Not being able to bicycle further in Egypt means that we have a week to spare for sightseeing. We spent the first couple hours searching for a hotel that would allow us to bring our bicycles into our rooms. We stayed on the more touristy east side of the Nile. During this search we met a French couple on bicycles that are traveling a very similar route as our own to South Africa. They followed the Nile down from Cairo and said they had little trouble acquiring police escorts. We now know we were forbidden to ride the desert route as everyone is rejected on this route due to new legislation. . After finding a place to stay we continued on to explore Karnak Temple. The streets around the temple were lined with houses and children hanging out in the streets. a gaggle of kids followed us through the streets asking for money, baksheesh. I picked up some bananas after losing the first group of kids and decided to share them with the next group I came across. it wasn’t long before I had my chance. it began civilly. I gave 5 children each a banana when they approached me to ask for baksheesh. however soon kids streamed from the streets. I would be surprised if every kid within 10 blocks wasn’t there. A crowd formed and I was overwhelmed. they were frantically grabbing for the stuff in my hands. Honky yelled loudly and we were able to escape. It should be mentioned that none of these children looked malnourished. the Karnac Temple was definitely worth the visit. We spent several hours inside exploring and I’m sure we didn’t see everything.
Join My Adventure