Fun Times

I had a particularly good day yesterday as we travelled from Luxor to Idfu. I was on Lunch duty which means it's my job to help prepare lunch for everyone and then I get to ride sweep in the afternoon after we're all packed up!

So we find an awesome little place for lunch - a felafel man right next to a police check point, and Miles manages to convince the man to start cooking lots of felafel so the riders can have some for lunch. We're well prepared well ahead of time so I go and start talking to some of the local kids. I meet a man who I think is their dad as and I manage to score a free donkey ride. The kids want me to meet their mum as well and in the meantime it's clear that the man thinks that I should marry him (none of them speak any english but you can communicate a lot using gestures). The wives of the man also appear to think it's a good idea too. Time to retreat back to the safety of the lunch truck. It's only my third proposal so far.

The riders trickle in and out and there is a phone call of our first medical incident on tour. Thankfully the rider is now completely fine and back on the bike already today.

I ride with Elvis at the back of everyone where we can chat away enjoy the scenery, finally we arrive at camp.

One of the Egyptian truck drivers gives me a stick of sugar cane to gnaw on. Yum.

Then I go into town and try to find some drugs for the boss who is sick (not critically). I walk into three pharmacies before I find what I need. The man speaks good English and it is only a cheap drug so he gives it to me for free as a gift.

It's moments like these that really change your impressions of a place. Last time i visited Idfu it was a place filled with uncontrollable children - now it is a place of giving pharmacists!

When I walk back to camp I find a lucky horseshoe. I'm not particularly supersticious but I pick it up and keep it anyway. 65 Riders, 12000km... from moments earlier in the day I know we're going to need all the luck we can get.