schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Update 17/07/2015
At Abu Simbel the 6 Argentinians who have been traveling around the world for 15 years and I booked into a typical Egyptian hotel. The owner and the hotel staff were very nice to us. We got a special rate and decided to stay two nights. Herman and I went the next day at 5am to explore the Abu Simbel Rock Temple. What is really remarkable about the temples are that in 1968 the Nile was going to be flooded due to a dam wall being build and UNESCO moved this complete rock temple piece by piece as it was going to be under the water. They did a fantastic job if you see the scale of the job. The reason why we had to go at 5am is to get the different colours over the temple as one moment it is red then yellow etc. due to the Sun rise.
After two days we were on the road again and we drove very slowly as Herman does only 55kmh in his 1928 Graham Paige car. I followed and 100km before Aswan we camped in the desert. Herman had to ride his car with narrow little tyres and myself with the overloaded bike onto the desert sand. Candelaria Herman’s wife made us dinner that night and breakfast the next morning right there in the middle of the desert. They slept in their car and I slept under the stars on my sleeping bag and the desert sky was just too beautiful. Herman packed some rocks in his spoor in order to get out again the next morning; This took him quite a while. The next day reaching Aswan we found a cheap hotel. Herman and family being on the road around the world for 15 years are by now the most experienced negotiator that I know and I left the negotiating to him. Again I stayed 2 nights and The Argentinians were staying for 3 nights. The next day we all went together to see The Philae Temple and you have to go by boat. Once again these temples were moved by UNESCO before the completion of the Aswan high dam to the Agilkia Island. UNESCO also did a magnificent job here.
So after 6 days with the family of 6 Argentinians it was time to say good bye and it was sad as we all got along so well and I left for Luxor. The road to Luxor is mainly along the Nile River and I booked in at the Rezeiky Camp and again stayed for two nights. They had a pool there and in this blazing hot weather it was so nice to take a dip. The next day I visited the Temple there on the East bank of the Nile River. After the visit I bought a sim card for my phone but noticed that the sim card is loose from the rest of the card. After I inserted the sim card I saw that there is no signal. He assured me that it will come on in two hours. After that I went to buy an Ice cream and had to wait for the Muslims to finish their prayer as it is Ramadan. After their prayer they quoted me 15 pound for the ice cream and I just knew it was a rip off price. The stall next door wanted 10 pound and I found the same ice cream then for 5 pounds. I just find it astonishing that someone can get off his knees from prayer and then try and sell a tourist something for 3 times the price. I do not know if this is allowed in their religion to rip a stranger off like that. As I walked a long way from Rezeiky camp I thought I will take a horse drawn carriage for 30 pounds as I wanted to go to a Voda phone shop to see if they can get my phone going. All the Voda phone shops were closed due to Ramadan and when the carriage driver dropped me off and I paid him with a 50 pound note he only gave me 5 pounds change. By now I was fuming. Three transactions and 3 times they tried to do me in. So the next morning when I left I first went to a Voda phone shop and got a new sim card and I got the guy to get my phone working. He then checked on the system and saw that the sim I bought the previous day was an old sim card. I just thought I am not taking this lying down and went back to the Luxor Temple. At the gate I ask the assistance of the police. The police are everywhere with machine guns as I think they expect trouble from extremist. The big chief was helpful and sends me with an interpreter to the shop and I got my 50 pound back. The guy was so embarrassed and I could see all the other stall owners were gossiping about what just happened. Then I was on the road to Hurghada. When I got close to Qena at a road block the police told me not to go straight but rather to go through the town of Qena as the other road is “dangerous”. In Qena there were another road block and they checked my passport and my Egyptian number plate and they were on the radio and they must have kept me there for about half an hour before I was allowed to proceed. Then just out of Qena another road block and again they were on the radio and eventually I was