Flying really must be the safest way to travel….

It is truly like nothing I have ever seen before. The way people drive in this city…MY OH MY! Think of those really bad drivers on the biggest highways in Canada…..and then apply that thought to ever driver in Cairo. I really think it is something you have to experience, but I will try my best to describe it to you:

There is no car insurance here. Every single car has a dent, scratch, broken mirror, hanging bumper, smashed window or detached door. If the car doesn’t have any of the above, it was driven off the car lot approximately ONE minute before you saw it. Minor accidents are the norm (I think there may even be a quota…) and people simply tie up or brush away the damage before jetting off again! I would say that there is yelling and screaming too, but this can’t be applied to all circumstances since most people drive off in a hurry or lock their doors and act like nothing happened!

There are no seatbelts and if there are, they are not used. Babies don’t have car seats and are often seen hanging out the front window on the laps of their mothers.

Sometimes there are lanes – but no one uses them either. Drivers zoom back and forth on four lane roads and I doubt they check their mirrors because most of the mirrors are missing!

Road signs? Pffft. What do you need those for? The rules of the road are invented on the fly! You would think the larger vehicles would have their say, but it seems like everyone is on an even playing field in this city – big or small! This leads to scary times in a taxi and it really helps you to understand that holy handle that everyone talks about at home.

Yesterday I saw my first stop sign. Well……..I sort-of saw it because we were FLYING BY. Hmmm…..

I don’t think there are stop lights here. At least not where we have been driving. People communicate the stop and go of the traffic through honking. Seriously! There is a “get out of my way you BLEEP, BLEEP, BLEEP” honk. There is a “watch out, I’m flying through an intersection and you better stop to let me through” honk. There is even a honk that means “I love you”….which my roommates and I get quite often!

Think of the 401. Now think of being in the 401 all the time. Now think of being able to purchase water, fruits and vegetables, bread, plants, and décor while sitting on the 401. Yes – we have street vendors that run up to the cars and try to sell you things! Surprisingly, many people decide to purchase and I think it brings a new meaning to the term “multi-tasking”.

Buses. The bus that we take to school everyday is luxurious. We get a nice bus, similar to a small, air-conditioned greyhound! Well, public transit is not as pretty or comfortable! Beat-up buses, overflowing with people (literally – people have to put their limbs and/or bodies outside of the bus) speed like crazy on the streets of Cairo. Getting on and off the bus is also interesting…because the bus doesn’t stop. I will let you create your own mental picture.

Our roads at home are not usually described as an obstacle course with actual people as the “obstacles”. Here, people run across the street whenever they like. Well, some walk and others, jump. I don’t think the “pedestrians have the right away” rule applies here. But again, it’s an even playing field…pedestrians challenge moving vehicles all the time!

Headlights for driving at night? Why? It uses too much gas…or so it is perceived that way here! Walking in the dark suddenly got much more dangerous!

These are just a few of the differences I have noticed on my travels within the city. I am lucky to live in Maadi, where the traffic is not as scary! We haven’t gone into the heart of Cairo yet, where it is said to be ‘worse’. WORSE?! My goodness…….my poor little heart will need a big rest and a couple of gravol for that trip!