- As I’m riding home in the cab, in HORRENDOUS traffic, I see a cabbie and his fare out of the cab and standing in the street. They are not fighting, arguing or negotiating. The fare is a nicely dressed man who is placidly watching the cabbie. The cabbie is waving a 50LE note at all the other cabbies going by. He’s attempting to get change.
- Riding home in a taxi during rush hour (especially crazed because it is Ramadan, and everyone is trying to be somewhere for iftar) as we come up on a bicycle weaving thru the traffic. Nothing new or different, right? There is a man riding the bicycle. His wife is sitting side-saddle on the back fender/rack. Wedged between them is an infant in, what could only be described as, “church clothes”. (Ya know…like the christening layette thingy?)
- So, I’m sitting in “Beano’s” (a Western style coffee shop near the University) with a friend chatting about everything, when both of us realize that the song that is playing on the store’s system sounds like a Christmas tune. How odd! It is only October. Then we listen more closely. It sounds like “Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland”. Then we tune in to the lyrics……………………………It is the PARODY of that song. The tune we were listening to was “Walkin’ ‘Round in Women’s Underwear” No kidding, in English, in a coffee shop in Cairo, in October.
- I was leaving the building where I live. As I walked out, I saw one of the University shuttle busses in the middle of the street. Seemed a bit strange. Then I realized that it was not moving in the “usual” way – driving, parking etc. Upon closer inspection, one of the building security guards was hanging out a window, yelling at about 6 guys behind the bus. Someone was in the driver’s seat. The guys behind the bus were pushing it to try to bump start the vehicle. I’ve bump started plenty of motorbikes and cars, but shuttlebusses…..? This was a first.
- Loads of people have old JAWA motorcycles or scooters in Cairo. One must be certifiably insane to RIDE one in traffic, but that is a different story. I saw a new sight recently, which was a JAWA trike. Still old, beat-up, bald tires, belching smoke, but a TRIKE. The more interesting thing was that the rider was a veiled woman!!! In 14 months in Cairo, I have seen women driving cars, or as passengers on motorcycles/scooters (frequently with the whole family on the bike) but NEVER as the operator of a two-wheeled vehicle. Her veil was flapping voluminously behind her, her knuckles were white and she looked TERRIFIED. Can’t say I blame her.