allowed to go. The road went through the Eastern desert and it was hot and dry. About 100km before Safaga I stopped to buy a cold drink at a road side shop and about 3 cars stood with their bonnets open due to overheating. I must say my little thumper has handled all these extremely hot deserts with ease. I never filled extra oil or water since leaving home more than 2 months ago and at about 110kmh it is really cruising easy and very economical on fuel returning a consumption of over 20km per litre and on one tank I even got 360km on under 15 litres. The sump is also a dry sump motor and I know a lot of guys don’t like fuel injection but I swear by it. This bike is just so reliable and I don’t want to be on any other bike although I know that in the 650cc range all the makes of bikes today should make a trip like this trouble free. About 30km before Safaga going towards the red sea the road turned into a dual road and I was thank full for that as just about every 2nd car or bus from the front would come on my side of the road when overtaking or coming around a bend which is frightening at times. On top of that I had another problem, my elbow and the mussel on my right forearm is extremely sore for the last 10 days or so. I met a South African couple in Aswan and the guy with a medical background think it is a tennis elbow. I am not a pill popping type of person but I bought some Voltaren Tablets but after days riding it is so sore and if I have to do some sand riding now I think it will be impossible. It is mainly from turning and holding the throttle for two months now. If it does not improve by the time that I get to Cairo tomorrow then I am going to swap my right hand throttle to the left and vice versa. I will then just have to turn the throttle forward with my left hand as the trip must go on. Since Ethiopia I am driving on the right hand side of the road and this will just be something else to get used to. Anyway back to the road. The curves in the road before Safaga was just too nice for this biker and going through these desert mountains were just fantastic as I had the full double lane to myself with no cars around me as the upcoming lanes were on another route through the desert mountains. At Safaga I filled up just as the reserve light came on and then turned north towards Hurghada. The road then ran all along the Red See and I got to Hurghada and booked into a hotel with air con for 100 Egyptian pounds per night. (R150) Hurghada is a diving destination about 35 km long and for the first time I saw a lot of European tourist here in Egypt. Hurghada is more modern and unlike the rest of Egypt. So tomorrow it is off to Cairo where I will go and see the world famous Pyramids of Giza and reaching Cairo on one set of knobblies will be another mile stone for me.
At Abu Simbel the 6 Argentinians who have been traveling around the world for 15 years and I booked into a typical Egyptian hotel. The owner and the hotel staff were very nice to us. We got a special rate and decided to stay two nights. Herman and I went the next day at 5am to explore the Abu Simbel Rock Temple. What is really remarkable about the temples are that in 1968 the Nile was going to be flooded due to a dam wall being build and UNESCO moved this complete rock temple piece by piece as it was going to be under the water. They did a fantastic job if you see the scale of the job. The reason why we had to go at 5am is to get the different colours over the temple as one moment it is red then yellow etc. due to the Sun rise.
After two days we were on the road again and we drove very slowly as Herman does only 55kmh in his 1928 Graham Paige car. I followed and 100km before Aswan we camped in the desert. Herman had to ride his car with narrow little tyres and myself with the overloaded bike onto the desert sand. Candelaria Herman’s wife made us dinner that night and breakfast the next morning right there in the middle of the desert. They slept in their car and I slept under the stars on my sleeping bag and the desert sky was just too beautiful. Herman packed some rocks in his spoor in order to get out again the next morning; This took him quite a while. The next day reaching Aswan we found a cheap hotel. Herman and family being on the road around the world for 15 years are by now the most experienced negotiator that I know and I left the negotiating to him. Again I stayed 2 nights and The Argentinians were staying for 3 nights. The next day we all went together to see The Philae Temple and you have to go by boat. Once again these temples were moved by UNESCO before the completion of the Aswan high dam to the Agilkia Island. UNESCO also did a magnificent job here.
