Camel Things

I've put a shot of these guys before. There's something almost fantastic about the shape of the camels when they are carrying palm fronds. The movement is even more fantastic with the bobbing heads and the waving fronds.

Going Home

From the first when I moved to Cairo and my horses were being kept at Sakkara Country Club, I could feel myself relax as I drove down this road towards the desert. Now that I live out here, the feeling is even stronger on my way back from the city. So good to know that you are almost home.

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.

The Rolling Machine

Stuffed grape leaves are a favourite dish in Egypt, and at least in the old days a woman's cooking skill was partly determined by her ability to roll small tight stuffed grape leaves or cabbage rolls. The filling might include some ground meat, but more usually is seasoned rice. While at the Souq el Goma (the Friday Market) in old Cairo we found this gentleman who had a wonderful gadget that he was demonstrating. It was a rolling machine for grape leaves. What is the world coming to?

Old Habits Die Hard

Visitors to the Solar Boat Museum at the Giza plateau see a cedar wood boat that was constructed thousands of years ago from Lebanese cedar that was held together with palm fiber ropes. No nails were used in its construction. This minaret in old Cairo is probably over 500 years old and the scaffolding used in its restoration is also held together with rope, as are many scaffoldings throughout Egypt.

Getting it Done

Sometimes you find yourself going the wrong way, and what can you do? This horse and cart took the easy way out as we were headed for Bab el Zuweila the other day. They just cut across the median. Most of the time drivers are careful not to hit the animals in the roads here.

Rainy Window

We've had the worst weather I've seen in Cairo for some time. First the frosty mornings of a week or so back, and now rain, wind and falling mud for a while. The weather looked better from the inside of a warm dry living room yesterday.

Waiting Out the Rain

On a wet afternoon in Cairo a group of men play dominoes at a coffee shop while waiting for a shower to stop. Visitors sometimes wonder what is smoked in the waterpipes at the coffee shops, but as a rule it is a fruit flavoured or honey flavoured tobacco.

Maghreb Prayer

At dusk the artisans in Khan el Khalili gather in prayer on a rooftop near their workshops.

A Lucky Black Cat

Egypt and cats have a long history. Bastet was the cat goddess, a guardian of the household and family. Most Egyptians, even if they don't invite it in, will feed a stray cat. You see them everywhere in Cairo. This one was hunched against a wet, chilly wind on top of an ancient Coke cooler in old Cairo.