Three Farmers and a Greek

[RD]

Three Farmers and a Greek.​

Day 40 - Wadi Halfa (Sudan)

Distance for the day    - 0 km
Odometer                    - 12 572 km
Hours on the Bike        - 00:00
Donations up to date for Adelaide Hospital – R 103 797.00

We had a good nights rest in our dodgy hotel and Richard got a big fan from one of the other guests, which was running at full blast throughout the night. We had a room on the western side of the building which meant that the afternoon sun baked it like an oven and it actually was cooler outside on the veranda then inside the room.

The Kilopatra Hotel in Wadi Halfa.​

When we woke Richard asked “Were there mosquitoes last night or are these flea bites?” pointing to some red spots on his body. It could be anything from mosquitoes to bed mites, who knows? The commonly accepted standards regarding ablution facilities, accommodation and personal hygiene are definitely at a different level in this part of the world. The ablution facilities are probably the most intimidating. You have a cold water shower, with an additional cold water tap near a squad toilet, all cramped into a little cubicle. There is no toilet paper, just a plastic container that you fill with water from the tap to clean your behind. We have tried to buy toilet paper at several places with no success. At a “restaurant” last night Richard asked for a napkin and then the waiter returned with a bar of Life Boy soap and a some water in a plastic container. The waiter then helped him clean his hands on the spot. – when in Rome………

The town of Wadi Halfa has a weekly schedule of people coming in from outside to catch the once a week Ferry to Aswan via the Nasser Lake. The closer you get to the departure day, which is Wednesday, the more people there are in town. Everybody is in a relaxed mood, walking around and visiting the street shops. Travelers meet and exchange tips and stories of their experiences that they had from where they came from. At the port big trucks are offloading cargo that will be loaded onto a barge, which leaves every Thursday. Vehicles and motorbikes are also loaded on this.

We worked a little on our bikes today, and disconnected the side stand switch on Stelios’s bike. It still cuts out from time to time and we are running out of ideas. We then went for a ride to the Port and also had a swim in the green Pea soup-like water of the Nasser Lake.

Stelios preparing us with a nice cup of Greek Coffee.

Birthday party - Antonie and Linkie Venter, from Pretoria, who turned 62 today.

Road leading to Port.

The level of the Nasser Lake does vary during the course of the year.

Waldi Halfa Port.

Rufus in front of a Cargo Barge.​

The waiter at the restaurant asked Rufus to help him write an E-Mail to an Australian girl he had met before. His English was bad and he needed help. One does not realize how one-sided the internet world is when you are from a nationality that does not speak English and a language with a total different alphabet like Arabic. Mohammad was dictating and Rufus writing. “Dear Clare. This is Mohammad who you met in Khartoum. How are you? I am fine. We had good quality sex in February on the ship – I always remember” Rufus paused and thought that maybe he needs to make sure of the facts. Ten minutes later the sentence was changed to “Remember, we met on the six of February on the ship, which was great and I will remember it for the rest of my life” The E-Mail was sent and Mohammad was clearly very proud and happy. We all hope that he would get a good response.

Climbing a rocky hill in town.

View of our Hotel from one of the nearby hills.

Sunset over Wadi Halfa.​

We are still waiting for our passports and bumped into Magdi during the course of the day. He was confident that we will get it by tomorrow. We were unable to get first class cabins, but at least have a place booked on the ferry.

 

[White Rhino]

“Dear Clare. This is Mohammad who you met in Khartoum. How are you? I am fine. We had good quality sex in February on the ship – I always remember” Rufus paused and thought that maybe he needs to make sure of the facts. Ten minutes later the sentence was changed to “Remember, we met on the six of February on the ship, which was great and I will remember it for the rest of my life” The E-Mail was sent and Mohammad was clearly very proud and happy.

:laughing4:  :imaposer:  :laughing4:  :imaposer:

 

[michnus]

We met up with Antonie and Linkie in Addis. Amazing that they did this trip on their own. Antonie had Njira with us the fist time since they been in Ethiopia, he did not like the old gray face cloth dish. 

 

[RD]

Three Farmersand a Greek.​

Day 41 - Wadi Halfa (Sudan)

Distance for the day    - 0 km
Odometer - 12 572 km
Hours on the Bike        - 00:00
Donations up to date for Adelaide Hospital – R 129 756.50

WADI HALFA HARBOUR.

In 1971 the Aswan High Dam was completed which resulted in a rise in water levels of Lake Nasser and the original Wadi Halfa was submerged.

Sudan's military dictatorship forcibly removed the approximately 50,000 inhabitants of the area from their lands and relocated to the dessert, where many died of malaria and other diseases. A few Wadi Halfans, however, remain along the Nile, the river that built their ancestors' identities as fishermen and river traders, building new settlements several times and finally settling on the current location when the flooding stopped. Seasonal flooding still occurs.

Alcohol is illegal in Sudan. All of the eateries around the main square serve tea, and Wadi Halfans, Egyptian tradesmen and tourists tend to gather there for a few cups to watch the world go by.

The Arabic Souk Market in Wadi Halfa.​

For most of the year, there are several hotels in Wadi Halfa, although after the rains, many close for repairs. All are similar, offering string beds, bucket showers, mud floors, a courtyard and clean rooms. In all the towns that we visited in Sudan, one thing stood out which was that many buildings are only half completed. They might have a foundation or built up to the first storey, with only a shell and some reinforcing steel sticking out. The level of craftsmanship leaves a lot to be desired and the finish and electrical work is poor. Many buildings are in use but do not even have a paint job done on them.

A building that will probably never get finished.

Typical sight of a building not finished.

Third storey still in progress. Reinforcing bars sticking out everywhere.

The shell of a building under construction.​

The Ferry from Aswan arrived yesterday and the town has suddenly filled with people. We met with some travelers going south and were informed that the trip down was not pleasant at all. The Bardge of the previous week did not run so things bottle necked this week and it was totally overloaded. They were just to glad to be on solid ground again after the long 17 hour trip of discomfort. We will go to the Port today at noon and the Ferry only leaves at 16:00. Magdi visited us yesterday and gave us our Passports with the famous Alien Sticker in it, so we are good to go.

The ticket to Egypt.​

The day was spent in the usual Wadi Halfa way, sleep, eat and wait.

Rufus having tea with a new Egyptian friend.​

We tackled Richard's bike and rerouted a new wire from his battery to an external power socket. His GPS is now working again and he is as excited as a small child. His goal is to now to keep us up to date with the route for the remainder of the trip and guide us into the busy Cairo later.

We decided to go for a Nile swim/wash and ended up at the Port again. First they would not let us through but with some persistent nagging the officer reluctantly said 10 min, quick! And off we went.

Searching for a nice bathing spot.​

Back at the Hotel, Chris who was a traveller from Zimbabwe, treated us to a team supper. Everybody chipped in and Linkie, the other South African, cooked us a nice “potjie”. Our hotel was now fully booked with people sleeping on the floor and in passage ways.

Sunset over Lake Nasser.​

 

[RD]

Three Farmers and a Greek.​

Day 42 - Ferry (Sudan)

Distance for the day    - 356 km
Odometer                    - 12 928 km
Hours on the Bike        - 00:00
Donations up to date for Adelaide Hospital – R 129 756.50

The long awaited day of departure from Wadi Halfa has finally arrived! We are exited and are ready to take on the 18 hour journey with the Famous Ferry that nobody ever wants to go on if they could help it. Richard was pacing the Hotel Room while Stelious had a last minute nap. Everybody experienced the build up differently and Wadi Halfa was ready to run empty again before the next Ferry arrives.

A neat general dealers shop at Wadi Halfa

The old famous "Squad" toilet.

Stelios ready to ride to the Ferry.

Road to Ferry Port.​

We met Magdi at the docks where we had to get on the ship and then got the news we were all waiting for. He has managed to secure a place on the ferry for our three motorbikes. The Ferry was not that full and an exception was made. It was fantastic news, because it meant that we would not have to wait the normal wait for the bikes to arrive with Barge, which would only arrive two days later. Richard nearly kissed Magdi and his pacing up and down now changed in to a hop skip and jump. We were unable to get hour first class cabins, with bunks to sleep and air conditioning, but we did not care, our day could not have started better.

