Today we took the "road" from Siwa to Bahariya. First, we were supposed to leave at 7:30 am, but this being Egypt, we left at 9:00 am. The distance from Siwa to Bahariya is only 420 km, but it takes 7-10 hours to travel. There are no sources of water or fuel on the way so you have to bring everything with you. The "road" is badly degraded asphalt, often with little more than rough gravel covered by sand. Hence, it is hardly used and a very expensive trip as it is very hard on the vehicle. They are building a new road alongside the old road, but it is only intermittently finished. There are 6 checkpoints enroute to make sure that any vehicles that break down along the way are not missed. The poor soldiers
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