a motorbike!
How to get it?
Ask one of the egyptian guys you know if he has a whole afternoon free.
Then get to the Nasser subway station
(and make sure you are not wearing heavy stuff,
the subway is an almost free sauna experience!)
Once out of the station,
walk for about 10 "egyptian" minutes across
a crowded and colorful market right onto the street
(naturally packed with traffic).
Try to spot something that your friend will recognize to turn right
(always slaloming acros fruit stands, batata sellers and plastic veiled mannequins)
and you will find yourself in the "motorbike district".
This is a place of 3 or 4 streets were hundreds of motorbikes are aligned on the street,
ready to be sold after a (legal?) assembly of international pieces,
where official suppliers purchase the omnipresent chinese motorbikes that make
Cairo's traffic so....noisy.
Choose your "shop"
- trust me, chinese motorbikes might be cheaper, but you don't want one -
choose your bike and then.....
then you sit down,
they will bring you tea and
....let the show begin!
Don't ask me what egyptians say during their infinite discussions,
don't ask them either as they'll simply reply
(after two hours of conversation)
"Oh, nothing, just the price of it!"
but in fact bargaining if a national activity here.
And it is actually very pleasant
- let apart the fact that I don't get a word-
Once the settlement is reached,
you'll have to sign papers
and the funniest moment could be their incredulity when finding out you
just have one name and one surname
(how dare you?!)
Over?
... nice try!
Then you will have to try the motorbike,
check that everything works according to the endless negotiation,
arrange a pick up to actually move the motorbike to where you live
(and to sit between two motorbikes on the back of a pick up all the way to Tagamoa on the Ring Road is an experience!)
pay some extra tips to the driver which already was not included in the price of the motorbike,
get some gas while ignoring the mechanics that keep telling you
that the motorbike is broken and you need to fix it
(with the plastic wrapping still in place)
and finally.....
..Ride!
(but mind sand, random crossers, traffic, holes, stones, cats, dogs, water, loose gravel ecc ecc)
Final price?
No more than 7ooo egp
(which make around 8oo euros including tips)
One thing is priceless : egyptian willingness to help out, always!
Then you will have to try the motorbike,
check that everything works according to the endless negotiation,
arrange a pick up to actually move the motorbike to where you live
(and to sit between two motorbikes on the back of a pick up all the way to Tagamoa on the Ring Road is an experience!)
pay some extra tips to the driver which already was not included in the price of the motorbike,
get some gas while ignoring the mechanics that keep telling you
that the motorbike is broken and you need to fix it
(with the plastic wrapping still in place)
and finally.....
..Ride!
(but mind sand, random crossers, traffic, holes, stones, cats, dogs, water, loose gravel ecc ecc)
Final price?
No more than 7ooo egp
(which make around 8oo euros including tips)
One thing is priceless : egyptian willingness to help out, always!
