We awoke early and scrambled some eggs in the hotels dining room. We were happy to escape from the busy streets of Alexandria, and were able to bike 60 miles. Along the way were a number of interesting structures we’ve been told are for birds. We were also passed by a number of cars and trucks that would honk and wave to us. I gave high fives to people as I passed them on the road. we had two groups of people stop and welcome us to their country. They also asked for pictures with us. I get the impression that the tourism industry is weak and seeing outsiders is a special occasion. The people of Egypt have been incredibly friendly and more welcoming then I could have ever imagined possible. As it was getting dark and we were looking for a place to stay a police car pulled over to ask us how we were doing. we found a place to eat and continued on in the night through the town of Wadi El Natroun. We came across a group of men dressed in traditional clothing and talked with them for awhile trying to get directions to a nearby hotel. We were warned earlier not to stay at the local hotel because the owners were crazy according to the restaurant owners and something about “mavi” which we both thought sounded a lot like the word mafia. The men we were talking with invited us to drink tea and coffee with them and after talking and getting to know them better they told us we should stay with them and that they had an open room. We were thankful to not have to ride 13 more miles in the night to the next hotel.
Group that invited me for Tea and Coffee
Building in which we were invited to stay in.