Route through EGYPT. Covered on this trip 3000km. Total kms covered in Egypt 6000kms.

Oct. 24, 2007. We arrive in Egypt and stay in Marsa Matruh. The hotel was $24/night and had a great view over the harbour.

Oct. 25, 2007. Breakfast stop at a gas station between Marsa Matruh and Alexandria.

We stop at the EL ALAMEIN German War Cemetery.

It looks from far away like a fortress and sits at a great spot overlooking the ocean.

This cemetery memorializes the fallen German Soldiers from WWII.

4300 soldiers are buried here.

Soldiers fallen from the Province of Hessen in Germany.

There is also a plaque memorializing the German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.

Originally these soldiers were buried in the Desert, but in 1955 excavation was started ...

... and by 1959 all soldiers were moved to this location for a proper burial.

View of the ocean from the cemetery.

Staying at the Hotel Crillon, downtown ALEXANDRIA. The motorcycles are parked in front of the hotel.

Oct. 26, 2007. We spent a day exploring the ancient sites of Alexandria.

Our first stop is the Roman Amphitheatre.

The site also displays a sphinx and couple of other sculptures recovered from the habour.

Pictures show the excavation from the ocean and ...

... the transportation of ancient artifacts through Alexandria's roads.

The AMPHITHEATRE is the only Roman theatre in Egypt.

It was discovered ...

... when a new housing development started digging and ...

... removing existing structures.

Roman sculptures found at site.

During our 1.5km walk from the Theatre to the Pompey's Pillar, ...

... we walked through some "interesting" neighborhoods. (Most tourists would have been too scared).

The POMPEY'S PILLAR includes a few large sphinx.

The Pillar was actually misnamed.

Standing 30m tall it is quite impressive.

From the Pompey's Pillar we walked to the Catacombs which no pictures are allowed.

Ship wreak on the shores of Alexandria towndown.

Alexandria's Beach. The dirtiest beach we have ever seen and locals are swimming in it.

We walk along the habour ...

... to FORT QAITBEY.

The fortress was built by the Mamluk sultan ...

... on the foundation of the famous destroyed Pharos lighthouse in 1480.

Some building blocks came from the ancient lighthouse.

View from the fort of the new Alexandria Bibliotheca.

View of our hotel (fourth highrise from the left on the 5th floor).

Our lunch for $2.00.

Again more food for only $2.00 total.

Oct. 27, 2007. We rode from Alexandria to CAIRO and right downtown to the Midan Tahir traffic circle ...

... to stay at our old stomping grounds the Sun Hotel.

Pictures are taken from the 9th floor of the building to show where the garbage goes in Cairo.

Traffic in Midan Tahir during the day ...

... and during the night.

We stay in Cairo to Nov. 01, 2007 to get our Sudan and Ethiopian Visa.

Nov. 01, 2007. We leave Cairo and head toward the site of MEMPHIS ...

... located 23km south of Cairo.

The main attraction is the colossal limestone statue of Ramses II, which lies, truncated at the knees, in a viewing pavilion.

In the yard is the largest calcite sphinx ever found dating to the 18th Dynasty.

Mike infront of the sphinx.

There are numerous other statues of Ramses II.

From Memphis it is back to Cairo, past the Giza Pyramids and onto the Desert Road.

The 300km of nothingness between Cairo and Bahariyya Oasis is pretty desolate.

The only gas station along the way does not sell gasoline, ...

... but we get it from the gas attendant on the black market.

In Bawiti we stay at the Camel Camp. The owner takes us on a local tour.

Ruby eating fresh dates.

The salt lake located behind town of Bawiti.

Climbing up the black mountain (English Mountain)

Hanging out at the hot springs.

Making our supper at the camp.

Nov. 02, 2007. View of the Camel Camp in the morning.

Our room.

Breakfast was included in the $8.00/night accommodation.

Closer view of our breakfast.

On the road again, we enter the black desert.

It was created by wind eroding the dark, rocky outcrops.

Then the sand color changes from black to reddish and ...

... a wind storm hits.

Sand dunes start to build on the road.

We put our goggles and bandanas under the helmet.

The cross wind is strong and the sand hurts as it hits your body.

The scenery is beautiful.

The wind calms as we get to the Crystal Mountains.

Parking the motorcycles ...

... we venture closer to the QUARTZ ROCK FORMATION.

At a closer look there are millions of pieces of sparkly quartz rock.

A view of the motorcycles through a Quartz Arch.

Large CRYSTAL MOUNTAINS.

The landscape suddenly changes to be filled with these towers.

Approx. 140km from Bahariyya Oasis the WHITE DESERT starts.

The black tar road snakes its way through pure white sand.

It is a beautiful Desert, ...

... with bizarre rock formations caused by wind erosion.

We leave the bikes parked on the side of the road ...

... and walk up the rock formations.

This was definitely our highlight of Egypt during this visit.

No caption required for the remainder of the pictures.

A beautiful landscape.

We continue on our way south through Farafra Oasis.

Accommodation too expensive in the town we press on another 320km to Al Qsar.

