But Don't Sit Down

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

Cairo Traffic

The joy of Cairo can be expressed in two words most days. "Cairo traffic" is stickier than duct tape, slower than molasses in January...but at least the guys in the flatbed have a nice breeze and a decent view. 

Free Parking

On my way to an attorney whose office is in downtown Cairo we found ourselves behind a horse cart on a major street and I had no time to whip out my phone. I had to be dropped at the law office and the driver had to go all the way to Zamalek to find a parking place. When I came out and was waiting on the Corniche to be picked up, I found this horse standing patiently by the side of the busy road where no one else could park. 

Downtown Wash

Anywhere other than Cairo you don't expect to see a horse getting a shower on a busy road median.... But then, Cairo is Cairo. 

Moving The Calf

When you don't have a livestock truck, and most farmers here don't, you make do with what you have. In this case it's a pickup truck and A LOT if rope.  

The Sentinels

Getting up to run an errand at 4:30 am is not high on my list of best ways to start the day, but sometimes it happens. So if you are out in the world at daybreak, you might as well admire it.

A First

At about 3:45 pm today at the height of the usual rush hour virtually everyone in Egypt was somewhere sitting in front of a television set waiting to hear the announcement of the first (hopefully) democratically elected president in its history. The choice was a tough one for many people here, between an ex-cabinet minister from the Mubarak regime who was also a member of the military and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Surprisingly the unofficial vote count showed a clear win for Mohamed Morsi of the MB, and many people expected the military to push through a win for the ex-regime member, Ahmed Shafik, when the announcement of who won was postponed by 5 days. So the tension in Egypt was enormous. This shot of the roads going into the city from Giza was taken during the press conference announcing the winner. Empty roads like this are nothing short of miraculous.

The Old and The New

Oddly enough, you can see the pyramids of Giza from a lot of different angles.  People expect to see them in company of sand dunes and camels, but as you drive into Cairo from Alexandria, they come into view in a landscape of traffic lights and mobile phone towers.

Taking a Rest

A street cleaner in Giza rests on his palm broom as traffic crawls by in the usual afternoon snarl.

Ped Xing

I shot this through the front window of my jeep (I wasn't driving!) because I simply couldn't believe the sign. But it is a pretty good representation of the best ways to cross the road in Cairo/Giza.

Something Interesting

I was in a village buying some medicines for my palm trees that are being attacked by palm weevils and I saw this group of men squatting together by the side of the road obviously fascinated by something, but I have no idea what. One of them seems to be a shoeshine guy. After I took the photo, my phone rang and when I looked back up they were all gone. Mysteries!

The Family Motorcycle

Motorcycles are becoming more and more common here as life is more expensive and cars and gas move out of reach of many families. There isn't much point in worrying about safety when you see a family of four on a motorbike. At least the girls are wearing baseball caps to keep the sun off.

The Road To Hell

I went to Sakkara Country Club with a friend today to arrange a stay for him and his wife next weekend. While there the manager opened his drapes and waved at a dark line in the desert next to the Club. Apparently last night a group of local sand and gravel miners trucked in tons of clay to construct a road coming in from the asphalt road to the Giza dump to the north, along the edge of the desert and then up the hills just behind the Club. Apparently the goal is to mine and truck away the hills behind the Club that hid the sight and considerable stench of the Giza dump from the rest of us. And this is on antiquities land. The dump is not but the road most certainly is, and it's highly probable that the workers on this endeavor will enjoy a bit of moonlight archaeology. So who are they paying off? The Army or Antiquities? Or both?

On The Job Learning

Ever wonder how those horses learn to stay calm in Cairo traffic that leaves us humans screaming and tearing our hair? They start out young, walking along with mom to see what the job is all about. By the time they are old enough to pull a wagon, they've seen it all. I guess that's how Cairo drivers learn to cope as well.

A Seriously Amazing Pyramid Photo

We drove out near Kerdasa today to buy some heavy woven vine mats to roof my sitting area by the bird cage. On the way home we suddenly saw this view of the Great Pyramid and Catherine got the sot. The most amazing thing about it, other than its lovely composition, is the fact that the road is empty.

Small Business

Commerce needn't be multinational. Sometimes it's having a carton with some bars of soap displayed on it.

Back To Business

It's been an exciting few weeks here and doesn't necessarily look like it's going to get boring any time soon. Egypt is sort of working...just as it has always sort of worked. The people are amazingly adaptive and resilient. The government shutting down the mobile phone lines was a serious problem for all of us here. If you look closely, you will notice the shepherd on his mobile and his son texting as he drives the flock. You know you shouldn't text and drive.

The Upside of Civil Unrest?

It's been almost a week since banks have been closed and Egypt has been in the grip of civil unrest...to say the least. Despite the images of riots on television, there are moments of calm, like this quiet Wednesday morning in Maadi when the shopkeepers were sweeping up Road 9 and washing sidewalks and streets. We went into town to find a rumoured open ATM to try to get some cash, help a friend collect the key to her new apartment, and generally check things out. The neighbourhood watch groups have been incredible and have done a great job. And the upside? Finding a parking place at 10 am on a Wednesday on Road 9!

Excuse Me. Come Again?

Some cattle egrets decorate the top of a sign saying "Shubramant, the door to the date". Right. Clear as mud. Probably they meant "the door to the past" as this village is on the road to Abu Sir, Sakkara and Dahshur, but we had fun figuring out wether maybe the date was yesterday, tomorrow, or next Wednesday.

The Bone of Contention

I'd seen this building coming up next to the highway and admired its lines, but I had no idea what it was. Then the riot police took up residence on the edge of the highway and the pieces fell into place. This church was ordered to stop building because of an incorrect permit, (Since when do people actually pay attention to building permits in Egypt?) and the congregation were seriously ticked off. Since it is a common practice in the countryside to build a small mosque and then attach a house to it to get past the rule against residential buildings, there's some room for discussion here, to say the least. Yesterday afternoon, the guys on the highway looked more bored than anything else, but there was some serious rumbling in other areas.