On the road between Luxor and Aswan, tourists must have a police escort ever since the threat of terrorism became a concern in this part of Egypt. But with a driver up to the challenge, we tried to overtake the escort. Bad idea.
Pedestrians and donkeys flew by at disturbing speed as the placid Egyptian landscape turned into a nerve-racking thrill ride. Tourism in the Middle East has plunged, and most visitors who do see this part view it from a Nile cruise ship.
But I think Egypt remains a safe place to travel. Like the police guard we chased down outside Luxor.
As we approached the rear vehicle, a hand emerged, signaling us to back off. We pulled around to pass. The driver tried to run us off the road. Advertisement We waved and gestured frantically, wearing our best stupid-Americans-on-a-road-trip smiles.
The guards grudgingly waved us on and let us join the convoy. The countryside looked peaceful again-lunar cliffs, lush green fields, iridescent Nile. My friend Mark was visiting from the United States for 10 days.
