Stage 8 – Idfu to Aswan Egypt

104k (5 hrs riding time)

It is hard to imagine a group of mostly professional people sleeping on the side of a busy road in a tent, tractors, donkeys, waking up in the dark and eating a bowl of oatmeal, also in dark, talking about how great the night was and how delicious the oatmeal tasted this morning

The morning ride started off with a cruise through sugar cane littered narrow streets.

After about 10k we eased out into country roads with the Nile on one side and a canal on the other. I stopped at a bakery and was given hot bread.

Children and men yelled “Good morning”. “Welcome to Egypt!” Most everyone waved and was excited to see a biker passing by.

Donkeys hauling carts of sugar cane passed by. Small farms dominated the day. A group of us stopped for tea. At a small shop. A Muslim man sent someone to get tea from his home and wouldn’t take anything for it. It was a good day ending in a surprise birthday party with a wonderful cake and 35 people singing happy birthday. A great way to greet my 60th year!