The Cairo Eruption

I don't know what it is about Cairo that keep people interested in visiting it or living in it. One of my close friends abroad has once coined an interesting term for the tourists that come here - 'sh**-in-a-hole tourists'. He was particularly referring to those who live in comfortable conditions but like to visit relatively underdeveloped areas to taste a bit of life on the other side.

You don't have to be a backpacker to come here though. Just the other night I was invited out to a restaurant where most Egyptians would have to sacrifice a month's salary to have a meal at - that's if they ever thought of actually doing it. It was located in a five star hotel, and had impeccable service and cuisine - the atmosphere was so different to what most people are used to around here. Nevertheless, the hotel was teaming with tourists. Obviously, creature comforts to some tourists involve marble walls and Egyptian cotton, while to others could just be a hole in the ground.

A hotel surrounded by the hustle and bustle of Cairo, on the 26th of July Street

Some hotels in Cairo are severely lacking in service and facilities, but make up in terms of prices and general realism. You could find yourself in the heart of Cairo, amidst the crowds and noises, marvelling at how people live here, and at the same time cursing the fact you can't get a proper night's sleep. For Cairenes, bedtime is often associated with sunrise.

Cairo is swelling by the minute. I have the constant fear (or hope) that at some point I will have to abandon my car in traffic because it had nowhere to go. Immigration from rural areas is a contributing factor, but I have a feeling it's mostly due to the young generation. Probably with myself included. The population boom is obvious, with more young people out on the streets than ever before, with older generations starting to dissolve in the crowds. Walk into any office in Cairo, and it's highly likely that even the bosses and managers are barely over 30, with most of the fresh-faced workforce looking like they've barely left university.

Perhaps this would be the kind of scene you would see when traffic comes to an eternal halt in Cairo

Until the day comes when Cairo erupts, rupturing with traffic and people spewing out onto surrounding provinces, I will just have to wait, alternating between pedals every few seconds, crawling along, hoping to spot an empty stretch of asphalt to take me home.