The real traffic control is done the old fashioned way by having underpaid policemen stand at the intersection. These guys are actually really useful when there is a traffic jam because they have the authority to make the cars take turns and play nice. The streets are shared by cars, taxis, trucks, delivery boys on motorcycles, and donkey carts.
No vehicle is intended to carry only one person - that would be a waste of resources. Motorcycles and even mopeds will often carry as many as 3 adult men, or as in this picture, a whole family.
The Nile which divides the city into Giza and Cairo runs in the middle of everything. Along its banks are large fancy western hotels and green parks. Throughout the city you can find a mixture of magnificent old mosques, shiny western high-rise, and dingy unfinished apartment buildings.

During the day, everything is dusty and polluted. Cairo holds the dubious distinction of being the most polluted city in the world. At night, however, everything looks better. The dust is hidden in a uniform blackness, and the profusion of lights makes the city look as well off as anywhere else.
2 comments:
good pictures. I like the whole family on motorcycle one :-)
-Heidi
woohoo!
I agree with Heidi. Oh, and I heard when we were there that a day of breathing Cairo's air is the equivalent of smoking two packs of cigarettes. They didn't say what brand, but I'm guessing Camels.
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