Please note that you can expand the pictures by double-clicking
The almost three weeks in Munich were wonderful, but we are
very happy to be back in Cairo! The car is still here, however, the battery is empty. So it was really a good decision to have a second starter battery with us. Better to do a live test here than in the desert! The next surprise is that some insects – while we were away – felt very much at home in our sleeping bags and left as a present some hundreds of small eggs!!! So our first way leads us to the laundry to make sure that we are not travelling with an army of who-knows-what…
After our experience at the Mogamma (here finally a photo of the building with the hundreds of windows) 
we are positively surprised that we get the visa for Sudan and Ethiopia within 24 hours each. The people are extremely friendly and helpful. The only problem was that the addresses in the travel guides were wrong, so we made our own Cairo marathon – and all this with 35 degrees. But at least we can leave Thursday, as planned, to Upper Egypt.
To escape the hassle going with a convoy along the Nile, we decide to take the lovely road along the Red Sea Coast. With every kilometer south, the temperature as well as the wind increases. In the mountains behind Hurghada, 
we find a nice place for our tent, where even the wind calms down, but not the temperature. We get a good night sleep and continue our way to 
Marsa Alam, the southernmost point we reach on the Red Sea. 
From there we continue to Edfu on the Nile river and on to Aswan.
A coffee shop on the way to Edfu. Cheap, cheap…
We have been to Aswan five years ago, and still it’s the same nice and relaxed place it has been before. One of the most beautiful places all over Egypt! Here we get a first taste of Africa, not only 
due to the Nubian influence, but also due to the 42 degrees in the shadow! Even the strong wind, which feels like a hot hair dryer, doesn’t give any relieve. It’s getting even worse at night as it only cools down to 35 degrees. And all this in a tent without air condition! We feel like chicken in the oven.
The next morning, we are ready for the big challenge – getting a space for the car and us on the ferry to Sudan. We read a lot of horror stories about this trip in the Internet and are prepared for the worst! Mr. Salah of the Nile transportation cooperation gives us the last 1st class cabin (we will give an update later what 1st class means here). We also get good instruction how to get the paperwork for the car done which means going to the Police Traffic Court and to the Traffic Police. We are very proud that we can finish everything on our own and in the same time as other European travelers having their local friends with them. After three hours, everything is done.
Making copies for the police
When we ask Mr. Salah if it’s allowed to take photos in the port, he mentioned that we even should take pictures of our car. We still don’t know if he said it because we will not see our car again or in worse shape. 
A first impression of the situation in the harbor we get from a picture in his office. Tomorrow we will know more when we have to be there at 10 am (even the ferry leaves at around 5 pm). According to the “schedule”, we will arrive in Wadi Halfa 24 hours later, and our car, which is going by barge, 48 hours later. Let’s hope and see…
Here some photos of lovely Aswan:
The trip from Cairo to Aswan was 1.400 kilometers, total since departure from Dubai 12.900 kilometers.
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