LUXOR DAY 114 & 115

VISITED THE TEMPLES AND VALLEY OF THE KINGS BELOW AND EAT WITH THE FAMILY EVERY NIGHT.

    HOTSPUTS TEMPLE.    

KARNAK 

EGYPT DAY 111 2 - 5 APRIL 23. 559km.

ALULA TO DUBA.     559km.

My thought was to go to Duba and then up to Jordan (which I wish I did) but I stopped in at the shipping agent to enquire about the RoRo Ferry and they had one leaving in the evening  so I booked a ticket , $375 for the bike and myself. Was told to be there at 7:30pm which left me two hours to find some food and drive the 27km to the port.

With Ramadan I have been fasting only because everything is closed so been having water and chips with yogurt as meals now.

Raced up to the port and the ship left at 1am for the eight hour trip to Soffaga, Egypt. 

DAY 112   3-4-23    ARRIVE IN EGYPT

Didn't sleep a wink on the ferry, arrived at 9am and diembarked at 11am then the nigjtmare began. It is the worst border crossing in my life, six hours of getting all the paperwork done and paying everytime you got a new piece of paper that had to be stamped , so disorganized , the amount of paperwork and different buildings you have to go to, was total choas. You get a  ID card printed and they issue you number plates that you have to put on and $250 later you live pissed off to no end. So just found a hotel in town ($13)  and went and found a camel steak for dinner still pissed off, wishing I had never come. 

 ÐAY 113   285km  TO LUXOR

Headed east across the desert for 150km  towards Quena where the police checkpoints started. When I arrived in Quena outskirts there were two police cars waiting for me, the guy took my passport and I had to follow him. They took me to the next checkpoint and then those police took me to the next one and afyer six different escorts I ended up in Luxor. Cleopatra Hotel on the west bank is where I ended up at about 2pm. 

Walked down to the Nile and took a ferry over to the east bank and walked around the pier and market  for a few hours.

Because of Ramadan the owners of the hotel invite you into their house to eat dinner with them. So a few of us went and it was great food and a fantastic authentic experience. Best meal I have had in weeks.

HAIL TO ALULA. DAY 110 1ST APRIL 2023 640km. 10*C

Was bloody cold in the morning starting out it was 10*C , was at about 3700ft, took hours before it warmed up. Another flat nothing to see till about 30km outside Alula the rock mountains start getting bigger and bigger. 

Wasted tons of time trying to find the hotel and when I did nobody was there, so cancelled it and found another, wasted hours driving around. Did go to Elephant rock and returned in the evening to see it lit up but was not that marvellous. 

Need a front tyre and having no luck finding one as yet, maybe tomorrow. 

KUWAIT to HAIL SAUDI ARABIA DAY 109 940km. 11hrs

The longest ride to date and the the most boring ride after seeing the most crazy antics 90km from Kuwait City on the higjway to Saudi. As I looked into the distance I saw smoke and a crowd on either sid of the highway and then cars were coming at me and other cars were spinning and doing burnouts. The situation was totally nuts, suddenly these guys take over the highway as vehicles are still coming through and they were skilled at what they did, and the crowds on either side cheering them on. I quickly exited and parked my bike in not a very safe place but was the only choice, next to some locals who assured me it was fine. This was the absolute highlight of Kuwait. I took a bunch of video as it was hard to believe seeing these guys going flat out and spinning around while traffic passes by. Well then of course one guy knocked over a spectatot right near me and then I thought I better get out of here and left and the locals told me "go ,go go " so I did . I put the video on YouTube, Roy Cape to Cairo  Kuwait burnout.  

Filled up with gas at the border and a local paid for it, it is cheap in Kuwait but everything else is so expensive !  

Kuwait police wanted my drivers license and carnet which i never even used ,they didn't  know what was going on, then got a guy who could speak English from Syria and he helped and all was fine and then they were taking photos of all of us and the Syrian could not believe where I had ridden from and my age and grabbed my helmet with both hands and pulled my head down and kissed it, it was hilarious . 

The Saudi's searched all my bags making sure there's no alcohol or pork and more importantly no 44 gallon drums with acid in, as they need those at the embassies. Luckily I had neither and then it was on the throttle for hours on end, with a lot of wind buffeting me all day, and the landscape is just flat and some sand dunes now and then.

Got to Levine Hotel which was good ($32) and got given some dates and Saudi coffee, not eating all day, it was much appreciated.