Road Trip to Qus

Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.

Seneca

Today Adel and I visited a town about 40 km North of Luxor. The two of us share the opinion that road trips should be accompanied with refreshments, so we stopped for a tamayya (aka 'felafel') sandwich and a glass of tea. I got a kick out of Adel setting our glasses in what I would normally think of as a coffee cup holder. Just goes to show how perspectives shift slightly in different surroundings.

And we were definitely in different surroundings. I quite liked the town of Qus but the tangle of various forms of traffic and humanity in its streets on market day reminded me why I do not drive in Egypt.

Adel suggested that I buy myself a "Tok-Tok", a three-wheeled scooter with a passenger cabin built on the back. These rickshaw-like taxis are better suited for maneuvering narrow village roads than cars or vans . . . and they're cute. Some are highly decorated with tassels and lights. I don't think they are licensed yet because they don't fit within the parameters of Egypt's vehicular law: they are neither car nor motorcycle. They are a sight to be seen, but only in towns and villages.

While we drank our tea, this young entrepreneur passed by heading to the gates of a local school. He sells juice. To be honest, it's more like sugared water and the kids love it. The drink is dispensed from the clear tanks into a small plastic bag with a straw sticking out the top.

Tuesday is market day and there were piles of garlic on offer in addition to the usual greens.

Adel was happy because he scored five kilograms of onions.

And I was happy to add another door to my collection. The two sphinxes have cute little bobs, a la the 1950s. It was a fun trip.