Western Desert - part one

We leave Cairo on a mild, cool morning, following the outgoing traffic until it fades and becomes little on our road to Bahariya.

30 km with some traffic to quit one of the biggest cities on the continent

water: a scarce ressource in Egypt - would be nice to treat it like a flower and not a garbage bin...

Western desert road - the train accompanies us to Bahariya 

After 90 km with tailwind, we stop at an ambulance station and are welcome by Ahmad and Fathi to spend the night in the emergency room. What a relief from the wind!

The next day we are blessed with another day of tailwind. It's going to be the last until Bahariya.

First night in an ambulance station -we sleep in the emergency room - we're fine!

our welcoming hosts and Tom of tomandmattcycle.com

fog can be treacherous - a bus stops in the mist, men go peeing, we watch sipping our morning coffee while the sun clears away the fog!

tailwind - keep smiling!

ambulance station watch dogs

stones - there are A LOT  in the desert!!

we had 3 drops of RAIN in the desert

kitsch

The tailwind gone, we need 3 days to make the same distance we did the 2 previous days...

a combination of snickers and mars to encounter headwinds

einmal Sandstrahlen - one blast cleaning, please! lovely for the chain. Better than ANY bodyshop cream, and free!

water transport in Bahariya

Bahariya - street talks

if tourists don't speak arabic, let's take english lessons! Mabruuk!

"yes, give me THAT pack of dates!"

rooftop terrasse

laundry - ours - drying

lovely numbers

We leave Bahariya for Farafra. We're going to spend some days in the white desert.

Road restaurant: arabic men buying underwear for their women?

this lady runs a lovely restaurant - alone! it's the only working women (in public area) we met

kitsch

kitsch

kitsch

local corn flakes - eaten with milk they are just ok

entering the white desert

camping in the white desert

someone lost his bike in the white desert

night scenery in the white desert

exiting the white desert

cycling with Tom and Matt

feast in Farafra

Farafra exit - desert storm approaching

desert storm approaching more!

we turn around to the hotel

Farafra without desert storm

First 540 km done.

Part 2 will follow soon....