The "Luxorious" Ferry at Wadi Halfa.

Our bike ready to be loaded on to the Ferry.​

We waited till all passengers and luggage were on board before we loaded our bikes. We first had to drain all petrol, because of a fire hazard and then secured them in the entrance area at the bottom of the boat and then found a place outside on the top deck where we prepared ourselves for the journey to follow. At 16:00 we left the Port of Wadi Halfa with a nice cool breeze in our faces, heading north to Aswan.

The Ferry ride it self was uneventful but the filth and dirt is unbearable. People spit everywhere and the bathroom facilities are at the highest level of disgust that we have experienced so far. Basins are blocked and the smell drives you in to the fresh air outside. The second class area is cramped with locals that have occupied every seat and the dinning room area is a buzz of passengers, claiming their one free meal. How it is organized nobody knows, without a lunch ticket or token. Everybody was happy to sacrifice their free meal to avoid the dining area, but Rufus was curious to experience the “Captains Treat”. He later reported that it was very basic and typical Sudanese style but not that bad with the right mind set.

Richard secured a secluded spot on top of the bridge area, away from all the dirt and in the afternoon breeze. He now had time to go through his things and reorganize. He suddenly went pale and was scratching through his entire luggage to find what was clearly something important that he desperately needed – his Passport! “No!, this is not happening to me!” he was thinking. “Am I the second guy to have lost my Passport?” “What now!” He could not find it anywhere and had to break the news to the group. He was clearly upset and shocked at the same time. “Bennett, wake up!” Rufus shouted. “Remember they took all our Passports when we boarded the ship and threw it in a big cardboard box.” Richard was lame and could not speak a word. It felt so unreal.

Richard taking a nap on top of the roof of the bridge.​

The Ferry was visited by an Egyptian Coast Guard after crossing the Egyptian boarder and continued into the night with only the deep sound of the diesel engines driving us on with the soft relaxing sound of the water coming off the side of the bow.

We passed the city of Abu Simbel just after dark which we unfortunately could not see well. This City remains one of Egypt’s top tourist attractions. It has the twin temples which were originally carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century BC, as a lasting monument to himself and his queen Nefertari, to commemorate his alleged victory at the Battle of Kadesh, and to intimidate his Nubian neighbours. However, the complex was relocated in its entirety in 1968, on an artificial hill made from a domed structure, high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir.

The relocation of the temples was necessary to avoid their being submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser, the massive artificial water reservoir formed after the building of the Aswan High Dam on the Nile River.

Sunset from Ferry. ​

 

[RD]

Three Farmers and a Greek.​

Day 43 - Aswan (Egypt)

Distance for the day    - 15 km
Odometer                    - 12 943 km
Hours on the Bike        - 00:20
Donations up to date for Adelaide Hospital – R 129 756.50

We reached Aswan this morning at 10:00 and it took us another two hours before we got off the Ferry. The hold up was the passport collection of the day before in reverse. Two officials stood at the door to check that all passports were stamped before you could get off the boat. People were pushing and shoving as people bottle necked to get out. We met Mr. Kmal,  Tel. +20105322669, who was going to assist us with our paper work. He was a man of few words but knows all the right people at the right places to fast track your entry. We filled in some forms and then he went off to Aswan on his own with our Carne’s and Passports to get our bikes registered. He was back after 14:30 and we were on the road by 15:00, with our new Egyptian number plates. This we thought was too good to be true because of the reports we read from previous groups.

Early morning near Aswan.

Egyptian Number plates fitted.

People sitting everywhere.

Heading to Aswan

Stelios catching up after push sarting Richard.

Many Passenger liners on the River Nile in Aswan.

One of the beautiful Mosques in Aswan.​

We booked in to the Hathor Hotel, which was cheap and on the main road running along the Nile. In the streets it was a festive atmosphere with lots of Tourist Cruise liners docked on to the sides of the banks of the Nile and many restaurants along this. We first decided to look up our fellow Wadi Halfa travellers to say our goodbyes. They had to wait for the barge to arrive with their vehicles two days later. Thereafter we visited the best Market of the trip so far. It also was evident that there were fewer tourists than normal by the way the people try to do business. They latch onto you and try to convince you to just look with the hope to sell something to you.

