By Henry
There is an abundance of junk food and snacks at the Coke stops. Egyptians like their chips. There are many flavors. They carry Doritos and Lay's, but there are many knock-offs. Kebab chips sound intriguing and I will try them eventually. There is an endless choice of chocolate bars and treats. Mars bars are extremely popular here.
Our route today was mostly downhill with some gentle undulations. Another crystal clear day, with us waking up to 10° C and the temperature rising to 25° C, as we dropped in elevation. We witnessed incrementally increasing green swaths as we approach the Nile River valley. We saw a crop that I thought was rice, but later was told it is winter wheat. Some of it has been harvested and is on the way to market.
On the road today, a British rider reached down for his third water bottle below his bike frame downtube and got his left ring finger tangled in the spokes of his front wheel. Fortunately, he did not crash, and I came upon him within a few minutes of the accident. I stabilized his digits with some buddy straps. He was able to ride to lunch. From there, he hitched a ride with TDA staff to a Luxor emergency clinic. The recommendation from that doctor was immediate K-wire pinning at 4 PM today. I reviewed the options with him and his informed decision was not to pursue surgery in Egypt. He will skip the next 2 or 3 days of riding and probably will be able to resume riding January 28 or January 31 in Rwanda. We happen to have a lot of rest days between now and then.
The traffic increased noticeably as we approached Luxor. Everyone who passes us waves, shouts hallo, or simply gives us thumbs up.
After our arrival and setting up camp, we took a stroll to Luxor Temple.
Sunset on the Nile.
We found a fourth floor restaurant, with a nice view of the Luxor Temple complex. This is the public square adjacent to the Luxor Temple.
3 km long Avenue of the Sphinxes connecting Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple.
The stroll to and from Luxor Temple was a half hour each way. Catholic Church in Luxor.
The 2023 African Cup of Nations biennial soccer tournament is ongoing, so there is a lot of soccer on TV screens. Egypt has won the tournament seven times.
The campsite today is at Hotel Rezeiky on their grassy lawn. They have an outdoor lobby and pool. "Upgrades" are available to a hotel room.
Each day upon arrival, there is a whiteboard with important relevant information. There is always a staffed bike clinic and a first aid station.
When we have rest days, there are tourist options available, arranged by the local Egyptian guides traveling with us.
"Bing pong" is available, although none of us feel a desire to exercise our legs any further.
Rezeiky tent city.
The stroll to and from Luxor Temple was a half hour each way. Catholic Church in Luxor.
The 2023 African Cup of Nations biennial soccer tournament is ongoing, so there is a lot of soccer on TV screens. Egypt has won the tournament seven times.
The campsite today is at Hotel Rezeiky on their grassy lawn. They have an outdoor lobby and pool. "Upgrades" are available to a hotel room.
Each day upon arrival, there is a whiteboard with important relevant information. There is always a staffed bike clinic and a first aid station.
When we have rest days, there are tourist options available, arranged by the local Egyptian guides traveling with us.
"Bing pong" is available, although none of us feel a desire to exercise our legs any further.
Rezeiky tent city.
Personal note of perspective: my Wordle streak was disrupted yesterday when there was absolutely no Internet connectivity at the campsite. I'm not sad or upset; it's preferable to get this nonsense anxiety out of the way as there will be many more days with no Internet as we traverse Africa. And this "problem" pales in comparison to having a broken finger while trying to pedal a bicycle 9500 km through the wilds of Africa.
Tim's Garmin
ReplyDeleteHenry, am loving your thoughtful and vivid posts! Filling in with small details, really brings your experiences to life. How lucky was your tourmate that a renown hand surgeon was there to help??!! As they say, the road provides.