This is Africa!

Saturday 12th october

I left yesterday with the question that I was asked many times even before setting sail for Brighton. I thought I may take some time on the flight to write this one as yesterday had enough events!

Am I ready? The only possible answer to that is, How can you be ready for something you don't know about?

You can research and prepare as best as possible but when you look at my experiences to date through Europe, which was classed as "training" for Africa, was I ready for them? Was I ready for the bus stop sleeps, broken spokes, broken racks, diverted routes, late night rushes, freezing temperatures, alpine climbs, culture shocks, rabid dogs etc the list goes on, no of course i wasn't but i dealt with them because i had to.

After researching a lot into Africa, (whether that will make any difference to what actually happens I don't know, we will find out!) but after some research and emails from people that have already been there, I have a few things that I may expect in Africa that I have experienced already. This is also wrote in reply to all those people that have said to me, "yeah but, what about?..."

Heat:

I'm not an idiot, I know Africa is hot. I know to drink water and I will not be doing any marathon missions in the midday heat. (I don't think my body has enough salt left to stain anymore clothes and my eyes can't handle the sweat!)

Terrain:

I don't know the terrain exactly but I know its not going to be easy. Rocky, mountainous, sandy, you name it, i'll probably get it but there you have it, it's not going to be easy, I didn't say it was impossible did I....Graham from Brighton.

Don't the kids throw stones?

Yes, I've heard they do in some small areas of some countries but if you remember, only a couple of days ago I got nailed in the nose by one flying much faster from a speeding car then it will be flying from an 8 year old Ethiopian (I may regret saying that but I'm going to chance it) Also, I never mentioned getting hit in the chest by a stone coming from a garden strimmer as I was in the middle of a speedy descent in Switzerland. That actually did hurt and don't get me started on strimmer people either, i would love to get paid to leave a path of destruction in my wake (that comes naturally to me) but at what point do they actually go back and clear it up?

What about human danger?

Stupid question, there are always human dangers, I've been mugged in Southampton! Yes the risk is much greater i hear as I'm alone, I stick out like a sore thumb and I'm a weed on a bike. I thought about how I looked the other day and to be honest, I think it works in my favour. I don't know about you but if I see a lonesome filthy streak of bacon figure of a man (good abs, quads and calfs though) with facial hair resembling a worn out brillo pad and he's sat on his own wearing a sports top and cargo trousers. I think almost immediately, that guy must know mixed martial arts or he's definitely packing nun-chucks in one of those 8 pockets! If you don't think that then I would hope you chuck him 20p, either way, the last thing you really want to do is approach him!

Jorge has given me a great crash course in Africa as well but other than that if I've said it once I've said it a hundred times, if I knew it was going to be easy, pain free and unadventurous...would there be any point in doing it?

I woke up at 6am with the Islamic chanting. I could've done with an extra couple of hours really. The England game finished late and I was a tad excited so i didn't get to sleep till 1am! Ilgan, the hostel owner, her brother picked me up on time and we had a great chat about the one language we all love... Football. Everything was going well until he said, "so which airport do you want?" Huh!? There is more than one? I had Antalya airport on my ticket, I was in Antalya and I wanted an airport, I was doing everything i needed to do! There was one for international and one for domestic flights. Luckily they were next to each other but annoyingly I wasn't sure because I was flying internationally but going domestic first. On closer inspection, the ticket company I got it through had booked two separate flights so I was flying domestic then international and that also meant I had to pick up Nigel when I stopped and plonk him back on again at Istanbul. A pain, but that's what you get for cheaper flights I guess.

In typical airport style they made me pay extra for him. I did so well to end up with a few coins of lira for a drink at the airport and now I had to go and change some spare euros I had just for £8 extra! The first flight was delayed 20 minutes but all went well in the end. I had the added extra of an inflight orange juice and a melted cheese roll which was an absolute delight for the taste buds, so if you ever get the chance to fly with Atlasjet then look forward to the grub!

It felt quite strange flying back to Istanbul. I had just experienced 1.5 hours of inflight nothingness (putting the melt-in-your-mouth cheesy sensation aside) and landed back in a town that when I left on a bike, gave me 15 days of unbelievable experiences going the other way. If there was ever an advert for cycle touring then that was it! Obviously you need a bit of time on your hands but if you do and you need a buddy to go with...my contacts are on the right  hand side.

I had a bit of a wait at Istanbul, I picked up Nigel fine when I figured out there was a separate conveyor for oversized parcels. I gave him the dreaded inspection...not too bad. I knew I bought decent duct tape for a reason! If there's one thing thats in your shed or toolbox that you don't skimp on price with, then that's duct tape. I could see that the baggage oafs had had a go at lifting him with the cardboard holes (which I taped over on purpose because I knew what would happen) I wasn't completely mean though, I do realise they need something to grab hold of so I reinforced two holes with the tape. Only worked a treat didn't it! I needed to add a bit more tape where the box had ripped slightly and then I just hoped the Egyptian handlers would be just as careful with Nigel and he'll be ready for Cairo as soon as he was out the box!