Saying our goodbyes to new friends we made at Wadi Halfa.

A Spices and Herbs stall.​

The highlight of our day was when we met our fellow Adelaide friends. Sheryl Emslie, Normans wife and sun Dale, with Yvonne Ward-Able had it all planned to meet with Norman while on a trip on the Nile on one of the Cruise Liners. It was just such a pity that Norman, who unfortunately had to turn back when we entered Sudan, was not here. We decided to meet at a local restaurant and caught up on news from home over dinner.

Meeting up with Friends from SA - Dale, Richard, Sheryl, Yvonne, Stelios and Rufus.

If only the Ferry from Wadi Halfa was half as luxorious as the Sonesta.

Supper in Aswan.​

Aswan is Egypt’s most southern city and sits on the banks of a particularly beautiful stretch of the Nile. It is decorated with palm-fringed islands and flotillas of white-sailed feluccas. The town is more African in character than the cities of the north. It is rich in history of the Nubian people who lived here for many generations. At the planning stages, had we known Aswan was such a lovely place, we would have stayed an extra day at leisure here.

 

[RD]

Three Farmers and a Greek.​

Day 44 - Luxor (Egypt)

Distance for the day    - 213 km
Odometer                    - 13 156 km
Hours on the Bike        - 03:21
Donations up to date for Adelaide Hospital – R 129 756.50

We left this morning for Luxor. It was a scenic ride all along the banks of the Nile with a lot of contrast in colours. The massive River Nile with its beautiful clear water runs through the rugged dry landscape of Egypt. There is a green narrow strip, where farmers cultivate the land on either side of the river, with Palm trees everywhere to see. We assume that these trees together form some kind of canopy / green house effect to protect the crops from the scorching sun. Flood irrigation is used to irrigate the small patches of land under various crops.

Small patches of land with fertile soils

Many Palm trees creating shade.

Lots of Lusern are grown.

Tractors with loads of Sugar Cane.

An Irrigation canal next to the River Nile.

Riding through the Dessert of Egypt.​

We reached Luxor midday and decided to see some historical sites. Luxor was built around the 4000-year-old site of Thebes, the ancient capital of the New Kingdom; contemporary Luxor is an eccentric combination of provincial town and staggering ancient splendour. The concentration of monuments is extraordinary: they tower incongruously above the buzz of everyday life and make this a most compelling destination. Some of the most famous places to visit is Karnak, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings, Memorial Temple of Hatshepsut and the Mummification Museum.

Stelios at the Luxor Temple.

Richard choosing the ride.​

We only had time to go to the Luxor Temple, which was amazing. The scale of the Temple and the craftsmanship was astonishing. We also visited the local bazaar and later went for a ride on one of a white-sailed feluccas, on the Nile. This was very relaxing and a good way to see many of the historic places. Luxor is also currently like a ghost town with vacancies in most hotels and after speaking to some locals we were told that business is down 90%. This is a result of the political unrest that has been going on, especially in the north, the last few months. Everybody is however positive that things will change for the better soon.

Richard relaxed on a sailboat on the Nile.

White sail Feluccas.

Sunset in Luxor.​

We hope to have an early start tomorrow to head on our last long stretch of 531km’s, east to the Red Sea and then turn north along the coast to a Holiday Resort, Hotel Mar Rojo, some 200 km’s before Cairo. This should give us a short day to Cairo on Sunday. We had a very pleasant surprise with an offer by Paul Shenck, the Executive Assistant Manager of Intercontinental Hotels to put us up in Cairo, thanks to the initiative of Anton v Zyl.

 

[RD]

Three Farmers and a Greek.​

Day 45 - Red Sea (Egypt)

Distance for the day    - 625 km
Odometer - 13 781 km
Hours on the Bike        - 07:32
Donations up to date for Adelaide Hospital – R 129 756.50

We had our last long hall today and covered 625 km’s on a road that would, under normal circumstances, be easy driving, but was a huge challenge for us because of Gail force winds. We averaged on the trip thus far a fuel consumption of just over 21km/L. Well, today we at some stages barely got 14km/L.

