Day 4 - Safaga Egypt

We've made it through the first four days. 544 total kilometers so far.

Day 1 - departure from Cairo - ten km from the hotel to the pyramids, then about twenty-five km back through Giza and around Cairo on the ring road. Air quality terrible. Noise too - everybody honks horns. Rae was the first in the entire Tour to have a flat tire... now that's a great start - didn't even get to the east side of the Nile. Ursula had her flat at km 40. Both were the fancy new desert tires - they failed at the base of the valve, so a tire change both times.

After that, there was a long steady climb eastward, general direction of Suez, but we skirted Suez the following day. Somebody sent us an email with the Cairo forecast for Saturday and said temperature 15, wind southwest at 25. Let us tell you, it seemed like a hundred and twenty five. Last year, the lady's top racer did it in under 3-1/2 hours. She is on the tour again this year and it took her over 6 hours - and that was just the time after lraving the pyramids. The total length for the day was about 140 km. Unfortunately by sunset we still had ten km to go so we had to get picked up and we lost the EFI (Every F---ing inch) status - takes some pressure off for the rest of the tour.

Then pitching the tent in the dark was another great challenge. We even missed dinner.

Day 2 - it has to get better - up at 0600, and by the time we got organized we were about the last out of camp. Just 168 km today. JUST... yesterday was the first time we'd been over about 105. The wind was still strong and cold, but fortunately after the first 25 km, it was a tail wind. Then another flat for Ursula - the third of our desert tires, same thing as before. After lunch, we didn't think there was much hope for finishing, but to out surprise, we were able to generate a cruise speed of 30-40 km/hr for the entire afternoon so we finished just after 1600 - the last ones to go the distance and arrive in camp - quite a few abandoned voluntarily en route.

We got dinner and we were better organized. Pitching the tent was challenging in the gale. Sort of woke us up at regular intervals. In bedby about 2000 - it was a definite improvement on day 1.

Day 3 - 'Only' 138 km today. Up at 0530, out of camp before 0730. We're not the last to leave. Another strong cold wind, but it was a tail wind. Into camp shortly after 1300. The tent really nearly blew away today with only softish ground to anchor it. Got down to the Red Sea for a sponge bath. Water too cold to swim. Got supper. Food tends to be some sort of stew, very tasty, rice or potato, and some veggie. Served with fine red wine... sorry about that... served with water coffee or tea. Temperature not bad until sunset, then it was freezing - that's been the way it is every day so far. In bed at 1930. Hard to sleep with the wind and the trucks on the highway.

Day 4 - Up at 0530 and on the road before 0730. We skirt by Hurghada this morning and continue to Safaga for the night. Today is only 110 km and we're finished just after 1200. We thought about it last night, thinking how absolutely wonderful it would be to do only 110 km - piece of cake - how quickly we change - just three days ago we hadn't gone that far in our lives

Safaga is a town. Burgeoning resort developments along the Red Sea to the North. Nice thing about town is there are hotels and we decided to part with $30 for a room with a bathroom that we don't have to dig in the desert and also a hot shower.

And a chance to get to an internet cafe and send this email.

How are we? Sore bums. Sore I-T bands. Ursula's knees are sore but pain manageable with Advil. Rae's hips are doing just great Ursula has a cold. We've both picked up quite a bit of sun (not a cloud in the sky). Spirits excellent.

Coming up - tomorrow we leave the Red Sea and have to go up into the hills and head to Qena. It promises to be tough - uphill and probably mostly into wind. Thursday into Luxor for a rest day on Friday.