Day 78
Sleeping location: Dahab Divers, Dahab, Egypt
Distance (km today/total): 34 / 6165
Estimated climb (m today/total): 200 / 54900
Distance closer to Cape Town: 0
Day in three words: An escape, thwarted
Today was the day we left Dahab, but the sleeping location might give away that this didn’t go perfectly. The day started well enough as we headed to a bar to watch the rugby world cup quarter final between England and Australia, which kicked off at 9.15am as it was in Japan. The bar didn’t sell proper coffee so we had to get a beer to give something back, although this also helped take the nerves off when Australia pegged it back to within a point just after half time. Happily (for the English) they didn’t score again and the last 20 minutes was enjoyably stress free as England won 40-16. The game finished at 11am and we headed back to the hotel to pack up the bikes and head off towards Sharm. Due to various admin we didn’t leave until 1pm, but this still left enough daylight to get to Nabq, which was about 65km away but in the right direction to make use of a strong wind.
We meandered out of town then picked up the smaller road that led back to the main road around the South Sinai. We raced along thanks to the aforementioned wind, and all was good. But after about 15km we rounded a corner to find the road Closed, with a capital C. Usually road closures don’t involve a full military roadblock, barbed wire, gun emplacements and watchtowers. A man with a whistle made it very clear that we weren’t even allowed to come near and ask what had happened to the road. It looks like this road had been closed off so there was only one way in and out of Dahab, so the military could control it better. Some signs would have been nice. It was a 7km detour back to this other way out of town, but going back into the ferocious wind meant it took over half an hour. By now it was 2.30pm and we weren’t going to make it to Nabq any more. We discussed heading back to Dahab, but decided to push on and camp wherever we were when it got dark.
At the main checkpoint we were again stopped and asked where we were going, so we said Sharm (95km away). The guy in charge first said that “the road is not for cycling” (?), then that “the cars go fast and it’s dangerous” (I survived Italy) then that “it’s a long way” (so is Cape Town). The whole time he skirted around the actual issue, which is that there is ISIS presence in the Sinai*; I don’t think they would have brought in the army to deal with fast cars. I calmly explained that I was cycling for charity and needed to cycle the whole distance, and he seemed to accept this. He called his superior and had some discussions while we waited by the side of the road. The conclusion they reached was that it was ok for us to cycle to Sharm, but that if we left now we wouldn’t make it by dark, and this was too much of a risk for them to entertain, so we had to go back to Dahab and leave in the morning the next day. This was annoying but the guy was just doing his job and trying to protect us, and he seemed like a decent guy, so I wasn't as annoyed as I might have been. We traipsed back into town for another few km, completing our 34km pointless loop, and went back to the same hotel for another night. Every cloud: they gave us a bigger room this time.
It was only 3.30pm so we decided to do a bit of snorkelling around the reef in town before sunset. You could see a surprising amount as the coral was pretty close to the surface, but it was cold in the stiff wind with no wetsuit and Rebecca headed in after about half an hour. I stayed for a bit longer and on my way back saw something absolutely extraordinary - a shoal of thousands of smallish fish (maybe sardines) had formed quite close to shore, and was being repeatedly attacked by a school of trumpetfish**. If you stayed still the small fish would bunch around you, and they were so many that you were completely surrounded by thousands of little eyes and shiny scales. It was totally mesmerising. I insisted that a cold Rebecca come back into the water to see it, and she agreed that it was extremely beautiful but could she please go and drink her hot chocolate now. I stayed in there for another ten minutes, hoping that something more interesting than a trumpetfish would try and eat them, but eventually I got too cold and had to head back. Early(ish) to bed to try and leave again tomorrow.
*But the north half mum, we deliberately didn’t go that way
**A very thin fish 1-2ft long. Inaccurately named as IMO it looks more like a clarinet
Distance (km today/total): 34 / 6165
Estimated climb (m today/total): 200 / 54900
Distance closer to Cape Town: 0
Day in three words: An escape, thwarted
Today was the day we left Dahab, but the sleeping location might give away that this didn’t go perfectly. The day started well enough as we headed to a bar to watch the rugby world cup quarter final between England and Australia, which kicked off at 9.15am as it was in Japan. The bar didn’t sell proper coffee so we had to get a beer to give something back, although this also helped take the nerves off when Australia pegged it back to within a point just after half time. Happily (for the English) they didn’t score again and the last 20 minutes was enjoyably stress free as England won 40-16. The game finished at 11am and we headed back to the hotel to pack up the bikes and head off towards Sharm. Due to various admin we didn’t leave until 1pm, but this still left enough daylight to get to Nabq, which was about 65km away but in the right direction to make use of a strong wind.
We meandered out of town then picked up the smaller road that led back to the main road around the South Sinai. We raced along thanks to the aforementioned wind, and all was good. But after about 15km we rounded a corner to find the road Closed, with a capital C. Usually road closures don’t involve a full military roadblock, barbed wire, gun emplacements and watchtowers. A man with a whistle made it very clear that we weren’t even allowed to come near and ask what had happened to the road. It looks like this road had been closed off so there was only one way in and out of Dahab, so the military could control it better. Some signs would have been nice. It was a 7km detour back to this other way out of town, but going back into the ferocious wind meant it took over half an hour. By now it was 2.30pm and we weren’t going to make it to Nabq any more. We discussed heading back to Dahab, but decided to push on and camp wherever we were when it got dark.
At the main checkpoint we were again stopped and asked where we were going, so we said Sharm (95km away). The guy in charge first said that “the road is not for cycling” (?), then that “the cars go fast and it’s dangerous” (I survived Italy) then that “it’s a long way” (so is Cape Town). The whole time he skirted around the actual issue, which is that there is ISIS presence in the Sinai*; I don’t think they would have brought in the army to deal with fast cars. I calmly explained that I was cycling for charity and needed to cycle the whole distance, and he seemed to accept this. He called his superior and had some discussions while we waited by the side of the road. The conclusion they reached was that it was ok for us to cycle to Sharm, but that if we left now we wouldn’t make it by dark, and this was too much of a risk for them to entertain, so we had to go back to Dahab and leave in the morning the next day. This was annoying but the guy was just doing his job and trying to protect us, and he seemed like a decent guy, so I wasn't as annoyed as I might have been. We traipsed back into town for another few km, completing our 34km pointless loop, and went back to the same hotel for another night. Every cloud: they gave us a bigger room this time.
It was only 3.30pm so we decided to do a bit of snorkelling around the reef in town before sunset. You could see a surprising amount as the coral was pretty close to the surface, but it was cold in the stiff wind with no wetsuit and Rebecca headed in after about half an hour. I stayed for a bit longer and on my way back saw something absolutely extraordinary - a shoal of thousands of smallish fish (maybe sardines) had formed quite close to shore, and was being repeatedly attacked by a school of trumpetfish**. If you stayed still the small fish would bunch around you, and they were so many that you were completely surrounded by thousands of little eyes and shiny scales. It was totally mesmerising. I insisted that a cold Rebecca come back into the water to see it, and she agreed that it was extremely beautiful but could she please go and drink her hot chocolate now. I stayed in there for another ten minutes, hoping that something more interesting than a trumpetfish would try and eat them, but eventually I got too cold and had to head back. Early(ish) to bed to try and leave again tomorrow.
*But the north half mum, we deliberately didn’t go that way
**A very thin fish 1-2ft long. Inaccurately named as IMO it looks more like a clarinet
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