Day 37 Aswan – Luxor
I took the chance in asking Ray if I could update the blog this morning instead of heading out into the scorching sun to help unload the bikes. Not that the 45 degree weather had anything to do with it, but I figured photographs was a MUST considering that there hasn’t been much of a view since a week ago. After two hours of sorting, editing, resizing, uploading, and then placing photos I was done just around the scheduled time for the group to arrive (around 11 am) so that we could leave an hour later. Little did I know that my decision to stay at the hotel would keep me out of the literal and figurative heat.
Having been on schedule with the exception that no body in the government in Egypt works on fridays, we were forced to wait until saturday morning to fetch the bikes off the barge. Loading the bikes into the boat was difficult enough, until it came to unloading it in even hotter weather. Everybody was there, including the other travelers whom we met in Wadi Halfa, also intent on getting their vehicles and heading out. I think for a while there has been some tension around the group, especially with the whole 24 hour of discomfort thing with all the dreadful heat that we’re not used to at all. After another 6 hours of delay the group finally showed up to the hotel around 4 with an hours break until we absolutely HAD to head out to Luxor. Our initial goal was to drive about 400 km to the Red Sea region and stay in a place by the name Hurghada. That wasn’t the case today because customs didn’t work out all the kinks at dinner the night before at the hotel.
When the group arrived they came with some war stories. Obviously very irritated by the fact that they had to spend such a length of time at the harbor, but also with each other. Traveling in a big group will always have its conflict, and to be honest there had been none until this day. Maybe a little passive aggression here and there at times but nothing big, today they were grabbing each other by the necks, and it certainly almost got physical.
Ray was especially on edge that day, all the stress of almost getting to Cairo was getting to him, and as the story goes he had a few words with the group that latched on to us about not helping us as we helped them. Apparently Claudio was so offended that he grabbed Ray by the shirt, but that’s as far as I got before I was hustled back into the car. Among some of the other battles were of Ofer and Pete, Ig and Alain, and Ray and Les- everyone was fed up, but it bound to happen, especially in the tough circumstances that everyone was in. You cant expect a pack of irritated wolves to not fight when confined to a small space- we’re only human after all. Everything ended well though, we’re a team, we’re brothers, and we all headed out together to Luxor in hopes to gain some ground.
The traffic was horrendous heading up north along the Nile. It was so bad that it reminded me of Malawi and Tanzania’s constant check points and speed bumps. After 100 km our average was a mear 60 kmph which made no one happy considering we had almost another 200 km to gain. The big problem with driving in Egypt and Sudan is that vehicles don’t drive with their lights on, and resort to flashing their lights when passing cars. It’s wonderful that they single to you when they’re over taking other cars, but it definitely makes it very difficult when you’re trying to scope out on coming cars to pass slow trucks. Darkness + Egyptian traffic is hell.
After very slow progress the night started to drag on. A little ways out of Luxor we pulled into a town that seemed almost deserted initially but as we pulled through the heart of it we drove straight into a protest. The security car was in the very front leading with the bikes in between the big vehicles. Instantaneously it turned into a real sketchy situation with thousands of people surrounding the vehicles and bikes. It was difficult to figure out if they were being violent of not, but they sure weren’t letting any cars get by. After about 10 minutes of sitting smack in the middle of the protest security told us to turn around, which was easier for the bikes, but a little more difficult for us. The tension on the bikes must have been big because the riders were literally being engulfed by people, some who even carried long staffs with them. I heard a bit later from Alain that he got a few in the ribs and as Rolf and Jacci pulled through the men in the crowd started making a big scene at the fact that Jacci was a woman. It was an uncomfortable situation and it was good that the group turned and got out of it, the truck though was another story. The protesters actually signaled to us how and where to do a U turn- which was nice of them, even if they were being very scary.
We found a guy on a scooter to lead us around the backroads of the town and around the protests. I know Egypt has been having a lot of demonstrations but I didn’t think that we’d find outselves right in the middle of one. “Always expect the unexpected” and I think that’s been a very valid statement thinking back on the trip so far! Finally after a good 20 minute detour we were out of the town toward Luxor again but about 30 km out of town we were stopped again by another security checkpoint because of more demonstrations going on further down the road. Everyone looked tense because they wouldn’t let us go further, this one was no joke.
As we sat and waited for security to make up their mind about getting us to the hotel in Luxor Alain and Doc bought a big watermelon on the side of the road and started cutting it up for everyone. It was a good snack although warm, I think everyone was getting hungry at that point because by then we’d been on the road for almost 6 hours and it was getting close to 10 pm. Out of no where a police motorcycle pulls up to the check point and slams his helmet down on the back of his motorcycle. He looked a bit stressed, which in a way made my mind spin about what our next move was going to be. He assigned that all of us turn off our lights because he didn’t want us to be seen. A lot of the guys had to duct tape their lights because their bikes automatically turn the lights on when the bikes running. We were under strict instructions not to talk on the radio, and not to be loud. There was to be no revving of the engines and we were supposed to follow the police motorcycle with all our guys behind us. He was going to smuggle us through the back streets of the city in the cover of darkness.
It was like something out of a movie as we pulled through fields of crops, small alley ways bordered by clay colored buildings with no lights. I truly felt like we were sneaking through the city, but in reality, we really were. It was surreal as we drove on small on lane roads next to the canals flashing out lights from time to time to make sure that we were on the right course and not heading into a ditch or the river. The occasional tar road (if you could call it that) would be followed by the occasional dirt road and so it went on for a good half hour until we started pulling into a more developed section of the city. After a few more twists and turns we arrived on what seemed to be the main road and were instructed by security that we were safe now.
By now it was getting close to mid night and the entire group was getting tired, it was the last official night of the trip and I don’t think any one pictured it being as tough as it was. As we pulled through Luxor, this time in full view of the public, it was almost surreal. What we had just done, today and in the last 36, was soon going to be coming to an end. We cruised past the ancient Luxor temple as if it were just another building on the side of the road. We didn’t stop but we marveled at its magnificence, and that after 5000 years these structures still towered and held the legacy that ancient pharaohs intended for them to have. The prestige that the silhouetted columns symbolized was chilling and quite similar to the way I viewed the last month of our lives…
Here we were almost at the end of the journey and now, even to us, it seems within reach. Before we conquered Africa it seemed larger than life, something unachievable, but since we left Cape Town on that cold morning in June, we’ve pushed and pulled ourselves toward our ambition. Now that we were right on the doorstep of Cairo, it was finally becoming real to us. Our hopes and our dreams of traveling 16,000 km across the African continent from Cape Town to Cairo- on motorcycles.
It was difficult to situate my thoughts as we got into the vehicle, I think as everybody hopped on to their bikes and into the trucks with the most anticipation. We had only 700 km to go which would have seemed like a big day a month ago, but given the circumstances it seemed like no big deal at all.We had all been on the road for a month now and had traveled almost 16, 000 km, I think it’s very accurate to say that we’ve all grown attached to Africa. It’s an attachment that would be difficult to break away from because it would be something that we would all talk about for the rest of our lives.
