"This and That" Top 5 Page for this destination Cairo Travelogue by uglyscot

.The shoe-shine man.
We found this ex-shoemaker sitting in a Zamalek street with his box of equipment- shoepolish, sponges, brushes and tooth brush for the fiddly bits. He gives the customer a pair of slippers and provides some cardboard for him to sit on while he does his job. Normally a pair of shoes will be cleaned for 50 piastres, but because we were 'foreigners' he demanded £E 2 for our two pairs. Mind you, he did a very good job, even burning off ragged stitching with a zippo lighter.

A horse and cart

Carts with vegetables are a common sight in many side streets. Often the horse looks pretty shabby and not well cared for, but this one had bright shining accoutrements and seemed quite happy just standing on a street corner with his load of vegetables including artichokes and cereliac.

woman walking with her children.

It was an eyeopener for me to watch men and women carrying their babies and toddlers on their shoulders. But after reading Florence Nightingale's Letters from Egypt, I saw from one of the illustrations that this has been the custom for at least a hundred and fifty years. I know in West Africa babies are slung low on their mother's backs, and Native Americans carried theirs on their backs, and with the modern sling many Europeans carry them slung on their chests, but none seem to be in such a precarious position as Egyptian babies. The one in the picture seems to be clinging tight to his mother's head.
Click on photo to enlarge.

high buildings

Whenever I go on the eastern bank I am drawn to the view of the building with the golden domes on the corners of the roof. I believe it may be the Nile Tower.

white peacock

Cairo zoo is set in pleasant gardens with trees which have lovely red flowers . The paths are shaded so even in the heat of the day the temperature is bearable.

One interesting section had white peacocks . One of the males was displaying his lace-like tail feathers and dancing around the female of his choice.

Although the more common green peacock is more spectacular, the white has a more delicate beauty.

What pleased me is that the keepers allow the children to help feed the animals. He will put a carrot or whatever on a long pole, and give the child the pole to reach to the animal.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs