Originally Posted by amaferanga
I haven't cycled in Egypt or Sudan, I never said I had.
I don't need to tell her where to stay as such information is easily had from locals.
Do you think there are hostels all over Africa?)
You haven't cycled in Egypt of Sudan? Those are a couple of pretty big countries. She'll be covering a lot of real estate there. Certainly, she'll have a lot of sandy broken asphalt to cross, a ferry to take with an irregular schedule, and a sometimes hard-packed sometimes non-existent sand track that runs next to the RR tracks south of Wadi Halfa to Khartoum. Is this the route that she will be following? Or am I missing something? The route with no water, food or shelter from the sun or wind? If I remember correctly, there are about a dozen "stations" in a long stretch of tracts, but no town or village. Just a hut, often with nobody in it. The RR veers away from the river at one point and in in the middle of sand storm heaven for a couple hundred miles. Once she gets back to the river there are more towns with food and cleaner water available. Is this the route she is planning to take? Or is she going along the coast? I don't know. I didn't read every post in the thread. There were some details I missed.
She will find inexpensive places to stay? In Cairo? I do know where, but I've lived there. And I can muddle through the language pretty well. And I still have friends there to help. And I know my way around the city well. But she'll get off the plane in Cairo--which is a place you've never been, and neither has she--and meet some locals which will offer to take her to places they know are cheap. Yes, the info will be easily had, and so will her money. And the next stop for her will be.....where? Is there an inexpensive place for her to stay there? And the next day? And the next? Where wil she stay in Assuit? Is there an expectation they will speak English to her? Or does she know enough Arabic at that point? Is there an expectation anybody will even be friendly to her there? And is she supposed to grease the hand of a police officer in a bar by buying him a couple of drinks in lieu of his help? And what does that mean in the mind of the police officer? And which locals is she supposed to approach to ask for directions and help? Clearly, you haven't thought this through.
And if she doesn't join HI, that leaves even one less option for her to rely on. And she can always use her membership elsewhere in the future.
Do you have children, mate?