The Egyptians are afraid.
Of what? Difficult to say, they even are unable. Fear of you, fear for you, the limit is never very clear... They live in one day the perpetual anguish without a future, and make you well include/understand it. Every 50 kilometers, a road stopping, Adrienne slows down but there is in any case nothing to make. Even if one of us two goes down, its bottom of case touches the bump in a violent way. There are of them one with the entry and one at the exit of each road stopping. What gives to the idle: BANG, Adrienne hangs the bump, the police officers are marrent, we grommelons in our barb all while greeting them by large signs of the hand, gives our direction and our next stage city, they griffonnent in their book the number of the number plate and note our destination, make us sign continue, BANG, Adrienne repairs on the bump then takes again the road. We made 3 500 kilometers in Egypt. We did not take care to consign the number of BANG and REBANG on the bottom of case of Adrienne...

After these 9 days spent to Cairo, we take the road of Alexandria, where the German family of the ferry-boat on the spot accomodates us with open arms during 5 days. We quickly take again taste with the meals in family and the family life quite simply. It is besides death in the heart which we will leave Alexandria. The library was 1 kilometer from on their premises, us did not even know to find time to visit it. The road must however continue, and it is still long to the temple of Abou Simbel. In order to avoid the road stoppings, which mark out the Nile, from Cairo in Assouan, we decide to pass by the road of the desert by making a hook by the oasis of Siwa (50 kilometers of the Libyan border). The cities ravel the ones after the others, Alexandria, El Alamein, Marsa Matrouh, then finally Siwa, 800 kilometers of roads carried out of only one draft. On the spot, we are driven back like swines, under pretext that Adrienne is not a 4x4. The Captain wants nothing to hear. To take the ensablée road, which must directly carry out us other side to Al Wahat Al Baharîya, we must embark with us a guide of a value of 150 dollars. Translated Egyptians that gives: The captain needs 150 dollars to round his ends of month with his colleagues... It is Bérézina, we are obliged to turn back, oblige to swallow us 1300 kilometers of concrete additional, obliged to prolong our one week stay more in Egypt. Because well on we will arrive too late to Assouan to take the boat for Sudan.

Loïc rises slightly out of the operator's seat what lets the free field to me to hold the wheel of a hand and to accelerate with the right foot, then, it completely removes its feet and all his bust, I slip of a side movement to take his place while it passes over while making a small turn by punt forms back. It is successful, the experiment is conclusive, we know to change driver without us to stop. Cool we gain 10 minutes by change is 60 minutes per very important day...! We will have at least known to benefit from our forced retirement of Siwa.
With force to swallow these kilometers without stopping we have hallucinations. The fallen night, we are persuaded, for example, to roll in underwood, to see on the left and right-hand side of the road of the fir trees with snow above... In fact, we are only burst and in full desert.

We connect Siwa to Al Wahat Al Baharîya while passing to the periphery of Cairo in 2 days (1300 km). The Al oases Wahat Al Baharîya, Al Wahat Al Farâfra, Al Wahat Al Dâkhla, are our first contacts with the desert, truth, that where sand hides sand, that which as said it in substance small prince de Saint-Exupéry "is beautiful because it hides a well some share..." The variety of its colors surprises us with each traversed kilometer. It is declined of the black to the white while passing by the yellow, orange and the red. We are subjugated.
However, the white desert, marks us more than the others by the beauty of its forms carved by the winds. Attracted by these last, we try a small excursion apart from asphalt. I am at the wheel of Adrienne. Loïc is outside in order to locate a place where one can easily leave the road without ensabler instantaneously. We are charged like mules thus at all ready for sand. But it does not matter, we feel the heart to make a Safari. Loïc found a passage narrow where sand does not seem to be concealed under its feet. I make hum the engine to take a little dash and to pass a first sand bank drawn up by the wind. Adrienne passes it without difficulty, but is found stuck 2 meters further. As for me, I have the wheel in the hands. Intrigued, I stir up it in all the directions to be sure that it is not a mirage and looks at Loïc by the window the air of saying "Ben M.....e! It was not envisaged that ". Fortunately, misfortune not having too badly made the things, the column steering was divided on the level of the toothed racks. It can thus be also reassembled easily, but, be uncoupled any time... We manage, nevertheless, to easily leave Adrienne the claws of sand while playing of the jack and while using of our carpets of staircase miracles. Further, a more practicable way will enable us to admire the beauty of the white desert more closely.
The last oasis of the libyque desert is Paris. Curious, we venture in the small dirt tracks which cross it right through. The chance making the things well we burst, on what impossible to determine it. A peasant comes to help us and offers to us in premium 3 good kilos of dates, we precisely dreamed some. In return we let us give him two porcelain plates.