No gas station on the stretch betweenh Farafra Oasis and Al Qsar ...

... and we buy some on the black market again.

In Al Qsar we stay at the Al Qsar Rest House and great owner Mohamed.

The room is $6.00/night and we also get this amazing supper.

Nov. 03, 2007. In the morning we explore the ancient town of AL QSAR.

Egypt is converting the village into a Heritage site ...

... and is trying to relocate its current residents into new housing.

A local guide with the keys, opens the doors to climb the minaret.

Inside the mosque.

Example of the construction of the mud brick walls.

The mosque dates back to the 12th Century AD and the school/court house to the 11th Century AD.

Climbing up the minaret and a view of the new minaret.

It is hard to not get lost in the maze of narrow sand-covered alleyways.

This wheat grinder was used still not too long ago.

Small wooden doors separating on courtyard from another.

The old school/court house.

The olive grinder.

Mike takes the hands-on approach to the olive oil press.

The olive oil flows into this small department.

The main door way into an important person's house has a wooden lentil, with the name of the owner and who carved the lentil.

The BALAT TOMBS.

There are three (3) tombs excavated.

Each one lies below ground with steps leading to the tomb.

Inside the tomb are beautiful carved walls.

Steps leading to the tomb.

We continue from the Dakhla Oasis to Kharga Oasis and visit the TEMPLE OF HIBIS.

The temple is under some major construction/renovation.

It was built by the Persian emperor Darius I in the 6th Century BC.

One of the only sizeable Persian temples in Egypt.

Beautiful detail of the column.

A kilometer north from the Temple is the NECROPOLIS OF AL-BAGAWAT, ...

... definitely the highlight of the area.

The Necropolis is a Christian cemetery ...

... containing hundreds of domed, mudbrick tombs.

Some of the insides are decorated with Coptic murals, ...

... dating from the 6th Century AD.

There are two (2) mudbrick tombs ...

... that are locked and ...

... have the best preserved frescos.

The Chapel of the Exodus portrays ...

... Moses leading the Jews out of Egypt, ...

... away from Pharaoh's pursuing troops.

This was our favourite tomb, ...

... as the frescos were well preserved.

Nov. 04, 2007. From Kharga Oasis we ride the last 290km of desert to Luxor and stay at the Rezeiky Camp.

The best place to stay in LUXOR. Mike performs the first oil and filter change ...

... on the motorcycle at 11,500km.

The Rezeiky Camp has great food, nice place to set up the camp, cheap rooms and ...

... most of all a much needed swimming pool.

The motorcycles are parked all serviced in front of our $18.00/night room.

Nov. 06, 2007. Day trip from Luxor to DENDARA.

Dendara lies on the Nile 60kms from Luxor.

Dendara was covered under sand until the 19th Century, ...

... when it was discovered.

This Temple is called the Birth House and ...

... the reliefs are amazing.

Mike stands beside the releifs for size.

The Temple of Hathor is in beautiful shape and ...

... based on a typical Pharaonic design.

The now Graeco-Roman Temple has a series of large hypostyle halls ...

... leading to a dark sanctuary, surrounded by a maze of store rooms, chapels and crypts.

The ceiling inside the halls has astronomical symbols ...

... like the sun-god Ra sailing his sacred barque across the sky.

The 18 columns supporting the ceiling are enormous and ...

... have at its capitol the head of Hathor.

The stair way leading to the roof of the temple.

On the roof of the temple.

The rooms of the hypostyle halls are richly decorated.

A tomb below the temple.

Again the walls are decorated.

Ruby making her way through the entrance of the tomb ...

... the stairway leading out of the tomb (very tight fit).

Huge reliefs cover the outside of the building walls, ...

... depicting Tiberius and Claudius ...

... making offerings to Horus and Hathor; ...

... and Cleopatra making offerings.

These reliefs are all very well preserved.

Volger (left) and Hans (right) are Overlanders who came from Cape Town.

Nov. 07, 2007. We leave the comforts of the Rezeiky Camp behind ...

... and head south on the west side of the Nile to ESNA.

The location of the temple is quite a sight in midst of the centre of town, ...

... surrounded by houses and 10m below street level.

Excavation was started in the 19th Century ...

... and only the portion of the temple was uncovered ...

... as the remainder lies below current houses.

The temple is actually Roman and dates to AD 41 – 54.

24 columns inscribed with hieroglyphs support the ceiling of the hypostyle hall.

The ceiling of the hypostyle hall depicts astronomical symbols ...

... like the scorpion.

From Esna we continue our way south following the west Nile road to EDFU.

The Temple of Horus is overrun by tourists.

Like a herd of cows we make our way into the premises.

The temple is the largest and best preserved Ptolemaic temple in Egypt ...

... and was buried under sand and silt ...

... from the Nile for almost 2000 years.

The layout of this temple is similar to the one in Dendara and Esna, ...

... with the added bonus that the outer wall surrounding the temple is fully intact.

We head to our final destination Aswan and arrange to take the ferry to Sudan on Nov. 12, 2007. See pictures of Sudan for more details.