My tour through Egypt has come to an end and it has been a wonderful experience to witness the wonder of the ancient world and civilization. I have come to realize how similar Egyptian and Nepali people have in common with both having a strong code of hospitality, taking care of strangers and foreigners with graciousness and ensuring no harm comes to them while under their care. As always, I have accomplished my goal in Egypt, trying to learn and to seek an understanding of the hearts of the people I meet during my trip.

To the Egyptian people and security officials who accompanied me for part of my journey, I wish to say Shokran Gazillan. To those international travelers who are hesitant in visiting Egypt, this would be the best time to come with short lines and small crowds at many historic sites. I found Egypt to be safe and welcoming as ever.

Next destination Sudan, I was told taking the trail along Nile River was going to be the best and I did. The Nile is speculated to be the longest river in the world at 6695 kilometres long. The Amazon River runs a very close second, although it has been difficult to determine which is actually longer. The Nile has two major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The latter is the source of most of the water and fertile soil.

It is very interesting to see how dependent the people are on this famous river. Every where along the way, I see people make full use of the river. People are bathing in it, animals like buffalos are seen cooling there, drinking water and splashing themselves with the water. Kids are swimming in there at all times of the day but most importantly, the river is used for farming.

The Nile is an important aspect to the lives of many people here, especially farmers. Lined along the river are farms of massive scale growing anything from maize to sugarcanes and they use the water from the river, using irrigation system. The farmers are very dependent on the river as rainfall here is very low and not enough for the crops. With the heat, more water is needed. People also choose to live around the river because the river brings cool air-ventilation with evaporation of the water as well as for sanitation purposes like washing clothes. The area lining the sides of the Nile is clustered with more houses and people than the areas beyond it.

The people here are usually very friendly and receptive to my needs. They do not shy away from cameras and love posing for pictures. When I pass by with my huge bicycle, there are always kids waving a “hi” or shouting a loud “hello” and it is always a pleasure. I see them and I feel all the more motivated then ever. Egypt has been quite the journey. I will have staying here, in Aswan, Egypt for the next three days until Monday, 12th September. The only way to reach Sudan from here onwards is via a boat or a ship and the ship leaves only once every week, so I have stay back here longer than anticipated. I could cycle there but many have advised me against it citing the reason as totally unsafe and I am heeding it.