Hardship (Day 5)
By admin. Filed in Egypt |
The morning of the 5th day began with the slow, gentle climb over the mountain pass between the Red Sea and the Nile. The wind was in a rush to get to the Sea, however, and mistakenly under the belief that it had to follow the roads to get there. The local drivers don’t follow the roads as thoroughly as the wind did. No matter which way we turned, we were like little salmon swimming upstream. 130km.
Fortunately, I found some help riding loosely in groups in the morning. After lunch, I had formed a peleton with three other riders and we helped each other to the finish. If I had been able to do that on the second day, I might still be EFI.
We got into camp to another surprise. The staff had found both my headlamp and my tent bag. They were being auctioned off along with other lost items from other riders. I had to buy them back for 7 beers (not cheap in Egypt). Poor Paddy had to buy back his eyeglasses for 14 beers. Meanwhile, my missing tubes had reappeared in my bag just as mysteriously as they had disappeared. Finally, all my possessions seem to be accounted for. Camp was at another police checkpoint, where we formed our usual tent city and became the spectacle for the boisterous guards for the night.