25 May From Luxor to Safaga by Bus

This 3-hour bus trip via GoBus saw a lot of harsh desert landscape, with the ubiquitous speed bumps and armed police (including rifles poking from lookout windows). It was on this crowded bus (or maybe in the crowded underground tombs in the Valley of the Kings) that we picked up a horrendous cold/flu virus. Over 4 weeks later we’re both still coughing and Christine still has a sore throat that’s been especially lousy overnight.

But here are some images that we hope give a taste of the very interesting journey to Safaga, where we met our ship, Star Clipper.

The port of Safaga itself was a small industrial port, not nice, not friendly, and as we were to soon experience, yet another experience of the endless Egyptian corruption, even amongst officials, with port staff demanding bribes to release passenger passports in order to board the ship.