Cairo to Sanar de Luna, 136 km
So far, this is wholly unlike anything I have experienced. After a 4:30 alarm, the day started with an awe inspiring sunrise cycle from the Giza Pyramids downhill to the Sphinx.
It was a mixed bag after that. The riding itself was easy, following a series of highways east and south towards the Red Sea. The stress wasn’t the physical effort of the cycling. Rather, the horn-blaring traffic: aggressive cars, trucks passing trucks or navigating between these vehicles, broken pavement, garbage and sandy shoulders.
The contrast within the day, between the marvels of the ancient pyramid builders and the shoddy roadways of 2017, could not be sharper. Accordingly, I have never been quite so mindful of my fortunate station in life.