Egypt | Cairo, Feb 26 – March 5, Part IV

Cairo with a population of around 15 million is the most populous city in Africa. Wandering its streets, it feels like a city of 15 million. I spent several days there and didn’t even crack more than three neighborhoods. It is a massive sprawl of a town; dirty, lively and exciting.

There is trash everywhere. I saw very few trash cans and the ones I did were fairly empty, with the litter carpeting the streets. The legendary traffic is also amazing, a different kind of chaos from Hanoi or other cities where traffic laws are considered more of suggestions.

 

Taken near a hospital, this father and daughter image was shot in a playground that was literally in the middle of a busy thoroughfare under a bridge.

 

I did see lots of men and women going to work but I also did see lots of men lounging around, smoking sheesha, drinking tea, playing backgammon.

 

The tea in Egypt or shai is almost always Lipton. It is very strong and very sweet and always served with a glass of water. I must have averaged around five or six glasses a day and many, many cigarettes. Even when I was at my most lost in many neighborhoods, there was always a cafe to cop a squat and get a glass of shai.

 

One of my favorite shots from my trip, this young boy was a glow and the dirty alley with the tile floor was typical of any residential side street. And of course, the ubiquitous street cat.