Early Morning in Luxor.​

We left Luxor, following the route North all along the Nile for the first 60 km’s, which was scenic but slow, because of many security Police checkpoints, every one to five km’s apart. They mostly waved us through at these checkpoints with a couple that we had to stop to answer the usual questions. “Wher’e you come from, wher’e you going?” They were all very friendly and we had no problems. Later we turned east on a quiet road to the Red Sea to join a beautiful double road along the coastline heading North.

Mountains on route through the dessert.

A mixture of sand and rock created through evolution.

Roads with dangerous sections between lanes.

Rugged Mountains of Egypt.

A beauty in a different way.

Mountains out of solid rock.

A passage through the mountains before reaching the Red Sea.

Km's of nothing, nothing for km's....​

We were all amazed by the developments along the coastline of the Red Sea. The one impressive Holiday Resort upon the next is being built. A lot of them seem to be halted for some reason and you drive through these ghost towns with half finished buildings everywhere. Where are all these Holiday makers coming from? Hurghada seems to be the favourite spot with most developments around here. Another very scenic area, with big mountains on the shore line is a further 300 km’s north of Hurghada, also bursting out of it seems with new resorts being built.

One of many Resorts on the Red Sea Coast - "moth balled".

One of many Half finished Resorts.

Just the skeleton of a new Resort, which is halted in the construction.

Beautiful Resorts all along the Red Sea.​

The brown hostile Dessert landscape is edged off with the bright blue colour of the beautiful Red Sea. The Red Sea stretches over an area of 2 250 km’s in length and 355 km’s in width .It is the world's northern most tropical sea and is a diving Mecca for the adventurous that likes to scuba dive, with over 2000km’s of coral reefs to explore. The Suez Canal in the northern part joins the Red sea with the Mediterranean Sea and has always been a popular gateway for ships. It however lost its popularity in the 70’s due to wars and currently the route around Cape Town is still mostly used.

The Red Sea is one of the most saline bodies of water in the world, due to high evaporation and very little precipitation as well as the lack of significant rivers or streams draining into the sea. Wind is the driving force in the Red Sea for transporting the material either as suspension or as bed load.

We had it all planned to stop the night at an isolated resort by the name of Hotel Mar Rojo. We arrived at 15:30 at a closed entrance. The name of the resort was now the Zaafarana Hotel & Resort, but unfortunately closed not so long ago.

Big disappointment, our destination for the day have been closed down.​

Is this the result of the political unrest that Egypt is currently facing and the decline in 95% in the tourist business, as one businessman reported? The Hotel in Luxor was also a shining example of what the whole tourist industry is currently facing. It had hundreds of rooms with only a handful of visitors. In fact the section of the Hotel that we occupied was without electricity when we arrived, which obviously was isolated when not in use. The number of horse coaches and taxi’s in Luxor that are just parked is another testament of an industry in a bleeding stage. They hassle you with a sense of urgency and are prepared to cut their rates to the bone, just to get your business.

We ended the day at the Stella Mare Hotel & Resort and were glad to stop, unpack and relax. The wind of day was most challenging and we were all pretty tired. The rate for the night of $50 per person included dinner, bed and breakfast. Tomorrow we have only 150km to Cairo and are all much exited to finish the journey.

The Stella Di Mare Resort entrance​

 

[Maya_The_Bee]

thanks for sharing , great trip and rr  :thumleft:

 

[Laban]

thanks for sharing , great trip and rr  :thumleft:

What the man said!! :thumleft:

 

[RD]

Three Farmers and a Greek.​

Day 46 - Cairo (Egypt)

Distance for the day    - 152 km
Odometer                    - 13 933 km
Hours on the Bike        - 02:21
Donations up to date for Adelaide Hospital – R 129 756.50

The Stella Di Mare turned out to be a very nice stay. We had good food and enjoyed the Beach with its exclusivity.

Stella Di Mare​

Rufus decided to take the opportunity for a Scuba dive with the Hotels Dive Charter, while Richard and Stelios relaxed in the sun.Stella Diving is run by two Italians, Matteo & Benedetta. They quickly got it all organized and Kiro and Bassem took Rufus to a nice spot by the name of Harris Rock. The dive was a little disappointing because of low visibility due to the heavy winds of the day before, but the sea life was beautiful with lots of colourful fish and hard and soft coral. Unfortunately the dive was deeper than what the camera could handle and it had to be left on board.

