Distance: 55 km
Time: 3:27:00
Ave Speed: 16 km/hr
Max Speed: 23.2 km/hr
Temp: 15 C
Weather: Cold and foggy until peak noon warmth, no wind
We woke to a thick layer of fog, too thick to even see the road. A new shift of very intrigued policemen awaited us, eagerly insisting we come speak to the captain. He sat in his office, a young guy from lower Egypt, comfortably directing the other officers. He speaks English well and offered us the use of his laptob to check our email.
Early morning fog at the Sohag station
Camping behind the Sohag check point
They finally agreed to let us bike ourselves, as long as their motorcop escorted us. After 20 minutes or so an old man arrived on his bike and we took off. He quickly learned the limitations of our speed, obviously annoyed at our rate of 20 km/hr and constant stops to take photos.
Our police escort
After 30 min or so he finally gave up, speeding away into the fog. The river around Sohag is spectacular; life unchanged throughout the centuries. We watched as people performed their early morning chores-- heading to the fields, cooking breakfast, crowding an outdoor cafe for tea.
Those cows are wearing clothes!
People excited to see foreigners in their village
By noon the sun birned off all the fog clouding the air. We continued along passing village after village. There are hardly any cars on this national highway, probably because everyone takes the train. Its nice not to be surrounded by semis!
Endless fields on both sides of the river
Typical village and mosque, reflecting in the water
Nileside mosque
During a brief stop along the river, in search of some quite time where we don't automatically become swarmed by crowds of screaming children, a man in a truck pulled over to talk with his. His English was fairly good, but he was clearly nervous to speak. We turned down an invitiation to follow him home, only because we really needed 10 more minutes of not talking and explaining ourselves (exhaustion of the same we're American, we've been biking from Albania, we're married, no children, maybe later....).
Standard mud homes-- so eco friendly!
Rare moment of peace and no children
After he left we biked on, turning the corner and immediately found ourselves facing a police truck, patiently waiting. Like old friends, we jokingly climbed into the back and began another parade from checkpoint to checkpoint. The officers are always extremely pleasant, though insistent, and are only following orders.
Sure ok we'll get in...
From the open truckbed we noticed caves up in the mountains, tombs we were told, from Pharonic times. Who knows really how old they are, but they certainly are intriguing. I am shocked there is no tourist circuit set up along here-- such a beautiful place young backpackers could be exploring, especially with homestays. But at the same time I selfishly love that no foreigners come here, a side of Egypt not touched by development.
Pharoah's caves? Perhaps
Sunset over the Nile
Eventually the police took us into a large city, Asyut. They intended to drop us off at a checkpoint, but when we said we had no clue where to stay they drove us to the downtown area. They even took us from hotel to hotel, asking for a room, but we were consistently turned down. After awhile we noticed the pattern of being "full, complete, sorry-- goodbye!" and then watching someone else would walk in and they'd have an opening. One propriator outright refused us a room specifically because we came with the police. Apparently nobody wants these guys around.
Finally we found a place who didn't mind our escorts, right near the train station. Ranging from upscale suites to low key shared-bathrooms, we checked in and climbed up the flights of stairs to ours, happy for a warm night on a real bed.
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