I go down to find Loïc which waits
to me now on the lower floor.
To the sound of the foghorn, all the ferry
returns suddenly in an intense boiling.
The passenger becomes a sleepwalker is delirious
about it, automatically advancing towards
his objective to reach without worrying
to hustle his neighbor. Our is simple: to
leave Adrienne the calle of the boat and
to go to the tourist police force in order
to be made record as soon as possible.
It was without counting that we had just
posed the foot on the African ground. The
passage of the Egyptian customs is new,
without common measurement with all that
we had already lived before. We unload boat
the 1ier September at the evening with 23h00,
and set out again the following day September
2 with 14h00 of the station. Not less than
15 hours of waiting and steps in any kind
are necessary to obtain a poor wretch provisional
plate number. We sleep forced constrained
under the hall of the step lost to listen
to the last innovations of Fayrouz, the
Lebanese diva.
It is the beginning of Africa...
All these administrative annoyances fortunately
quickly are forgotten in Dhahab (1 night),
said the city of the delayed 68tards!
Adrienne stops all bringuebalante in front
of the "Speed bar" to be restored.
With the menu of the day, crimson chopped
steak and quite fatty chips.
On top, Mined, a copte makes us share his
passion for the diving under navy. As a
welcome in its country it takes us along
to discover, armed with a tuba and palms,
marvellous sea-beds of the Red Sea... In
Dhahab always, we meet by largest of the
chances our German family of the ferry-boat,
which proposes to us to pass on their premises
to Alexandria. They are professors in German
school. It is decided us to Alexandria will
spend a few days after Cairo.
Pressed by the calendar we leave Dhahab
on the hats of wheel, direction the capital.
We pour a small tear on these beautiful
fine sand beaches. Snif not time to benefit
from it. These two days spent to the paradise
will have almost made us forget that Adrienne
always suffers from terrible evils to the
belly. Also, an hour hardly after having
left Dhahab, Adrienne stops after having
discharged a large prout. Outside, it makes
one night black, around us nothing, only
of the stone and sand. This hostile environment
however does not dismount us, and, taking
our courage with two hands, we trifouillons
in the engine, flashlight with the fist.
A bus stops. The driver, a true black of
Nubie, in fate with these words "ahhh
2 CV, all the same ones!"
"But from which it leaves that there!?"
It does not matter, it is already on-site
helping Loïc to make the turn of the
engine. I try to start again the car. Was
this can be quite simply a blow of heat?
Bingo, it starts again with the quarter
of turn. We push large a ouf relief.
The large breakdown is not for this time...
the prospect to camp there on the roadside
in full desert with thousand place of a
heart which lives with a car in roads hardly
delighted us...
On his dash of kindness, the driver proposes
to escort us to the doors of the prestigious
balneal city of Sharm-el-Sheikh (70 km from
there). We accept with joy this tended hand.
During the way, Loïc succeeds in diagnosing
the problems of the car. It would be the
alternator which does not provide enough
any more of electricity to the battery.
At once known as made at once, Adrienne
starts again to make a series of odd "gases".
I extinguish the headlights it advances,
I light them it starts again with péter
to stop...
We are thus obliged to make an entry all
fires extinguished in Sharm-el-Sheikh. What
is still funny downtown, becomes more complex
outwards especially without street lighting
to show the way to us.
"One continues asks me Loïc?"
"Well on one continues you do not believe
all the same that..."
At this time there, I see Loïc leaving
the head light the door and making mine
leave the head by the window to light the
road. One looks at the half smile mutually,
the air of saying, "not one cannot,
they are not serious..." one laughs
of more beautiful with the idea to lead
kind. Without wondering as good old days
more if mom will be content where not, we
trace our road with opened tomb, armed for
only lighting with this vulgar head light
held bravely by Loïc the head out of
the car.
Outside, always these same mountains desiccated
by the winds and sun. One would say "freeze-dried"
so much they seem arid and without life.
We will roll, thus, 35 minutes during, glad
to finally be able to make the clowns.
We stop to spend the night in a dispensary
of countryside, in any case Adrienne is
not able more to make an additional turn
of wheel. Two police officers and two male
nurses offer hospitality to us. Before sleeping,
they serve the tea, Loïc leaves its
narguilé, we speak about Egypt and
France....
The next morning we try but in vain to start
again the car. Even helped by the male nurses
and the police officers, Adrienne wants
nothing to hear. It categorically refuses
to start. In the horizon, as attracted by
scrap with the anguish, a bird of ill omen
appears. We know that the sight of such
a vulture means in light, nondesired expenditure,
nor budgeted for. Adrienne does not leave
us the choice and our hosts do not seem
any more to want to help us to push it under
this extreme sun. Enough curiously, the
break-down mechanic agrees to tractor draw
us on 100 meter, to see just enough whether
with a little more speed Adrienne starts.
Loïc makes him signs of going gently
to starting. Adrienne is old and the hooks
of traction are shaking.
"Khallas Khallas shouts us" (What
wants to say OK not problem)
We are not whom half has relieved.
Ca "CRACKS" is there, it is made.
This simpleton will have finally succeeded
in tearing off us the ring of traction of
the frame, while starting like rough. We
pestons internally not letting anything
show through. We had asked him to render
service to us, well badly took us.
Badgered by its arguments, as what we will
die under the sun if we remain there, we
accept its top spin to join a city located
at 75 km, between Sharm-el-Sheikh and Suez.
Cost of displacement 20 euro, average wages
of an Egyptian per month 60 euro... No how.
We climb with the back of the truck, because
the cabin of the breakdown truck is too
small to receive 4 people. Ca makes us odd
roll with Adrienne without rolling...
Arrived at the city in question, it leads
us at one of his friends mechanic.
"It is Friday says us it, you will
not find anybody here other". The streets
indeed deserted, are swept by a sandstorm.
We accept for want of anything better with
this small presentiment that the things
will be spoiled.
His/her friend proposes to put the cables
to try to start the car. He descends Adrienne
from the breakdown truck and comes to position
his truck beside our battery because the
wire are too short. But, in its operation,
it strikes our car and inserts the tire
postpones right. There all goes very quickly.
Loïc ignites and leaves the large cinema
while shouting like one pestiféré,
me on my side, without reflecting too much
why, I make a good on the hand of the break-down
mechanic with whom I was paying the top
spin. On the 150 pounds I recover of them
finally 50. A furious discussion begins
then between them and us. They want to recover
the money pretexting that well on the car
nothing has, we especially want that they
do not help us any more, too it too is,
and it is out of question which we return
the money. We are with two fingers to come
from there to the hands when the situation
is calmed as by miracle. Five minutes after
we let us drink a tea sitting together like
old accomplices. It is like that in Egypt,
even at the edge of a bloody crisis the
tea always finds its place... Finally, they
even to us will deposit in truth a garage
where two young technicians give us from
new coals in the alternator. We benefit
from their snack to eat a little. Not having
changed enough pounds to the customs, we
run after the economies and all the occasions
are good. Old truck-drivers, completely
stone proposes bangs to us... one nicely
makes him understand that we are not really
in the same trip that him... the car starts
as if it were new, we jump of joy... Suez
Canal opens the way of Cairo to us.
Our entry in the capital is epic. It grouille
of world, between 12 to 18 authority, inhabitant
million does not know too well.
We will spend 9 days in Doctor Anas (Egyptian)
and his son Wallid (free-Egyptian). They
us nicely lent a room and an access Internet
so that we spend 9 days stuck to our computer
in order to update the site.
The pyramids will await they also our honeymoon
to see us.
Newspaper from September
the 2sd to 14, 2003 by Geoffroy
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