We are in the car, trying to exit the city and we are in stuck in crazy traffic – synonymous with Cairo. The city is over-saturated with wheels – 1 wheel – barrows horse-donkey- or human drawn; 2 wheels motorbikes; horse or donkey drawn carts; 3 wheels tuk-tuks; 4 wheels cars, trucks; 6+ wheels – heavy vehicles; running on totally insufficient supply of roads causing congestion morning, noon, night – 24/7. Impressive is the acceptance and patience of the people with the dilemma. On a few occasions have I seen a flare-up of tempers – it seems as if their outlet for the congestion frustration is through the incessant honking of horns and even that has become a sound of music as honks run through different do-re-me creations.
I wish I could share this traffic experience with you. I’ve tried to video some of this and when I figure the posting of videos out I will. Words cannot do it justice, but I want to try to tell you what is happening right now:
- A truck with 2 cows, not tied, swinging and swaying in all directions, trying desperately not to lose their balance – I mean the cows!
- Brightly colored fruit stalls line the road
- Pyramids of deep green watermelons sliced in mouth-watering red-pink halves
- Silhouettes of the 3 Giza pyramids – majestically gazing through the ages as they guard the mysteries of then and now
- Tiny stalls selling tea on the go to the moving traffic
- A dirt-streaked little face in a frame of loose, unruly dark curls suddenly appears in the window asking Hugo for some of his chips! My heart missed a beat as I watch this itty-bitty maybe 4 yr skillfully weaves through the moving, honking fume-spewing traffic.
- Little trucks top heavy with bags, onions, green produce, rubble, sand maneuver with purpose to their destination. I have no idea why it does not topple over…I think Egyptians’ ancient skill of construction is transferred to anything rising up from the ground - whether buildings, cars, fruit, even trash;
- Buses and minivans chock full with people on their way to visit family, go for picnics – relax, before the craziness of a new weeks starts tomorrow.
- (We have just witnessed the most bizarre scene – congestion which we thought normal and then before we could see it the overpowering smell of gasoline and the next moment a truck from which gasoline is pouring. People running to fill buckets from the pouring gasoline waterfall. The road is soaked – imagine someone not knowing light a cigarette – it will be an explosion unable to describe. Hugo, “this is probably the most dangerous thing I’ve seen in my life.” A safe distance from the gasoline pouring truck – a fire engine!)
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I wish I could share this traffic experience with you. I’ve tried to video some of this and when I figure the posting of videos out I will. Words cannot do it justice, but I want to try to tell you what is happening right now:
- A truck with 2 cows, not tied, swinging and swaying in all directions, trying desperately not to lose their balance – I mean the cows!
- Brightly colored fruit stalls line the road
- Pyramids of deep green watermelons sliced in mouth-watering red-pink halves
- Silhouettes of the 3 Giza pyramids – majestically gazing through the ages as they guard the mysteries of then and now
- Tiny stalls selling tea on the go to the moving traffic
- A dirt-streaked little face in a frame of loose, unruly dark curls suddenly appears in the window asking Hugo for some of his chips! My heart missed a beat as I watch this itty-bitty maybe 4 yr skillfully weaves through the moving, honking fume-spewing traffic.
- Little trucks top heavy with bags, onions, green produce, rubble, sand maneuver with purpose to their destination. I have no idea why it does not topple over…I think Egyptians’ ancient skill of construction is transferred to anything rising up from the ground - whether buildings, cars, fruit, even trash;
- Buses and minivans chock full with people on their way to visit family, go for picnics – relax, before the craziness of a new weeks starts tomorrow.
- (We have just witnessed the most bizarre scene – congestion which we thought normal and then before we could see it the overpowering smell of gasoline and the next moment a truck from which gasoline is pouring. People running to fill buckets from the pouring gasoline waterfall. The road is soaked – imagine someone not knowing light a cigarette – it will be an explosion unable to describe. Hugo, “this is probably the most dangerous thing I’ve seen in my life.” A safe distance from the gasoline pouring truck – a fire engine!)
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There is nothing we can do in Cairo in regards to our visas anymore. We will not know what the status of our Sudanese visas are before Sunday when we have to call Mr Muhammed Musa from the USA embassy in Khartoum. We are on our way to the Bahariyya Oasis in the Black Desert. The Western (Libyan) Desert starts on the banks of the Nile and continues into Libya (WHERE WE DO NOT WANT TO GO RIGHT NOW!) covering 2.8 million sq km. There are 5 major oases in the desert of which Bahariyya is one.
We drive through the Black Desert – dunes and sand formations as far as the eye can see mottled with small black, looking like lava stones. After hours of barren desert a vast lush green valley unexpectedly appears in the desert. The change in scenery and vegetation is stark and striking. As we came closer we see birds, cows grazing, spread-out agricultural fields, different kind of trees with date palm trees guarding the green lushness. For the first time in my life I understand what is meant by the word oasis.
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We drive through the Black Desert – dunes and sand formations as far as the eye can see mottled with small black, looking like lava stones. After hours of barren desert a vast lush green valley unexpectedly appears in the desert. The change in scenery and vegetation is stark and striking. As we came closer we see birds, cows grazing, spread-out agricultural fields, different kind of trees with date palm trees guarding the green lushness. For the first time in my life I understand what is meant by the word oasis.
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We find Eden Garden Bedouin camp and it is obvious that there is no lack of water at all. Hot springs are everywhere and in Eden Camp a swimming pool is fed by one of these springs and the water is almost uncomfortably hot. After a week of dusty camping in Cairo this is truly an oasis for all 4 of us. We cannot wait to get into the pool and once in we are catching up on 8 weeks of hot baths that we have missed out on.
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