Silly Shoes in Zamalek

Made a useless trip to Orman Gardens today for a plant show that will show up in a couple of weeks and found myself in Zamalek with a friend. There is a shoe shop at the corner of 26 July and Brazil there that has always made me laugh. But the silly shoes you might buy for a one-off outfit are a fraction of the price outside of Egypt. 

And It's On Sale!

Come Back Later

While in a nearby village on an errand we parked across the road from this shop. Naturally it was closed in the morning sunshine. I suppose it only opens after dark. 

Checking His Mail

Waiting for a train to pass a village level crossing I spotted this man leaning against a bridge over the canal and checking messages or mail. Mobile phones have changed life immeasurably in rural Egypt. 

The Thread of the Story

On a visit to Bab Zuwayla in old Cairo, I walked past this small factory making konefa, which is the base of a sweet made in Egypt. In the first photo you see the rotating drum where the thin stream of batter is cooked into threads. These then are collected on the tray below the drum. 

The threads are then gathered into sort of pads and sold by the kilo. They may then be used as a base for a dessert where a layer of fruit, nuts, cream or many other things might be baked between layers of the batter threads. 

Pigeon Palace

Egyptians are serious about their pigeons. They live to eat squab, young pigeon stuffed with cracked wheat, and they like to fly or race them. The elaborate structure on top of the apartment building is a multistory pigeon coop. The pigeons are usually out free by day foraging and come home at night to be shut in for feeding and safety. 

Third World Problems

Egypt doesn't have a lot of trees. We have a lot of palms, which are technically a grass, but wood trees are definitely in the minority so when we see someone cutting down the eucalyptus along the canals in the countryside, we stop to ask.  I went to ask to se the orders but the gentleman with the crutches was already grilling the guy loading the truck, so I left them at it. 

Filming In The Countryside

A couple of young women are making a video on donkey care so they have been joining the vets of the Rural Wellness Initiative for filming. During a quiet moment the crew share stories

But Don't Sit Down

A banana seller has a mobile stand but the seat for the bicycle is long gone. 

Prepared

Cairo traffic is infamous. Crowded, slow, irritable..you name it. Motorcycles and scooters are commonplace as they can slide among the cars in a traffic jam, but his guy was carrying something extra, a stout walking stick to protect his legs or to rap an encroaching car on the hood maybe.