Hathor Hotel [website], Aswan, Egypt, 26-01-11
Out of the commotion and into the calm
Cairo to Luxor (13 cycle days; 1 rest day; 1406km; 3890m)
Cairo to 70 km after 6th October City (119km;
431m)
70 km > 6th Oct. City to 54 km > rest house (118km; 181m)
54 km > resthouse to 6 km past Iron Mine City (106km; 392m)
6 km after Iron Mine City to 28 km after Heiz (113km; 329m)
28 km after Heiz to Farafra (107km; 338m)
Farafra to 23 km after Abu Minqar (117km; 465m)
23 km after Abu Minqar to 37 km before Qasr (117km; 214m)
37 km before Qasr to Mut - Dakhla oasis (69km; 187m)
Mut (Dakhla oasis) to 21 km b4 Abu Turtur (126km; 316m)
21 km before Abu Turtur to El Kharga (67km; 145m)
El Kharga to 49 km after Bagdad turn-off (124km; 356m)
49 km after turn-off to 119 km before Luxor (104 km; 356m)
119 km before Luxor to Luxor (119km; 180m)
Chaos and cons
Cairo boils and bubbles underneath the thick black smog that hangs
low over the city everyday. It simmers with chaos; it is riddled
with cheats, but away from the tourist haunts, it still manages to
echo a genuine welcome...
Tip of the month: Cycle tourist with doggy-treat is
a dog's best friend
Cycling through the Western Desert in
Egypt, we learned
a great tip for keeping those bike chasing dogs from snapping at
your ankles. Since this is a common cyclist's
complaint, we were quite surprised we hadn't heard about
it before or even thought about it ourselves. This time, we have
to hand it to Gunter a great reverse psychology trick.
While they might not deserve it, chucking a doggy treat can
actually give you time to cycle away from a dog
attack. The snacks are designed especially for dogs which means,
whether they are domesticated, working or wild, something delicious
will more likely win out over the chase. Besides being a less
aggressive way of handling this problem, dog treats are lightweight
and don't take up much room in the handlebar bag.
So, If you
are thinking about cycling through a notoriously dog-ridden land,
why not take a little packet along and see if it works for you
too. Who knows, if enough of us do this, cyclists might actually
become a dog's best friend.
Cairo - Aswan (Egypt)
Kilometres: 1640 kilometres and 510 metres
Riding days: only 15 days !
Alti meters: 4293 metres up
Weather: sun, sun, sun, but rather cold...
Best accommodation: Camp Rezeiky in Luxor; sharing the place with Tour d'Afrique for a few nights. Great to meet up with Cristiano again as well!
Special thanks to:
Patrick
& Verena for
the coffee and chat on two chance roadside meetings • The
Italian overlanders for the food gifts • Günter for
the cycling company, the delicious dinners in Mut and Al
Khagar and for proving once again that if you really want
to cycle tour, it is just a matter of doing it • Meghan
& Jason for their excellent companionship on
the unforgettable ride through the Western Desert. Also for
the hookups afterwards in both Luxor and Aswan, the dinners
and the beers in return for our camp cooking and early morning
caffeine fixes • Cristiano for
still being one very cool guy • Matthias,
the Tour
d'Afrique medic, for his expert advice when Ali
burnt his hand • All the other Tour
d'Afrique cyclists who we chatted with or who assisted
in putting out the fire at Rezeiky
Camp • Dennis,
who stuck out as being one of the funniest and most down-to-earth
guys we have met in a while • Michael for
the rooftop chat over a couple of beers
Breakdowns:
09: broken spoke (Ali)
17: broken chain (Son)
24: flat tyre- wall ripped (Son)
