Luxor

We arrived in Luxor today and prepare to cherish tomorrow - our first rest day.

Safaga was an oasis. If I were anywhere else at another time I'd just say it was a "happy place" for sure - beach(bathe), hotel(wash some clothes and bathe), beer, restaurants - not a rest day but it sure felt like it.

This first week seems to have been more of an initiation, as we learn to focus on keeping ourselves and our bikes healthy. Yesterday, included a 65km westerly climb out of Safaga, where we were able to enjoy an amazing backdrop of desert mountains being lit up by the morning sun - the first time I feel like I have taken my eyes off the road to enjoy the scenery.

Last night's camp was at a police check point, where guards armed with automatics faced away from the camp, as if waiting for an frontal attack from over the dunes. I asked one of them who they were expecting, and the response was not english, some laughing and the point of the AK-47 swinging back and forth haphazardly in front of him as he spoke.

The sand gave way to green this morning as we came into the Nile delta, and headed for Luxor.

Time to check into a hotel, reorg and re-evaluate. More from Luxor tomorrow...