Off the boat, through customs, drive from the port of Alexandria to Hugharda (350km’s away) with no time trials; well that was how easy it should have been. But, it wasn’t. It all started when our ETA on the ferry into the port was 7:30 but then they closed the port because of weather conditions and it wasn’t safe to enter. 9:30 rolled around and we finally made our approach, albeit our approach was flanked either sides with old (and some very new) shipwrecks, the ones that didn’t quit make it to shore. Pictures all around were taken; hopefully we wouldn’t end up with the same fate…. Good news, we made it! I didn’t even get sea sick. I was utterly convinced before getting on the boat that i wouldn’t make it through the journey unscathed, and even through the Force 9 wind and 4-5m swell we had, i kept my guts where they belonged. My sea legs weren’t very good, hahaha, walking in a semi-straight line was neigh impossible, bloody hilarious though.
Customs was next. We we’re told it would be a giant waiting game, and we better have a good book or something to occupy ourselves. But not many people really expected to still be standing next to their car 6 hours later and only finally getting escorted off the grounds onto the real streets of Egypt.
What was next i can really only sum up in 2 words: totally manic. The streets where like mayhem. It was like a soccer match with everyone shuffling around each other, but with cars, and on the road. No one even batted an eyelid if your car came within 200mm of something. It was my first experience driving in traffic conditions like this, and i can tell you now that it was like seeing something from a movie, that’s how HECTIC is was. I’ll try and get some photo’s up tomorrow of it (I’m smashing this into Microsoft Word at the moment without interwebs on the edge of the Red Sea) but it was hilarious and eye-opening at the same time. Lane markings don’t mean anything. Curbs don’t mean anything. General road rules and load limits don’t mean anything, oh and direction of travel rarely means anything either.
On a similar size road to Gympie Rd back home, the Egyptians would easy fit a good 7 cars wide each direction, with a donkey pulling a cart on one side blocking a lane and the traffic speedy would never change, just a constant onslaught of horn tooting, flashing of lights and merging through.
The highways would have unexpected speed bumps now and then (no idea why) and every Toyota Hiace (mini van) is deemed to be a bus. I don’t totally understand it yet, but you can stand on the side (or middle) of any road and hail down a Hiace and he will pull over and you squeeze in. Simple as that. Mind you, the van is plain white without markings and they fit as many as 18-20 people in the back.
The reception we have got from the locals has been fantastic, my arms are just as sore from driving as they are from waving. Annnnnddddd i suppose i should mention it before Dad decides to notify the whole world in some form of a blatant lie; but while i was driving through Cairo i was turning right off the main drag (as my navigator directed me) and i couldn’t turn any sharper or i would clean up the car on my inside, and a white van (one of these mystical buses) was turning right as well (definitely from the complete wrong side of the road or lanes. But hey, its Cairo, rules don’t apply) and we kissed cars for a tiny micro second. At that point in time i swore black and blue we never touched, but as soon as dad exclaimed, “Look at that!” I could easyl make out the 75mm maroon stripe of traded paint on his side. Bahahaha, and i did what any egyptain would do, and drove off!! All is good, very very VERY little scratch on Penny, she will live!
And the pyramids/sphinx………. didn’t see them!!!! Sooooo cut. By the time it was 3:30 when we left Alexandria, we were still 220km’s from Cairo, and by the time we got there on our way through it was night time, and we could only JUST make out a silhouette on the night sky behind. Oh well, antoher time.
I think i have rambled on enough about nothing in particular…..
James
