Final Update - Cairo Tuesday April 24th

Chris's Story

We have reached the time to make our final update. After spending two days of doing absolutely nothing in Aswan except recuperating we checked out of our hotel and loaded our bikes up for the last time. As we were riding our bikes in the car park, Frank noticed that he had a flat. This was soon reiterated by a flat on my bike as well. It seemed as if the bikes were protesting at being disturbed from their well deserved slumber. We set off for the train station and I have to stop a couple of times to re inflate my tire on the way. We reach the station in good time and load our bikes on the train and settle into our cabin for the journey. The twelve hour trip seemed to go much quicker as we managed to sleep a few of the hours away. The road that ran parallel to the train track all the way to Cairo appeared much more inviting from the comfort of the train cabin than it had done a few days previously.

We arrived in Cairo at around 8:30 am and we unloaded our bikes. The rear tires on both bikes had by now given up the ghost and we were forced to push them the two miles to our hotel, through the early morning traffic. We book in to the hotel for the last time and take great pleasure in dismantling the bikes and placing them into their respective boxes. No more cycling for a few weeks !!!!

Tuesday morning at 9:30 we went to the British Embassy in Garden City in Cairo and met with the British Ambassador, His Excellency Graham Boyce, whom I had previously met in the state of Qatar when I had been working out there. We talk about our escapades and we present him with a plaque from the Cayman Islands, and we talk with a local reporter about the DARE program.

The last couple of days we spend roaming the streets looking for bargains in the famous Khan Al Khalili bazaar and visiting the Cairo Museum to view the incredible amount of antiquities that are stock piled under its roof. The highlight of the visit for most people is the death mask of Tut Ankh Amun but for me it was a visit to the Mummy room. Seeing the great pharaohs themselves in their preserved state evoked a feeling that is hard to explain. It was a mixture of reverence for their achievements whilst they had been alive and a respect for the longevity of their legacies over the last 4000 years. Seti I, one of the more powerful Pharaohs and father to the ubiquitous Ramses II looked distinctly regal and at peace in his resting place. The room was restricted to people who paid an extra 40 Pounds to enter and photography was strictly forbidden out of respect to the dead as well as to prevent damage to the corpses from the harsh light of the camera flash.

After a few hours roaming around the museum we visited felfelas restaurant nearby and indulged in a satisfying Egyptian meal. Then it was back to the hotel for some R&R and to pack our bags for our return journey.

Having had time to rest and contemplate our achievement, I am satisfied that what I have accomplished has benefited the DARE programme and has tested both my physical and mental limits. I feel that both the DARE programme and myself have come out of this venture stronger than when I went into it. With the funds we have raised we will be able to continue the programme for a good while to come and will be able to expand it to encompass even more children in the Cayman Islands in the future. Being far away from the Caribbean it would be easy to lose sight of the scourge that drugs cause in our community and the misery they cause to the victims of their destruction, so it is a sobering thought that I will now be playing my part in the battle to stop its spread, thanks to the generosity of many people and companies in the Cayman Islands.

Thank You

Frank's Story

Greetings from Cairo.

I have enjoyed two days of complete rest and relaxation. My body feels almost normal again and it is nice to be going home again. The day we left Aswan it was 122o and we had made reservations to travel by train, a 12 1/2 hour journey to Cairo. As we collected our bikes for the short ride to the station we soon realised both of us had punctures to the rear tyre, fortunately both inflated with the gel and got us to the train station on time. It was an 8.00 pm departure and we arrived safely in Cairo at 8.30 am the following morning. Upon our arrival both bikes had leaked all the gel out the tubes so we walked the two miles through the hectic morning traffic to our hotel. We immediately boxed the bikes and it was a pleasure to know I don't have to see it again until Dennis at Uncle Bills puts them back in tip top shape.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, the following day we had the pleasure of sleeping in before going off hunting for souvenirs. There are lots of Bazaars in Cairo and I bought gifts for family and friends. Tomorrow is our final day in Cairo, we visit the Ambassador and the Police Chief in the morning and then we will visit the museum to see the famous mask of TUTANKHAMUN. We will close the journal with our final thoughts tomorrow.. until then

FINAL UPDATE - CAIRO Tuesday April 24th

Frank's Story

This is my final welcome and farewell to all that have followed our long and eventful journey.

Firstly I will explain the days events. We met with The British Ambassador , His Excellency Mr. G. Boyce in the morning and presented him with a Cayman Islands Plaque. We gave thanks to all the Egyptian Authorities who made the trek possible on behalf of ourselves personally, The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, His Excellency Mr. P. Smith, and behalf of the people of The Cayman Islands. We then interviewed by The Egyptian national newspaper ' AL AHRAM ' which reaches one million readers daily. After a photo shoot and sincere thanks we made our way to the Egyptian Museum. After visiting many sites during the journey it I had a lot more insight into what I was looking at. The mask of King Tut was memorable but also we visited THE MUMMIES. Eleven individuals enclosed in air conditioned humidifiers, one of those being MERNEPTAH whose tomb I had visited in The Valley of the Kings in Luxor. It was amazing to see how well preserved they were after thousands of years. We spent about three hours looking around before going for lunch. I have eaten at a local restaurant in Cairo with no problems. my meal has consisted of TA'AMIYA ( deep fried bean paste ) similar to FALAFEL, also SCHWARMA which was meat from a skewer, chopped finally and mixed with salad and sesame paste sauce. We then returned to the hotel and made final arrangements for our departure tomorrow.

MEMORIES - As you have read I will have many. I think it is too early for me to pick favourite ones but when I return and have time to study the journal, talk about it with friends I am sure certain moments will begin to stand out.

Even though their have been many ups and downs I have had a wonderful experience which I will never forget. Many skills that I teach in the D.A.R.E. program I had to use myself during the journey and I believe it will help me to grow as an individual but also to use as a motivational skill to the younger generation. As I sit here pondering on my thoughts I now feel great satisfaction in what I have achieved and what I hope it will mean to the children of The Cayman Islands.

There are so many people to thank, individually and corporately and I look forward to thanking them all in person when I return. The trip has made the awareness of the D.A.R.E. program tenfold in Cayman and we have gained a substantial corporate backing which I believe will be increased even more after our return. I look forward to the final six lessons in my classes and the graduation of approximately 400 children in June.

That about sums it up, once again thank you for following and all your supportive e-mails, I leave at 5.00 am for London where I have 24 hours stay over before flying home, and I am so looking forward to returning. Until then, Goodbye and be safe.....

SHEIK FRANK

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