Next Louksor stage, we spend the night on western bank after having made a rapid tower of the city.
The attack of Louksor in 1997 marked the spirits. The governmental authorities since then set up convoys at fixed hour between the large cities bordering the Nile Aucuns tourists do not escape from it, it is the rule. The following day, we thus make our provisions to integrate the convoy for Assouan. The departure is with 15h00. Three tourist police cars, Toyota jeeps armed to the teeth, are there to ensure our safety. A car at the head, a car in the medium, another which closes walk. No Egyptians has the right to fit in the convoy nor to obstruct its race of it. Also the recalcitrant ones are quickly put at the carpet with the strident sounds of the tourist sirens of the police force. We include/understand now better from which the true danger comes. Such convoys can only feed one feeling of hatred and contempt of the tourist. We bless the sky not to have gone along the Nile from Cairo!
Since Louksor we have this strange feeling not to be freer our movements. To even sleep at the inhabitant we must ask for a special permit near the tourist police force. All our actions are épiés 24h on 24 by a police officer in charge of our safety. It is flattering, but it is also very break-in C....
We discover Assouan and its superb cornice along the Nile It would not have anything to envy the walk of English if there were not these felouques and other barouches, true leeches, which drives you peace only if you are a little dry.
During 3 days we make the seat of the Sudanese consulate in order to obtain the right to be able to pay our Egyptian visas in pounds. The secretary obstinately refuses to request a master key right from the consul pretexting that it is for everyone like that. The visa costs 56 dollars per anybody. In good faith, we try by all the means of finding dollars downtown, that it is in the exchange offices or bank, nobody does not want to change us. The third day, furious to have a secretary who always says "not not not", Loïc makes the decision then to return by the window in the office of the consul. That is to say saying in meeting, this last drinks, actually, a tea with his/her colleagues in front of the television set lit. It takes the trouble however to listen to us and counters all waitings, enables us to pay a part of the visa in euros, the other in Egyptian dollars and the remainder in pounds. These finished steps, we leave for Abou Simbel. Departure of the convoy to 11 a.m., 3 buses and 2 minibuses the police officer responsible for the convoy comes to see us and asks us some questions about the car. We yes know that we must answer all its questions by the affirmative, "the car rolls more quickly than 100 Km/h" "Yes we have good tires". The contrary case, and it prohibited the access to the convoy to us. Because for Abu Simbel, they are only fast convoys, therefore fast vehicles, otherwise the plane should be taken... Outdistance between Assouan and Abu Simbel 252 kilometers
With 11h00 pétante, low swing of combat. The person in charge for all the same smelling convoy that our car was not size, wedges us between two buses in order to put the pressure to us. Our meter posts 90km/h quickly and not one moreover. Aggravated to run to the step, the buses double us, only one remainder behind us, it has order to close walk. In our rear view mirrors, we see the police officer of the bus behind us tearing off the hair. It is too late, it cannot of more require us to make machine only postpones, that would like to say that there would be no danger. It orders consequently to the driver of bus to stick to us to the maximum. We are not quiet. Adrienne is in a dirty state, a tire with before veined, a broken direction being able to uncouple itself of a turn to another. We owe our safety to the French tourists of the bus of behind us. Furious to see how the driver and the police officer treated us, they went to find them with these threatening words: "Made attention it is Acadyane from on our premises! If they arrive to them though either because you to stick them of too, we will carry felt sorry for against you ". Cock-a-doodle-doo! We are happy to meet of French who supports us as far as Egypt...

With force to roll also slowly we discourage the last bus in charge of our safety. In a turning, to the height of Toshka Valley, instead of following it we turn left to take the air a little and to try more closely to see this Pharaonic project of Mubarak. To create 500 000 hectares of grounds irrigated in the desert. We make a halt in a farm where young people invite us to share their meal "Welcome to Toshka Valley" Difficult to refuse considering their insistence. With the menu, fish of the Nile which they fished the morning even. The fish are quickly devoured without other forms of lawsuit (first since the beginning of our forwarding). One of the young people, proposes to us to sleep at his place with its family, we make him understand, after a fashion, that the police force seeks doubtless already after us... Not time to continue our research further on the project we should regain the road of Abu Simbel. Indeed, hardly we at the doors of the city, 3 hours of delay arrive on the official convoy, that a motor of the secret police comes to our meeting.
"Where were you? We were afraid for you "
Loïc tells them a history prepared in advance of tire burst in a turning and peasants coming to help us to repair it.
The history convinces them.
"Follow us".
We return under high escort in Abou Simbel. The temple disappoints us, and the entrance fee remains expensive, especially to see a lump of earth moved 40 years ago. Moreover, the fact of knowing that it was entirely cut out, then moved, withdraws a little its Pharaonic mystery. After the night visit, we find a place to sleep in the beautiful medium of a quay level surrounded by ten houses, explicit to be well seen of everyone.
With 2h00 of the morning the tourist police force awakes us...
"You cannot sleep there Messrs, we fear for your safety".
Grrr, we manage to show to them that nothing is feared since everyone can see us, it is in any event out of question which we move in middle of the night, in full sleep. Indicator that our arguments were convincing, they let to us continue to sleep there. We take again the convoy of the next morning for Assouan. Nothing any more retains us in Abou Simbel, not even the 4 colossi appearing Ramsès II.
The way of the return is much less picturesque and sporting. We meet right before the departure of the convoy of made German the morning even with which we sympathize. They connect en.vélo Germany to the Cape of Good Hope while passing by the Middle-East the whole in more than 2 years of forwarding. We found more insane than us.
From return in Assouan, we do not await any more that only one thing to leave Egypt, a general dissatisfaction unfortunately carries it on few testimonys of friendships and divisions which we received.
We embark Monday September 27 for Wadi Halfa. On board we find our German friends and sympathize with a whole group of wholesale Anglo-Saxons 4x4 Land Rover. They seem surprised to see us arriving up to now with only one two cylinders…

Newspaper from September 14 to 27, 2003 by Geoffroy

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