Drivers in Egypt
 

One the most startling revelations I had on our Egypt trip was the traffic. Within moments of getting in our car, I saw that the Cairo trafic was far worse than anythig I've ever experienced or heard of. The road and streets were choking on cars. Traffic lanes, where they existed, were ignored. Horns, honking. Lights, flashing. Occaisional cursing in Arabic. Add to that almost no traffic lights or signs and pedestrians crossing anywhere, everywhere and all the time.

In the US it would have gridlock and blood in the streets. Yet our intrepid driver and those around us, somehow managed to keep things moving at a respectable pace. With a liberal and judicious use of lights and horn and a level of courage like I've never seen, an order of sorts was found in seeming chaos.

All of the drivers we employed, in carriages as well as cars, exhibited similar talent and skill. It became clear to me that these were a special breed, a secret fraternity of skilled, and dedicated men and women, pledged to the safety of their charges in all ways and the expeditious execution of transit from place to place. It occured to me that they are a secret and benevolent order not unlike Freemasons or perhaps the militant orders of midieval times.

They are Alsaayiqin. The Drivers.

They are amazing. They were the real heros of our time in Egypt. Without them, we would have gotten no where and seen little. I can't speak of them highly enough.

Does anyone else have stories of their Alsaayiqin in Egypt?

I was in awe of our driver in Cairo. With horses and carts clip clopping one side of the street and motorcycles cutting straight across traffic, he stayed calm and never once did I feel unsafe. I asked him what all the horn honking was about. He said it is to let the driver in front of you know that you are there. Easy enough..I guess there is no need to check your rear view mirrors!

I felt so safe with our driver that I actually dozed off on our way back from Alexandria, something I am never able to do when my husband is driving!