Checking in for the second flight was better. Apparently not many people want to fly to Cairo in its current situation so the queue was similar to what a queue for Pimms and caviar would be like at a football match. I missed a trick though, i was asked if their was air in the tyres and stupidly i did leave them pumped up. Despite them being fine on the first flight, i had to let the air out for this one which involved de-taping some of the box. Luckily i could get to the valves easily, so just let them down a bit and taped the box back up. Then the lady asked me if it was heavy, "no it is surprisingly very light and definitely not over the 32kg limit" i answered robotically. It was almost dead on 40kg on the scales of the last airport but these scales didn't register all the weight so i shoved it on the conveyor belt quickly and didn't have to pay anything extra.

Bit by bit I was getting there. A stop for a stupidly overpriced Burger King and some sweets later and I was ready to walk through to the gates. This is where the prepared tortoise completely destroyed the hare. I don't know where they are from but airports are a breeding ground for impatient an unorganised people. The same guy pushed in front of me once when getting the passport exit stamped and then again when he saw my line was going quicker through the metal detectors. Unfortunately for him, he was an uneducated moron and forgot he had a belt, a laptop closed in his bag and probably metal socks on because despite pushing me twice, I coasted past him as he did shuttle runs back and forth through the metal detector.

After this I was greeted with a 45 minute delay, not too bad to be fair. This allowed me to people watch and try and work out what it is that makes Haribo so bloomin amazing! I had a tough decision between cola bottles and worms. I went for the worms as the variation in flavour means I don't get that dry fluffy textured mouth that I get after eating a whole packet of bottles. I didn't have a drink with me so that could've been disastrous if Egyptair didn't provide an orange juice like the mighty Atlasjet! I wasn't going to risk it...

The second flight was good as well, got given food, drink and an unexpected movie. Some people would pay the same amount as I did for just 2 meals so you could say I got two flights free with my meals and the novelty addition of trying to keep everything on a little tray and not knock anybody else's food with your elbows!

First impressions when landing in Cairo....is this still Earth? How long were we flying for? The visibility was about 300m as we rolled up to the airport through a cloud of desert sand. This just got serious! First stop was the visa. Some websites say you need two passport photos and the cost seems to vary everywhere you look. I didn't need any photos and it cost me 15USD and about 15 seconds of my time, very happy. I waited a little while for Nigel and when he arrived he did so on a trolley being pushed by one of the airport workers. I waved him over as I assumed I was the only man on board with a bike. I said thanks and he held his hand out for a tip. I haven't even left the airport and the hassling has already begun! He's only done what I could've done in the first place and isn't it his job? I gave him my baggage number slip and told him that next time he should check people have the right slips before giving random strangers oversized packages. I didn't have any money on me even if I wanted to give him something so i gave him a smile, he returned it back with a disappointed look and I went on my merry way.

My contact in Egypt is a man called Farouk who has worked with my friend Andy from Southampton FC through his Event and Activity company called Kites that is based in Cairo. Farouk couldn't meet me at the airport as he was attending a big event at the Egyptian national Stadium but sent his friend and colleague Ahmed to drive all the way across town to pick me up.

As I am writing this blog a couple days late I can tell you a bit more about these two young guys. Farouk, and Ahmed especially are two of the nicest most hospitable most professional young guys I've ever met. From the second Ahmed picked me up, I felt safe. Ahmed drove me back through Cairo city centre to get me to a hotel they had organised for me near both their houses in Giza.

I cannot describe the chaos of Cairo. Not even with my articulate similes can the Cairo atmosphere be accurately portrayed, you really have to experience it. The noise from the horns of the four/five lane traffic mayhem combined with intense heat, dust and amount of people around could've been too much for a lonely cyclist. Thankfully I was eased into it gently inside Ahmed's car and relaxation levels maintained with the help of a Norah Jones CD. Ahmed is a very knowledgeable and righteous man and has great visions for Kites and the organisation's potential. During the drive he told me all about the current situation in Cairo which was great for me. I don't watch the news just in general so many that do could say I was naively entering a "warzone". I find it much better to hear from the people that are living the situation and see with my own eyes what's going on instead of judging by believing in the one view that is shown in the media.

After the things Ahmed told me he's experienced, its probably fair to say I didn't want to experience first hand and I will keep my views on the situation private. Nevertheless it was better to have two very honest and trustworthy friends to guide me then to be on my own and I am forever grateful for their hospitality.

Ahmed took me to a restaurant called Abou Tarek, for some traditional Egyptian food, koshary. The food was good, a variation of different pastas with a layer of rice topped with a lovely tomato sauce that went down like a your dad on a water slide. We then went to the Hotel which was just 5 minutes from Ahmed's house and 5 minutes from the pyramids. I found myself in another Hotel, in another City, in more disbelieve at how lucky i am. I could see the pyramids from my balcony and that was the first time I spotted them. When you think of Egypt you think of pyramids and when I was planning my trip that's all I wanted. A picture with me and Nigel or me and a ball, in front of the pyramids. Now I'm only 5 minutes away from that happening and it was taking its time to sink in.

I got to sleep around 1am. A long day of flying and waiting from 6am but I had done it and I could finally relax. Egypt was initially going to be a quick stop but with my new philosophy of taking my time, I would be an idiot not to make the most of it. Especially now I'm here and have the support of two of the best guys in Egypt.

The African adventure begins...