Cycling The Road Less Travelled

Cairo; polluted, filthy, chaotic, seedy, decrepit Cairo. Its loud, it’s crowded, it’s corrupt, and it’s awesome. I love it! It’s hard to explain this place. Imagine a city so polluted you can barely see its eyesore of a skyline, the streets are covered with mounds of plastic bottles, papers, pop cans and anything else you can imagine. Walking through the streets of downtown, you are continuously accosted by the sound of blaring horns; cars weave in and out at top speeds, completely ignoring red lights, traffic signs or lane lines for that matter. Crossing the street is a complete leap of faith; you say a prayer, take a deep breath and basically throw yourself into oncoming traffic. You then make your way across the street trying your best to avoid the cars that are not in anyway stopping, slowing down or trying to avoid you. Sound horrible? Nah…it’s awesome. This city is so alive. Everywhere you look, you see life enfolding around you. Somebody is working on their car, kids are playing, others are cooking, people are shopping, other are arguing, all happening together. Everything back home is clearly defined and separated; you drive here, you walk hear, you bike here, and should you walk in the bike lane there is a very good chance someone will point out your error. Don’t get me wrong, “order” has its advantages of course, but sometimes a little chaos, a few less rules is a little …refreshing too. Know what I mean?

Since being in Cairo, we’ve of course been to the Pyramids (even more impressive then you would imagine), been to the museum, the Citadel and visited countless beautiful mosques. One of our favorite spots by far is the market; great place to take photos, people watch or just have some tea.

The real jewel though, as cliché as it sounds, is the people. Unbelievably warm and friendly. One minute we’re asking someone for directions, the next minute they are treating us to coffee, or offering us food. It’s been a great experience. Thank you Cairo!