Like every other day, my alarm went
off at 5:45am to dress and start packing bags before coffee at 6:15am.
It feels even colder than usual with the stiff breeze. With a hot coffee,
I take down the tent and finish packing bags to be ready for breakfast at 6:45am.
Looks like an easy ride of 91km and flat elevation. We are biking
out of the dessert and inland to the Nile. We were warned about crazy
traffic, excited kids throwing rocks, donkey carts overloaded with sugar cane,
transport trucks, motorbikes, and crazy drivers as we got closer to the Nile.
All were present.
When the kids spot the bikes, they
rush to the side of the road to say 'hello', 'money, money', or 'what's your
name'. Some get very excited and throw rocks and sticks at you, pinch you,
play chicken by jumping out in front of you or riding their bikes head on
towards you...they are often in crowds and it is quite stressful with their
constant yelling and darting out in front of you. I don't have pictures of this
because I don't dare take a hand off my handle bar or stop. By stopping
you would very soon be over run by dozens. Most often the kids are very
cute but some are obnoxious (just like at home).
In the busy commercial area, the
traffic was like something I've only seen in movies. Tuk tuks, motor
bikes, cars and transfer trucks (and us) all fighting for the same space.
Horns were blaring, old trucks and cars were spewing black smoke, exhaust
hung in the air, you would be riding down the right hand side of the road and
in front of you there would be motor bike or a donkey heading toward you.
As we approached the Nile, the
scenery changed. There were date trees (they look like palm trees to me),
flower bushes and other vegetation. We rode along a canal where men were
pulling nets, goats were grazing and irrigation pumps could be heard. It
was very beautiful; things were very lively and mosques/temples could be seen
in the distance.
No comments:
Post a Comment