Fortunately we were too early for another go at the hostel breakfast this morning. Instead we headed straight to the bus station to catch our 8am bus.
Aside from the fact that they had double sold our seats, we held our ground having secured 1 and 2 so that nobody could recline their seats onto our knees, the day bus was infinitely preferable to the night one. The constant security checks of course remained, but we were not delayed at Suez for anywhere like as long as we had been previously, Plus being daylight we had a chance to look at the scenery. The route to Suez along the Red Sea coast is desert, interspersed with building sites and seemingly abandoned resorts; not the most attractive area we have seen, but it was nice to be able to see it!
We arrived back in Dahab just before 5pm feeling pretty good. We were soon checked back into the hotel room and then dived in the pool to cool off. After the noise, pollution and general mayhem of Cairo it was good to be back in the peace and quiet.
The next day we asked at a travel agent about the possibility of taking our bikes on the bus to Luxor. He said that it would be no problem and has hopefully arranged our seats for us. He has promised to get us seats at the front of the bus, but Egyptians tend to be a little vague so we will keep our fingers crossed.
Nearly 20 hours on a bus is going to save us probably two weeks of cycling, which in any other country we would be glad to do, but we have really struggled to warm to Egypt. Dahab aside, which we would visit again if we just wanted to relax, the country seems like one big tourist trap. Very little is offered without request for payment, plus the tensions that remain have made it feel a little uncomfortable. We are sure others have had different experiences but we won't be sad to leave the country behind. There is of course a small bit of that us that feels guilty about not cycling, but we had never planned to cycle along the coast any further than Sharm el Sheikh anyway. Had the Ferry to Hurghada been running we would have taken that and then ridden across the desert to Luxor. As it is our visas are running out and we are keen to get on the ferry to Sudan.
The rest of our time has been spent resting, snorkelling, sunbathing, eating and having the odd beer. We are catching the 4pm bus today so the next blog should be from Luxor, Take care all, wish us luck with the bus and the bikes!
Hi Guys, Hope you guys and the bikes and your gear are all now safe and well in Sudan. We've taken quite a few buses and ferries in Asia with the bikes and all of our gear and, it was only yesterday, when we really felt that, despite the fact that we'd pre-paid and pre-organised everything it could all go horribly wrong. For us the latter didn't happen in the end but nor was it a smooth ride either and, at times, the hair was standing on the back of our necks ( or rather it was trying but was stuck to it in the heat) - you know what I mean. Well done on all of your trip so far and we look forward to reading of your future adventures. L, L and P
ReplyDelete