Day 9
Today would be the longest, the easiest and the hardest ride of all. 410 km on 99% smooth four lane divided highway. We got a very early start as we had to get to the Pryamids in Cairo before dark and in time to be met with VIP's. We slipped out of Assiout at dawn.
Our first delay came at the toll both the big highway. This was just a normal thing to have to wait, but day was not just about paperwork. This highway was built and is owned by the Army. We waited and waited. Finally Thomas and some Army guy with lots of glitter, medals, pens, colored braids approached me.Thomas asked me if I had taken any pictures. I was the only one with a camera hanging around my neck. I lied. "No not I" I said. "You sure?". "Yes" I stated. They moved off and talked for about five minutes then Thomas came back. "Ken, you sure you did not take any pictures?" "I took one" I replied. With our back to the "General" I showed it to him and he asked me to delete and I did. He took my camera to the "General " and showed it to him. This seemed to make him happy and off we roared with a least a half dozen GoPros running as they had been the whole time we sat there.
Don't look. Here is the super secret toll booth.
It was open riding until we got close to Cairo.
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| lots of pollution from industry and the desert sand |
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| 100's of smoke stacks making bricks |
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| What do you do in Egypt if you miss your turn on a 6 lane divided highway? Turn around and go back the other way in the same lane. |
Then we left the expressway and rode into the hell Cairo traffic. The traffic was horrendous, the roads where horrendous, Everything was horrendous. The Egyptain leaders and sweepers have the all consuming need to keep traffic away from us. I understand their idea, but the execution can be dangerous. To accomplish this task they push on the riders to ride with less than a accepted safe gap between riders. I and others refused but that did not keep them off our tails. One sweeper, Tarek, was knocked over by non-CEC rider. Fortunately he had no serious injury. Two leaders collided and a leader ran into my ass. Another scooter next to me was hit by two scooters at once. Fortunatley no one went down. Everybody had a excuse of "why" it happened but the bottom line reason it happened is they were to close. There were no pictures on this leg as I was just trying survive. Vicki in the van was very concerned about my safety and her own in the van.
Fortunately, battered and bruised we all made it to the Pyramids
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| Rose, a photographer, singer, and all round nice person does a selfie |
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| What was left of group 3 |
THE END
