Traffic in Cairo

This is a common sight in Egypt. A horse-drawn wagon making its way along side automobile traffic. In this photo everything looks a lot more orderly than I remember. You can see poor old donkeys driving cargo up highway ramps and cars stop in the middle of the road for no apparent reason and sometimes they just back up instead of turning around.

There are no lanes painted and no traffic lights. Everything is organized by the sound of the horn and the person who gets there first. I remember a man driving a motorcycle, zipping around cars on the corniche, with his young son in front of him and his wife behind him holding a baby in swaddling clothes. No one was wearing helmets, of course. And she was sitting side saddle instead of across the seat! I have no idea what kept her secure.

I was in fear the entire time I was there of an accident but when I came back home, I felt like I'd been thrown into a medicated state, moving forward in line and order with no deviation allowed.

Photo from Cairo/Giza Daily Photo Blog.