Palm Work

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Palm trees are a type of grass and they have to be trimmed regularly. At least twice a year men climb the date palms to cut off the older fronds. These are then hauled into the villages, often either by camel or if there is broader access, by mule and wagon. In the village, people do the initial processing by trimming off the softer leaves and then drying the rib that supports them. Later the ribs will be cut and made into furniture, boxes, or used in walls. The soft leaves may be shredded for upholstery material, woven into baskets, or mats, and so on.

Reprise With Fuzz

Many mornings while crossing the Nile on the Moneeb bridge we've seen the invisible basket bicyclers completely hidden by their load of baskets on the way to Maadi or Garden City. Today I was driving in and we were talking about just that image when what to our wondering eyes should appear... an over the top bicyclist carting in FUZZY baskets. Kelly Anderson got the shot while I tried not to run into the car in front of me.

Weighing Okra

On a hot day during Ramadan we were riding along the canal and came to some trees where a primitive scale was set up for the weighing of the okra crop, one of our summer crops. The buyer wasn't there yet so the farmers chatted and dreamed lazily while waiting for him.

To Market To Market

The Moneeb Bridge is a treasure house of fascinating vehicles. You might see horses and carts, donkey carts, animals in pickup trucks, families including children and poultry on motorcycles. On this day there was a basket seller with his stock of baskets somehow bound up together in a huge basket-ball pedalling like mad across the bridge. Rear view mirrors need not apply.

Strawberries in Winter

A friend of mine from Toronto came for a month's break from the winter chill in February. Leaving six foot drifts of snow against her front porch she came to sit in the sun, eat fresh local oranges and bananas...and strawberries. Now that is winter break. Photo courtesy of Elaine Jaques

Bread On The Move

Everything doesn't just travel in tidy trucks in Cairo. You see people carrying items all over the city, and the bread men who carry loaves of pita bread all over the city on baskets are a familiar sight. Sometimes on foot, sometimes on bicycles, they move the food.

Spice of Life

To be honest, I'm not sure what all these things are, but they certainly are colourful. The selection is even better when you visit the attar...the spice market.

Aerial Act

It's Ramadan and this year date season is right on time. Dates are the traditional food with which one breaks the fast, and it's perfect to have them literally dropping off the trees. But most dates are harvested by men who climb up the palms and cut the branches full of ripe dates and then lower them to the ground in the round baskets that are themselves woven from the leaves of the date palm.

Free For The Taking?

There are a number of basket sellers in Maadi. I can think of at least three right off hand, and the funny thing about them is that they are always leaving their baskets stacked on the side of the road even when there is no one there to watch them. I needed one of the rectangular chests from a sort of rattan last year and I passed by the basket man at least six times before I found him there to buy one from him. Funny thing is that no one just helps themselves to the baskets. Sort of an honour system.