So after 6 days with the family of 6 Argentinians it was time to say good bye and it was sad as we all got along so well and I left for Luxor. The road to Luxor is mainly along the Nile River and I booked in at the Rezeiky Camp and again stayed for two nights. They had a pool there and in this blazing hot weather it was so nice to take a dip. The next day I visited the Temple there on the East bank of the Nile River. After the visit I bought a sim card for my phone but noticed that the sim card is loose from the rest of the card. After I inserted the sim card I saw that there is no signal. He assured me that it will come on in two hours. After that I went to buy an Ice cream and had to wait for the Muslims to finish their prayer as it is Ramadan. After their prayer they quoted me 15 pound for the ice cream and I just knew it was a rip off price. The stall next door wanted 10 pound and I found the same ice cream then for 5 pounds. I just find it astonishing that someone can get off his knees from prayer and then try and sell a tourist something for 3 times the price. I do not know if this is allowed in their religion to rip a stranger off like that. As I walked a long way from Rezeiky camp I thought I will take a horse drawn carriage for 30 pounds as I wanted to go to a Voda phone shop to see if they can get my phone going. All the Voda phone shops were closed due to Ramadan and when the carriage driver dropped me off and I paid him with a 50 pound note he only gave me 5 pounds change. By now I was fuming. Three transactions and 3 times they tried to do me in. So the next morning when I left I first went to a Voda phone shop and got a new sim card and I got the guy to get my phone working. He then checked on the system and saw that the sim I bought the previous day was an old sim card. I just thought I am not taking this lying down and went back to the Luxor Temple. At the gate I ask the assistance of the police. The police are everywhere with machine guns as I think they expect trouble from extremist. The big chief was helpful and sends me with an interpreter to the shop and I got my 50 pound back. The guy was so embarrassed and I could see all the other stall owners were gossiping about what just happened. Then I was on the road to Hurghada. When I got close to Qena at a road block the police told me not to go straight but rather to go through the town of Qena as the other road is “dangerous”. In Qena there were another road block and they checked my passport and my Egyptian number plate and they were on the radio and they must have kept me there for about half an hour before I was allowed to proceed. Then just out of Qena another road block and again they were on the radio and eventually I was allowed to go. The road went through the Eastern desert and it was hot and dry. About 100km before Safaga I stopped to buy a cold drink at a road side shop and about 3 cars stood with their bonnets open due to overheating. I must say my little thumper has handled all these extremely hot deserts with ease. I never filled extra oil or water since leaving home more than 2 months ago and at about 110kmh it is really cruising easy and very economical on fuel returning a consumption of over 20km per litre and on one tank I even got 360km on under 15 litres. The sump is also a dry sump motor and I know a lot of guys don’t like fuel injection but I swear by it. This bike is just so reliable and I don’t want to be on any other bike although I know that in the 650cc range all the makes of bikes today should make a trip like this trouble free. About 30km before Safaga going towards the red sea the road turned into a dual road and I was thank full for that as just about every 2nd car or bus from the front would come on my side of the road when overtaking or coming around a bend which is frightening at times. On top of that I had another problem, my elbow and the mussel on my right forearm is extremely sore for the last 10 days or so. I met a South African couple in Aswan and the guy with a medical background think it is a tennis elbow. I am not a pill popping type of person but I bought some Voltaren Tablets but after days riding it is so sore and if I have to do some sand riding now I think it will be impossible. It is mainly from turning and holding the throttle for two months now. If it does not improve by the time that I get to Cairo tomorrow then I am going to swap my right hand throttle to the left and vice versa. I will then just have to turn the throttle forward with my left hand as the trip must go on. Since Ethiopia I am driving on the right hand side of the road and this will just be something else to get used to. Anyway back to the road. The curves in the road before Safaga was just too nice for this biker and going through these desert mountains were just fantastic as I had the full double lane to myself with no cars around me as the upcoming lanes were on another route through the desert mountains. At Safaga I filled up just as the reserve light came on and then turned north towards Hurghada. The road then ran all along the Red See and I got to Hurghada and booked into a hotel with air con for 100 Egyptian pounds per night. (R150) Hurghada is a diving destination about 35 km long and for the first time I saw a lot of European tourist here in Egypt. Hurghada is more modern and unlike the rest of Egypt. So tomorrow it is off to Cairo where I will go and see the world famous Pyramids of Giza and reaching Cairo on one set of knobblies will be another mile stone for me.
