels where the locals sail and fish. Although it is winter, the weather has been good, and the breeze was in our favour (just as well, as both Leana and I had colds). Port Said is at the Northern end of the Suez Canal, and the day we spent there included a ferry trip accross the Canal (photo of me, looking back from Port Fuad pier). Since then we've cycled down via Ismailia to the Southern end of the Canal. Today we are relaxing in Suez, and even from our hotel room we can view the ships entering and exiting the Canal mouth. Some of these vessels are really massive, and it is amazing to see them gliding past at close range on such a narrow stretch of water. Tomorrow we, too, plan to exit Africa when we will cross to the Sinai Peninsula. It may seem as though we're living the high life, with all the mention of hotel accommodation. Fact is, there are no formal camp sites around, so in the populated areas we need to check into a room. But, the hotels where we usually stay are cheaper than camping in SA, so one can imagine the condition of some of these places (photo taken in one of the better rooms). Fortunately, in the wilderness areas we normally just find a suitable camp site somewhere along the road (preferable over hotels). Distances cycled since Alexandria have been:- Baltim 139 km; Port Said 136 km; Ismailia 87 km; and Suez 115 km.

CHRONIC PHAROANIC FATIGUE

Much of the week we stayed in Cairo was spent following the tracks of the pharoahs. That included day trips to Giza (Sphinx & Great Pyramids), Saqqara (Stepped Pyramid - the oldest), and Dashour (Red Pyramid & Bent Pyramid). We also visited the Cairo Museum which houses many of the treasures and artifacts, as well as mummies found at the pyramids and other burial sites. While we were using more conventional forms of transport our weary bikes (Old Saartjie and Fuloose) were recovering in the room of our budget hotel in downtown Cairo. After all the lazing about, drinking (Stella & chai), and eating (felafel, swarma, foul, & sweet dessert), we had to get on the road again. We have since cycled on to Alexandria, a pleasant (non-touristy) city on the Meditteranean coast. On our way out of Cairo we again passed Giza (photo). Obtaining Euro visa's from here is proving to be a bit of a problem, so we plan to move East to Sinai, via Suez. Later we will probably proceed towards Jordan and other Middle Eastern countries. Distances since Cairo were:- Sadat City 122 km; Amriah 97 km; and Alexandria 42 km.

BLOWN IN CAIRO

I don't want to keep harping on about the wind, so I'll just mention that it made the going up the Red Sea / Suez Channel coast quite tough (both on the road and when we camped). Along the way we met the 2008 Tour D'Afrique enjoying the tail wind on their 2nd day to Cape Town (Leana did the "Tour" in 2005). However, once we'd turned away from the coast the wind helped us down the new toll highway towards Cairo. Arriving at the city limits around 16h00 meant that we had a rather hair-raising trip in the chaotic peak-time traffic, arriving downtown after dark. For me there is a sense of achievement, having reached my 1st tentative goal since leaving Cape Town on 27 March last year (no photo's of pyramids yet - there are other priorities). We are unsure of our route from here as a lot depends on visa's (there are a number of options). In the mean time we will be resting, and exploring this large and interesting city for at least the next few days. Distances since Hurghada were:- Sukheir 106 km; Ras Gharib 52 km; Amba Bola 72 km; Zafarana 40 km; Ain Sukhna 84 km; and Cairo 128 km.

RED SEA BLUES

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.

TOMBS, TEMPLES, & TOURISTS

The South of the Egyptian Nile is dominated by archaeological sites of ancient Egypt. Since Aswan we've cycled past the Temple of Soebek to Idfu, where our hotel window overlooked the Temple of Horus. The 2 days in Luxor so far were mainly spent visiting the Luxor Temple, the Temples of Karnak, and the tombs of the pharoahs in the Valley of Kings. We're still getting accustomed to the number of foreign visitors, as the place is literally swarming with tourists. On the roads the tourist vehicles are forced to travel in convoy, and so far we have been fortunately allowed to proceed by bicycle through the many police check points. In one instance a police van followed us for about 50 km, and when we arrived in Idfu a police motorcyclist escorted us to the hotel with flashing lights and wailing siren. There are many quasi "tour guides", "helpers", and other scams, so the unwary tourist will soon be relieved of his stash of Euro's (or Dollars). One of the pleasures here is being able to relax with a local "Stella", which is particularly refreshing after a month in "dry" Sudan. Tomorrow we plan to proceed away from the Nile towards the Red Sea coast (if we're permitted to cycle that way on our own). Distances since Aswan have been:- Idfu 116 km; and Luxor 122 km.