Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - from Libya to Egypt by 4x4

Hi Ursula, do you have the English book p. 456? If not I can send you one. I plan to send you the German one ..... but it is still delayed (this summer ainsh allah).

Chris

p.456
This was my experience while crossing from Libya to Egypt at Soloum in early 1999 while circumnavigating the Mediterranean. Leaving Libya at Soloum you drop off the Arabic number plates at Police/Customs point about 5km west of the border (I didnÕt find this out until I was well into the process!) and collect 50LD refund in cash. You then hand over the Libyan carnet just before going into the compound where they return the insurance document. YouÕre directed to the middle of three lanes and into a shed on the right to show your visa and get your passport stamped.
Join the queue for the customs shed behind big old metal gates. Cars are allowed to go through two at a time and it appears to take about 20 minutes per two cars. Here I was approached by a sly policeman who asked if I wanted to change money into Egyptian pounds.
The plates had to go to an unmarked Customs orÊPolice shed some 5km back into Libya that looked like all the other concrete sheds along the way. Without a guide who conveniently loomed up out of the shadows I doubtÊwhether I would have either found it or got my deposit returned.ÊBack at the queue he negotiated me back to the front and two hours after arriving I was out of Libya.
On entering Egypt the first guard wanted 10LD for a green form. I was then told I needed a fire extinguisher, which luckily I had. They were fairly insistent but so was I! In the passport shed I filled in forms amid hassling kids and got the passport stamped in the big hall. Following two brief customs searches one part of my UK carnet was signed. Then, after three hours, I was told I must pay £E1002 for a transit permit lasting 4 days to 3 months, or £E102 for 3 days or less. I assumed that as I had a proper Carnet this was some sort of trick but it would appear that the fee is a recognised tax on foreign vehicles (and not because my Land Rover was a diesel which once had difficulty passing through Egypt).
Following a night in the car I changed all my remaining Libyan Dinars at 1 to 1 and dollars at £E3 per dollar (official bank rate £E3.4), paid the £E1002 and was then asked to get a photocopy of my passport with the stamp in it. At this point I was lucky to meet a Cairo-based travel agent who was very helpful, waking up the official who could sign another piece of paper (£E40), getting the photocopies (£E3) and getting the Egyptian number plates (£E40). By now I lost track of the proceedings but it seemed to involve a great deal of paper and rubber stamping, about ten pieces of paper stapled together and a computer printed plastic ID for me and the LR (the equivalent of a driving licence/registration document). I was out by 11.30am, fifteen hours after I arrived. On leaving Egypt for Jordan I never did get the £E40 deposit on the number plates back.
Toby Savage