500km Down...11 400km to Go!

Hello!

Well, we just completed Day 4 of our journey and are in a small little town right on the Red Sea called Safaga. Our tent is set up literally on the beach 20 feet from the water. We have travelled just over 500km over the past 4 days and are happy to say that as a team, at least one of us has cycled every kilometer so far (not necessarily both of us, but fatigue and soreness does get in the way). We don't have much to report on stuff that we have seen as it has pretty much been all sandy desert on the trip so far. We were very happy to be cycling right along the Red Sea for the past 3 days, it has been beautiful. For those that want to figure out our route, we went from Cairo to Hurghada and are now in Safaga. Our first day of cycling was very tough...not only did we have to deal with the hectic traffic in Cairo heading out, but as soon as we were out of the city we were on a long uphill out of the Nile valley...with a headwind. Even the most experienced riders said it was quite the challenge. BUT, we both managed to cycle the entire 130km to camp, just before the sun set. It was tough. The worst part was that day two was 168km. Luckily, when we woke up, the winds had changed and we had a tailwind for the whole thing. We met up with the Red Sea on Day 2 and camped within walking distance of the water. We didn't get a chance to take a dip, however, as we were exhausted and went to bed at 8pm. On day 3, it was another 133km, but again, the tailwind was a life-saver. We were in to camp by 2pm and had enough time to go for a swim this time! Today (Day 4), was only 100km and we were into camp before noon (hence having time to search for an internet cafe in town). Went for a swim again and had a chance to have a shower at a local hotel as well (and a beer).

So far, we have adjusted well. The cycling was difficult at first, but we are getting stronger and more settled into our saddles and shorts as we go along. The food so far has been absolutely amazing. The chef they have on the tour is incredible. We were thinking about going out to a restaurant for a "real" meal tonight, but decided not to as the camp food has been just as delicious.

We can't upload any pictures where we are so far, but if you are interested in what we have seen, just google "Egypt - desert", nothing much else.

In two days we will be in Luxor where we will have our first official rest day and might sent another update then. Then we are off to Sudan on a boat...it is all going so fast!

Thats all for now, ciao!

Andrew & Judy