Taxis and Parking...

I feel the need to make two posts today because I really want to talk about the Taxis and driving here in Cairo...

First the Taxis Drivers here love Americans, because they try to over charge us more for a trip that a typical Egyptian person gets for less... This is good and bad because since I have to haggle the price with them, I am practicing my Arabic... Bad because it ALWAYS happens with me... because I hate to say it I stick out like a sore thumb here, since I am fair skinned and have green eyes...

The Next think I really want to talk about it how the people here in Cairo Drive... I know I mentioned it in another post... but I feel its bears elaboration... In Cairo lanes are not followed, I was on an overpass today that was two lanes, and there were three cars going down it... the way things work here is that one car is straddling the line (if there is one) and the other two cars will be on either side closest to the wall or railing... depending on what is present... Since they dont follow lane rules... Cairo drivers are the worse tailgater's that I have ever seen... they follow so close to the car in front of them I am not surprised by the number of paint scrapes and dents that are one most of these cars... even the really nice ones have paint scrapes... I have had a few panicked moments in taxis... one time the taxi driver told me to hold onto the hand gripe above me on the ceiling instead of holding onto the door, and he was laughing at me and how I was getting scared... :-)

I have also been in many taxis here in Cairo... and a majority of them do not have power steering... when ever the taxi driver tries to turn the car, he had to move his body soo much just to accomplish this... I have also learned that flashers, and lights mean different things, you use your flasher or hazards when you are slowing down to get off of a fast road... this is so no one comes up behind you and crashes into you... Honking is also an art and a form of aggressive driving here in Cairo... you have to be in the car to understand what it means... but Taxis will also use honking to get your attention to see if you want a ride... but I normally just yell out Taxi and all is good!

Another fun thing is to walk down my road and see all the cars double or sometimes triple parked on the road... I have learned that people are able to park two or three cars across because there is always someone on the road whose job it is to park and un-park the cars on the roads... I have also learned that when a car is parked with its windshield wipes up it means it is a stick shift car as opposed to an automatic...

Why talk so much about this... because it is funny, but it also seems a part of the lifestyle here in Cairo!!! I took some footage today of me in a Taxi driving... It is not the best Quality, and it is a little shaky with no sound... but you should get the picture...