Stella Diving at the Red Sea.

Rufus ready to explore.​

We left just after midday and headed west on our last stretch to Cairo. It was exiting and we could not wait.

The last Stretch to Cairo​

As we got closer to the city the traffic started to increase and before we new it we were part of an intimidating mass of vehicles, honking, pushing and shoving to work our way to the Hotel. The estimates on the GPS were completely out and we understood why people say that Cairo has the worst drivers. We did not have the correct coordinates for the InterContinental Citystars Hotel and ended at a place +/- 2 km’s away. A process of asking locals, and phoning the Hotel helped us to find our way. At some stage Rufus handed his helmet to a bellboy at a Hotel to speak to someone at our destination, via the Bluetooth connection. It was quit a site to see the guy with his uniform on wearing a helmet and making hand signals while he was talking. Now this of course was a helmet that has just done a 46 day ride from Cape Town, brown with dirt and sweat on the inside and the Bellboy handed it back in disgust.

We eventually got to the Hotel and were blown away with the glamour and warm welcoming at the Hotel Entrance with refreshments. Paul Schenck, the Executive Assistant Manager of InterContinental Cairo Citystars, accompanied by Anton v Zyl of Coca-Cola Cairo had it all perfectly planned with a lovely dinner later in the evening.

Anton van Zyl and Paul Schenck meeting us at the Hotel.

Cleaning up.

Having dinner at the Hotel.​

The five star Hotel is a fine example of absolute luxury and the stunning décor is everything you could wish for. It has 790 spacious rooms that are elegantly furnished with mahogany vanities. What a way to end our trip. To put the cherry on top - our stay is free, thanks to Paul and Anton.

Welcome note on our TV Screen.

InterContinental Cairo Citystars.

Luxurious rooms.

Main building of the Hotel.

The Gym, Spa and In-door Hydrotherapy pool.

Outside pool area.​

Tomorrow we will visit the pyramids and take the famous “Look where are we now!" photo. We have to organize the shipment for our bikes and have two days to do this before we fly back to SA.

 

[White Rhino]

Happy ending - well done guys that was a epic journey!

 

[Ian in Great Brak River]

Congratulations on a great trip, it's been a pleasure to follow you.

8)

 

[RD]

Three Farmers and a Greek.​

Day 47 - Cairo (Egypt)

Distance for the day    - 65 km
Odometer                    - 13 998 km
Hours on the Bike        - 02:35
Donations up to date for Adelaide Hospital – R 234 296

Our mission for the day was to get to the famous 4000 year old Giza Pyramids to have a last photo of us and the bikes in front of it. Stelios decided to leave his motorbike at the hotel, because it keeps cutting out when the temperature gauge starts rising. He hopped on with Rufus and off they went on a short 30 km ride that was going to take them 1 ½ hours through the crazy traffic of Cairo to face the wall of noise, snarl of traffic, cry of hawkers and blanket of smog. Cairo, Africa’s largest city, is the capital city of Egypt and has been renowned for centuries as a centre of learning, culture and commerce.

Cairo is a unique mix of medieval buildings and skyscrapers, bazaars and modern shopping malls, museums packed with ancient relics and stunning new bridges.

We worked our way through the traffic, alert with the constant sound of hooting in the air. We had come to the conclusion that a normal three-lane road is used as a four-lane mass of vehicles moving in the same direction and that the actual lane lines does do not mean anything. The drivers are not driving aggressively and give way to whoever wants to cut across five lanes to make a u-turn at the next break in the pavement. The challenge, however, was that our Tracks4Africa software on the GPS did not facilitate the city map and was guiding us in a general direction after punching in the Co-ordinates of our destination. We have had this experience in most of the big cities we have travelled through and it would be wise to maybe get the street maps for them loaded before attempting to navigate.

