To Boldly Go...

While we traveled last fall to share our story and to raise support/awareness, one of the main questions we were asked by people who have traveled to Cairo was, "Are you planning to drive in Cairo?"

As good as walking has been for us, and though we have learned to navigate a taxi driver fairly well, we have been eager to be able to drive ourselves when the distance or need called for it.  But what experienced travelers knew, and what we have discovered over the past 1/2 year, is that driving in Cairo is unlike driving in any other part of the world.

Frogger may have been inspired
by pedestrians along the Corniche el Nil

Merging the typical developing nation traffic issues with the modern-esque, 11th largest metro area on the planet creates difficulty on the roadways--then add to that the combination of newer cars and the speeds they can obtain with older forms that cannot obtain any speed.  It's not just the absence of "rules of the road", its also the absence of all the norms you take for granted.  There are larger roads, similar to highways in the states, designed for 3-4 lanes--but there really aren't any drivers conforming to what were once neatly painted but now faded or missing stripes.  Throw in your mopeds and motorcycles squeezing into the diminishing gaps, while you brake and swerve to miss the donkey/horse carts trotting next to stopped  trucks on the inside "lane" of the road.   The roadways themselves are not just imperfect due to large, road-wide potholes, but there are also occasional speed-humps to keep everyone from gaining to much speed.  Debris fills the medians and/or shoulders and can spill into the driving lanes; wherever you may find no debris, you will find a street vendor trying to sell novelty items to oncoming traffic--who will stop if they see something interesting.  Meanwhile, you have to watch for taxi's and minibuses that are looking for fares along the roads and who will stop on a dime to make one--along with the fares themselves racing from one side of the road like a modern variation of frogger.

But don't just take our word for it -- ask anyone who's traveled to Cairo, or do a search in YouTube; I did, and found this one posted just a couple months ago...

(note: mothers carrying babies/toddlers on the back of motorcycles is common)

Locals say that it has only gotten worse in the last 5-10 years as the number of cars, trucks, and other modes of transportation have grown exponentially--parking, even double parking which most do by leaving their vehicle in neutral, is difficult at best.

A part of our fund-raising was funds for a sturdy vehicle.  We have spent the last month (because it took several months to secure the necessary visa, then bank account, then wire transfer) looking for a car, jeep.  We really wanted a jeep-type vehicle with a higher suspension because we wanted to have a better perch to view the crazy traffic around us, and a higher suspension that could handle the crater sized potholes along all the streets.  Jeeps, and similar 4x4's, are terribly expensive because they are in such high demand; unless you happen to be duty-free/tax-exempt due to oil or diplomat status--these lucky few buy and sell these vehicles for pennies on the dollar as they come and go seasonly.  We tried, but could not find a way to purchase these on our visa (though we heard several reports of others finding a way, it was hidden from us).  So, we also wanted a vehicle in which a couple of kids could hop in the back so that we could help carry other adults if the need arose.  And, we wanted to find a vehicle that could be repaired easily and inexpensively.  Fortunately, older jeeps met all these requirements as there are a plethora of parts, and the older models are not full of all the computer systems that create havoc for basic mechanics.

We were able to find an older jeep 4x4 with good seats, clean interior, relatively low miles, new tires, a motor in decent condition, and within our price range!  The money we saved on the purchase price has allowed us to begin to have a couple of items repaired, and we will continue to work on more items in the months ahead.  We closed the transaction on Sunday evening in New Maadi, and I drove across town (without a map, nor stopping for directions) to find Grace at a friends house in Maadi--then we managed to get across the rail and metro tracks and back home easily.  Though Grace spent a lot of time laughing at me for leaning so far forward, "like an old man", as I tried to keep my eyes moving in 360o.

I took the car for work yesterday, and today was our big day -- we all loaded up and went to the gas station; a big step for us.  We went from there, finding our way through town to the Autostrad (one of the larger highways), merging onto Ring Road, and arriving at the City Center Mall.  We stocked up on a few groceries at Carrefour, ate at the food court, and headed for home.  We intentionally took a different way back, and only missed one turn.  While dodging slower traffic, we were doing 80km/hr in the 60 km/hr, and we were passed more than were passing others, only reaffirming Grace's "old man"comments as i continued to lean forward.

We're very proud of ourselves ;) -- keep in mind, we haven't driven in 6 months (since arriving).

Next up, Keli starts to learn the driving route from home to the kids' schools in preparation for fall.