Slow moving traffic through the streets of Cairo.​

When we reached the Giza pyramids we were faced with the unpleasant bureaucracy that people warn you of. About 500 m from the parking area locals tried to stop us, indicating that there is no parking ahead. They would then show you a parking space and offer their services as a self appointed tourist guide to help you go through security and get a ticket. This will be offered with no charge because “you are welcome” and they are your “friend”. It would obviously be expected from you to pay him at the end for his good will and this is often where the “friendship” ends. We ignored them and got to the first gate, with security.

They indicated that motorbikes were not allowed into the car parking area and waved us away. We then asked “special” permission to enter as far as the car park to take our photo. It was agreed and we went on. Another security officer stopped us ahead and shouted at us to turn back. After some more negotiations he allowed us to park in the car park. The problem was that nowhere could we get the appropriate picture, because of the buildings and security walls. Rufus spotted a security officer with some heavy brass on the shoulder and asked permission to bring the motorbikes closer to the main entrance, and park them on the side walk to have a quick photo taken and then immediately return. He agreed and we jumped the curb. Suddenly, all hell broke loose with security running towards us from all directions. A commotion started with people shouting back and fourth, with us just standing in silence, waiting for our fate. They were going on about national security and that we needed special permission from the governor to take our picture with the bikes in front of the pyramids. In the same token, busses and some privileged private cars and taxis were waved through another set of security gates to stop a stone throw away from the pyramids. We were shunted around and eventually had enough and left with our motorbikes to park outside the first security checkpoint on the sidewalk. With some tricks we managed to get a good photo.

The END - Cape to Cairo.​

We were all irritated and went back to buy our ticket and enter through the gates. The pyramids and sphinx was spectacular and a must-see when visiting Cairo. This is the sole survivor of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Getting a closer look.

Our lucky charm that kept us safe through out the journey.

Stelios and Richard in front of the Sphinx.

Edwan van Zyl starting to make plans for when he gets bigger.

Richard in the very luxurious Spar of CintyContinental Cairo Citystars.

The exclusive Citystars Mall that is next to the Hotel.​

Tomorrow we need to finalize our deregistering of the bikes and arrangements with the shipping company.       

 

[RD]

Three Farmers and a Greek.​

Day 48 - Cairo (Egypt)

Distance for the day    - 0 km
Odometer                     - 13 998 km
Hours on the Bike        - 00:00
Donations up to date for Adelaide Hospital – R 234 296

We woke this morning with some anxiety to organize the shipment of our motorbikes. We had different quotes from companies in South Africa and sister companies in Cairo. There were a lot of unanswered questions with regards to the right procedures and paperwork that had to be finalized first. We realized that the language issue was going to be a problem and we had to get someone local to help us.

We went to the Hotel's Concierge room and met with Ahmed Ismail. He immediately got to work and a few hours later, organised a meeting with a shipping company. We were shocked with the rates, especially if we wanted to air-freight our motorbikes back so we decided to rather do it by sea. We first had to deregister the motorbikes and return the Egyptian number plates to the licensing department.

Stelios, patiently waiting at the Licensing Department.​

After all of this we paid the Shipping Company and signed the final documentation - job done thanks to the excellent work of Ahmed. Later that afternoon, we got a message to meet the following morning with the guy from the shipping company, for a final document that we had to sign.

Rufus handing the keys over to Mostafa of the shipping company.

Night view of the wonderful InterContinental Cairo Citystars Hotel.​

We had one day left to explore Cairo before leaving for home the next evening. We could not wait!

The Michelin Anakee 2 after 14 000 km

Heidenau K60 after 14 800 km​

 

[man on the moon]

Thanks for an inspiring report, it was a great read and good to see you make it to the end without any major incidence.  :thumleft:

 

[plonker]

Thanks for a stunning RR and I could not get enough.This is one of my dreams.Well done. :biggrin:

 

[The Rock]

RESPEK!  :thumleft:

 

[White Rhino]

Afgaristo ! :thumleft:

 

[Tiger8]

Awe inspiring journey, well done guy's and thanks for sharing this with us. I feel as though I have travelled the length of the African Continent and lived vicariously through you guys.  :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft:

RESPECT

Eagerly awaiting the next installment of your follow-up trip, Long way home! You are travelling down the West Coast of Africa Home!!??  >    :ricky: :ricky: :ricky: :ricky: