Egypt's New Traffic Law - It's Funky!!!

VB has her hands on a translated copy of the "NEW TRAFFIC LAW" for Egypt. Unfortunately, the Excel form she received, does not paste well. Below: the law, the fine (in LE) and administrative penalty, if applicable. (Anything in parenthesis is commentary from yours truly.) The new traffic law went into effect August 1st. Beware - these guys (below) will be all over your ass, if you don't obey!


Believe VB when she says, either the law is very discretionary, as in "cases are decided on an individual basis," type of deal like "a tip would help", i.e. "baksheesh;" Or more specifics are needed in some of the declarations. And there's more, but apparently not important enough to translate. From "Go on green" (link below,) "The Ministry of Interior has already launched inspection campaigns to remove all chains, barrels, plant pots, car tires or any other obstacles placed to reserve parking spots or block part of the road. Violators will be imprisoned for a period not more than one year and/or a fine ranging between LE1,000 and LE3,000. Citizens who do this, according to Zaghloul, impede traffic flow by narrowing the street and causing congestion." In other words, be prepared to bail your boab (doorman) out of jail.




THE NEW TRAFFIC LAW

VIOLATION / FINE IN LE / ADMINISTRATIVE PENALTY

• Driving of a vehicle with a speed that is less than the minimum speed, in case it causes obstruct of traffic in the street / 50-100 -

(Like This?)

• Using the vehicles in purposes other than what is stated in the license / 50-100 -

(Like This?)

• Sticking posters, or writing, or drawing or adding any other kind of information on the vehicle body or any of its parts or its plate / 50-200 -

(Like this?)

• Non-adherence to the right sight of the road as assigned for driving for both directions / 50-200 -

(We don't need no stinkin' law to tell us to drive on the right! Driving inside the lanes - that's another issue, altogether, which these laws apparently don't address. Right is right, right?)

• Leaving the vehicle, or an animal, or any other object in the street in a manner that jeopardizes the lives and money of others, or causing a delay in the traffic movement or obstructing it / 50-200
  

• Un-notifying the nearest traffic officer or the police, or the ambulance of an accident that occurs in and/or with the vehicle, which caused injuries to the passengers, or in case he neglected the injured persons; the driver, therefore, should take the injured to the nearest hospital / 50-200 -

• Nondisclosure of the name or address of whoever was driving a vehicle during a given time to the traffic officers and/or the police about / 50-200 -

• Installing of alarm devices (siren) in the vehicle is completely violating the law / 50-200 / Will be confiscated

• Installing of lights that are in violation to the law provisions / 50-200 / Will be confiscated

• Violations made by the truck drivers in terms of weight, height, width, or length that are permitted and in relation to the approved cargo / 50-200 -

(like This?)

















(Or This?)

• If the vehicle driver did not follow the instructions and traffic signs as well as the traffic officers instruction related to organizing the traffic flow / 50-200 -

(Like This?)

• Fine shall be doubled upon committing any of the aforementioned violations within 6 months from the final date of conviction

• Using the mobile phone manually while driving / 100-300 -

• Deficiency in fixing the plates in its right place / 100-300 -

• Non wearing of the safety belts for both the driver and/or the passenger in the front chair / 100-300 / 1-3 months in jail for the driver

• Non providing the vehicle with the reflecting triangle / 100-300 / license withdraw for a minimum period of 1 month and a maximum period of 3 months

• Non providing the vehicle with the first aid kit / 100-300 / license withdraw for a minimum period of 1 month and a maximum period of 3 months

• Non providing the vehicle with the fire distinguisher in a good condition / 100-300 -

• Non using of the protecting helmets while driving the motorcycles / 100-300 -

(Like This? Nooo, the toilet does not double as a helmet!)

• In case one of the previous violations was repeated within 6 months form the date of final conviction, the fine shall be doubled

• Driving without a driver’s license or without the vehicle license / 100-1000 / Or jail for a period not more than 6 months


• Using the horn with no reason (reasons such as; alerting a vehicle, a person, or an animal to prevent a possible harm that could occur)

• If the driver, intentionally, did not close all the vehicles doors during the ride
  

(Like This?)

• Intentionally stop or drive very slowly on bridges, or at its outset or its slide or at exits or crossroads of any street / From 100-100 / Fine will be doubled upon committing any of these deeds within 6 months from the final date of conviction

• Polluting the streets by throwing leftovers, or construction wastes or any other stuff

• Driving a vehicle that produces loud sounds

• Driving a vehicle that produces a thick smoke or non-environmental exhaust and/or bad smell

• Driving a vehicle where substances are flying out of it, or with inflammable or harming substances leaking out of it, or substances that could affect the competency of the road in a way that could nail the road safety or forming any kind of danger for the road users / 100-1500 / Fine will be doubled upon committing any of these deeds within 3 months from the final date of conviction / Upon repeating the same deed for a third time within 6 months from the date of the second conviction, fine should be paid + license withdraw for a whole year
  

• If the driver of the vehicle disconnect the hook or keep any of those locks / 200-1000 / Or jail for a period not more than 6 months

• If the small truck did not abide by driving in the right side of the road and abide by the specified speed / 200-1000 / Fine will be doubled upon committing any of these deeds within 6 months from the final date of conviction
  

• Driving a vehicle with a speed that exceeds the maximum stated speed / 300-1500 / Or jail for a period not less than 6 months

• Assault of any vehicle driver on the traffic officer for and/or while he is on duty / 300-1500 / Or jail for a period not less than 6 months

• Driving a vehicle that has not breaks (both hand breaks and foot break), or if both or one of them is damaged / 300-1500 / Or jail for a period not less than 6 months

• Obstructing the traffic movement intentionally / 300-1500 / Or jail for a period not less than 6 months

(Like This? Believe VB, this is a "vehicle," and her bet is: it doesn't have the required first aid kit or fire extinguisher in it either!))

• Change of the data related to the vehicle and/or the plate color / 300-1500 / Or jail for a period not less than 6 months

• Intentionally writing invalid data in the forms and requisitions stated in the law / 300-1500 / Or jail for a period not less than 6 months / In case all or any of the above violations are repeated within 6 months from the final conviction date, the fine and penalty will be doubled

• Driving under the effect of alcohol or drugs / 500-1000 / Or jail for 3-12 months with withdrawing the license for 90 days / In case the above violation is repeated, license will be withdrawn for 6 months, and for 1 year if it is repeated during the original period of withdrawal

• Violating the public decency inside the vehicle / 300-1500 / In case this is repeating within a year from the date of the first time, fine will be doubled Jail for a period not more than 6 months, and same penalty will be applied to the driver if he allows such acts inside the vehicle // In case this action is repeating during a year from the first time, penalty will be doubled

• Intentionally driving in the opposite direction / 1000-3000 / Or jail

(Like This?)

• If driving in the opposite direction or breaking the traffic signs resulted in causing injuries and/or deaths for others, the fine will be doubled

• Possession or using of any device inside the vehicle that could disclose or alert the radar locations or affect it / 1500-3000 / Jail for a period not more than 6 months // These devices shall be confiscated, penalty will be doubled upon repeating the same action within a year from the date of final conviction
  

• Non availability of the safety and solidity conditions in the vehicle / Withdraw of the driving license for a period not more than a month. A temporary permit shall be granted for 7 days to allow fulfilling the safety and solidity conditions

• Using over bright lights

• Stopping the vehicle in dark places in the evening without using the low lights

• Using the vehicles in private parades without prior permit from the concerned departments Withdraw of the driving license for a period not less than a month and not more than 3 months

• Driving with plates not issued by the traffic department

• Intentionally drive a vehicle with unclear or hard to read information

• Driving the vehicle at night without using the front and back lights, or the lights’ reflector. This action equals using damaged or nonexistent lights Withdraw of the driving license for a period not less than 6 months and not more than a year

• Wrong waiting Withdraw of the driving license for a period not less than a month

• Using or issuing more than 1 driving license

• Illegally changing the state of the license

• Penalty to each and everyone helped in any way in issuing a new driving license instead of the withdrawn or canceled one / 1000-5000 / Or jail for a period not more than a year
  

• Delaying or obstructing the traffic flow in any way / 500-2000 / Traffic authority will remove the obstructions on the violators own expenses

(Like This? The sewer lid aka manhole cover is fucked up, so someone put a rock in the road to protect it.)

• Making an artificial ______ without a license, or cutting off, or blocking part of the road in a way that would narrow it or obstruct the traffic flow or jeopardizes others’ lives or money Penalty will be doubled if action is repeated within a year from the final date of conviction. / The traffic authority shall remove it on the violator’s own expense

• Anyone who allows persons under the age of 18 to drive a vehicle in case a death, or injury or any form of damage occurs to others 100-1000 Or jail for a period not more than 6 months

• All other violations that do not involve a fine, shall be reconciled by paying an amount of not less than 20 pounds and not more than 50 pounds

Disclaimer: VB did not translate this. She received it already translated, and has not made any grammatical corrections (it's just way better like this.) A pdf version you can download is available via several links, at Babel Talk.

New Traffic Law News:
Also: Go on green
"Will chaotic traffic improve after the new traffic law?"

"Dozens of mobile speed radars fixed on 4x4 vehicles will be dispersed along highways, ring roads and main streets; hundreds of high-tech motorcycles will be combing the streets to maintain discipline and help enforce new regulations; cameras connected to the ministry's central and subsidiary operation rooms will go up in streets and squares to capture traffic law violators, taking pictures of the car plate and violation....

His ministry will also utilise new methods in identifying drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Instead of confiscating the driver's licence and sending them to the hospital for a blood test, a breathaliser will be used on site.

The new law prohibits the renewal of taxi car licences and other passenger transportation vehicles which were manufactured more than 20 years ago. Owners are given a grace period of three years to replace these vehicles. PTA Chief Major General Mohamed Mansour suggested that these cars can be converted into private vehicles or sold as junk." (VB wants one - she buys junk! Junk with the initials VW!)

Pick of the pack
"Other pundits concurred, stressing that the laws will not be implemented as envisaged, and that corruption and a lax attitude towards the law will make a mockery of the entire system that the authorities hope to enforce."

Funkengroovin Wednesday - One Afternoon, One Road

Auto NEWS From Cairo:
Check out the TIME Magazine video:
The Relentless Din of Egypt's Capital - "Cairenes find their health threatened by dangerously high noise levels."

IN THE MARKET FOR A CAR?
"Located on the outskirts of Nasr City in the Tenth District, the popular car market is one of the town’s modern-day landmarks. The sprawling parking lot covers more than 20 acres teeming with around 20,000 cars and their owners from around the country."

Forgotten history of Ramsis car resurrected in new documentary
"We watch Nasser proclaiming that Egypt will eventually become entirely self-sufficient, will manufacture everything from sewing needles to rockets, as his audience quite literally dance with joy.

The Ramsis was not even 100 percent Egyptian made: many of its components were imported from West Germany (the car itself was based on a German car, the Prinz), the interior the only entirely locally-produced part of the car.

An un-automated production line meant that only five cars were turned out a day. The 550 cc cars themselves were boxy, utilitarian, ugly — a Mogamaa on wheels — but little matter, for this was Egypt’s first Popular Car, a slice of national pride available for only LE 200."

(Below): Broke Down.




(Below): VW Van er "Bus".








Below): Riding On Top. This bus was in front of us and we caught it on the turn.


(Below):Attention VW Shoppers! A new dealership is opening in Maadi! (Actually not the same road.)



NEWS:
(Photos and full article at the link): JustKampers Gives New Meaning To Term "Short Bus"

Just Kampers; Slammed Van, Thank you Jam!

Readers share VW memories

(Photo at the link): Mushroom Men: Collectibles With Pre-Orders (and Mushroom Men VW Bus)

(You have to read it to beleive it. Thank God Candy has the common sense to drive a VW. As for Woofie - he deserves what he gets. Apparently somone's been messin' with his Dewars!) Wolf Blitzer's DIARY:
"... I knew even before I entered the store that Candy Crowley was inside, since her beat-up, avocado-green VW bus is one-of-a-kind. She appeared to be purchasing some apricot schnapps. I'm going to watch her future purchases VERY CLOSELY. With Candy's birthday coming up, I want to stay on her good side. As you know, I'll spend a lot of time with her at the conventions this summer and she's a wild woman if you get her angry...."

(Must see photo of a bent Van - no kidding.): Telekinetically Bent VW Van

Under The Big Top
"Taking a cue from 18th-century garden flowers, an architect designed a garage that's both fanciful and functional."

VB complains about pumps that don't have the clips on the nozzles so you can pump your gas hands free. Some states don't allow it. This article probably explains the reason why.
Static Fires Are a Peril at the Pump
"It may sound like urban legend, but fires at the gas pumps can be sparked by static electricity.

F you think gas prices are scary, consider a far worse fright that Kelly Shager of Lynchburg, Va., got at a gas pump. Eight months ago, Mrs. Shager drove her 1999 Ford Ranger to a self-service gas station, engaged the nozzle’s hold-open clip to have it fill automatically, then sat in her vehicle.

When the tank was full, she slid out and reached for the nozzle. Touching it, she felt a shock.

“Then fire kind of came out of the tank,” she said.

Mrs. Shager ran into the station’s convenience store for a fire extinguisher, but flames were already leaping over her truck. By the time firefighters controlled the blaze, the pickup was a charred ruin.

According to Greg Wormser, the Lynchburg fire marshal, the fire was ignited by an electrostatic charge that had collected on Mrs. Shager as she sat in the truck. When she reached for the nozzle, the charge grounded, igniting the gas vapors around the pump.

“You should never re-enter a vehicle when you’re fueling,” Mr. Wormser said.

That’s because when a person who re-enters a vehicle and slides across the seat can acquire a static charge of thousands of volts, caused by friction between two electrically dissimilar materials, such as clothing and seat upholstery, said Dr. Robert E. Nabours, an electrical engineer . If the charge is not harmlessly discharged through the person’s shoes or by the person touching metal, such as part of a grounded car,, an electrical arc can jump from a hand to the nozzle, igniting gas vapors and starting a fire."

Putting the Dream Car Out to Pasture
"America’s romance with the automobile is being severely tested now that every trip causes financial worry, environmental guilt and self-consciousness about the size of your car.

Beyond the bad economic news may lurk a less remarked shift in Americans’ psyches: a change in the role the automobile occupies in people’s emotional lives and self-image. For decades, automakers pitched cars as sex symbols, as extensions of drivers’ freedom or affluence or eye for beauty. Even if that pitch is inverted — if hybrids or minicars become the most desirable wheels, bespeaking a driver’s thriftiness or environmental sensitivity — is it really possible to be passionate about a compromise?

“You wear your car like you wear a Ralph Lauren suit,” said Clotaire Rapaille, an anthropologist and psychiatrist known as the car shrink, whose company, Archetype Discoveries Worldwide, studies consumer preferences."

Tom Vanderbilt's Why We Drive the Way We Do Unlocks How to Unclog Traffic
"Driving down a New Jersey highway three years ago, Tom Vanderbilt decided to stop being a goody-goody. He fought the urge to merge at the first indication that his lane was ending and rode it right to the pinch point, wedging his way in front of a furious driver at the last second. Racked with moral misgivings, he eventually looked into the science of merging and discovered salvation in high math, which proves he made the right choice — and not just for his own time-saving benefit, but for humankind (or at least commuter-kind — the seemingly selfish strategy keeps traffic moving faster for all). "It doesn't have to be an ethics problem," Vanderbilt says. "It's really a system-optimization issue."

Behind the Wheel at a Club With a $125,000 Entry Fee but No Speeding Tickets
"Officials at a new racing club scheduled to open on Sunday in Monticello, N.Y., said the sputtering economy has not deterred the big-bucks, big-horsepower types they are looking for."

From Esquire:
What It Feels Like...to Almost Drown in a Car
What It Feels Like... To Hit Someone with a Car
What It Feels Like... To Be Hit by a Car
What It Feels Like...to Drive 900 Miles Wearing Adult Diapers
What It Feels Like... To Race a Car Blind
What It Feels Like...to Drive 675 Miles Per Hour
What It Feels Like. . . To Be a Blind Race-Car Driver’s Navigator


Little Feat Fat Man In The Bathtub

VB Rubbernecks At A Cairo Car Accident

On a Friday afternoon ride (we take puppy Lotus out for rides,) we decided to take the highway to Maadi Carrefore, and do a loop around.

(Below): A bus stop


(Below): The bus stop farther down - (yeah, pile as much crap as you can on top of the bus!)


(Below): Just approaching a traffic jam


(Below): Closer...


(Below): Okay people, now you need to pay attention and click on photos for larger pics. Check out the blue road sign, with two arrows pointing down? Just behind the huge truck with the blue scene on the back, you can see wheels (blow it up by clicking on the photo). That's right. The vehicle is upside-down!


(Below): Again, same spot in the photo. Car has been up-righted, and facing perpendicular to the road. Remember, these people built the Pyramids, so they can certainly handle lifting a bus.


(Below): Vehicle has been righted - it's on it's wheels, and now parallel to traffic.


(Below): Another view.


(Below): Closer...


(Below): Aaaah! A blue and white bus!

VB found out from a witness, that the blue and white bus got a flat tire, skidded, and flipped over, landing upside-down. Alhamdullilah (Thanks to God) no one was injured.

Funkengroovin Wednesday - Lemons Are Green

"The Volkswagen missed the boat.

The chrome strip on the glove compartment is blemished and must be replaced. Chances are you wouldn't have noticed it; Inspector Kurt Kroner did."

Remember the old VW ad? (from murketing):

"There are 3,389 men of our Wolfsburg factory with only one job; to inspect Volkswagens at each stage of production. (3,00 Volkswagens are produced daily; there are more inspectors than cars.)

Every shock absorber is tested (spot checking won't do), every windshield is scanned. VWs have been rejected for surface scratches barely visible to the eye.

Final inspection is really something! VW inspectors run each car off the line onto the Funktionsprüfstand (car test stand), tote up 189 check points, gun ahead to the automatic brake stand and say "no" to one VW out of fifty.

This preoccupation with detail means the VW lasts longer and requires less maintenance, by and large, than other cars. (It also means a used VW depreciates less than any other car.)

We pluck the lemons; you get the plums."

And, for those of you who have seen the print ad, VB wants to celebrate the New Season of Mad Men, by celebrating "the lemon." ( The ad, that drove the ad men in Mad Men, mad last season.) How could an advertisement like that actually work? It just did, and has been considered a stroke of genius. Mad Men, VB's favorite TV show starts it's new season on July 27th. And, FYI, even Mother Jones Magazine has an article about this amazing show. (WTF? Doesn't Mother Jones have enough to chew on with the upcoming elections?) More articles about Mad Men at The LA Times and The New York Times, calling it "the smartest show on television."

So, today VB celebrates lemons! Obviously, the cars shown are not really lemons.

(Below): Lemons for sale at the local stand. Unlike the US, lemons are sold here before they turn yellow. And, no, your homemade Limoncello will not turn green.


(Below: Bright green bug, on Port Said Road (spelled Bort around here).


(Below): This beetle recently showed up, parked near VB's apartment. A lot of people drive by, stop, back up, and then ask the attending boab (doorman) about it. Apparently, it had been stored in the owner's garage for a long time. He then gave it to his driver to use. According to the boab, since being in storage, it's worth has gone up eight times in value. From what VB can tell this is a "66-"67 Beetle.






Question: Why does this car have black license plates?


(Below): Another lime bug we passed on Road 9.


(Below): And, sometimes lemons are actually yellow! (That is, among other colors too.)


(Below): Too many baskets? Maybe this is the way all those lemons are transported...



NEWS:
Ford at 100:
Mr. Ford’s T: Versatile Mobility
"Nearly as significant as the Model T’s ubiquity was its knack for performing many tasks, going far beyond basic transportation."

A Week of Car Shows, a Century of Transportation

The Racing Is Fast and the Police Aren’t Furious
"Police officers in Lodz, Poland, have tried to deal with illegal street races by helping to organize them."

Freakonomics: FREAK Shots: How Many Bumper Stickers Make a Bad Driver?
"Driving a car can be depersonalizing. That’s why drivers use bumper stickers, bobble-heads, fish brake lights, racing stripes, etc. to show others on the road their personalities, explains Tom Vanderbilt in his book, Traffic. A recent study by Colorado State University psychologist William Szlemko found a link between road rage and the number — but [...]"

Film and Geotag Your Next Car Accident

East Texan's Electric Car Creation
"Al Kelley has had a burning desire to build an electric car for nearly 30 years, and now with his "bug truck" as he calls it, that dream is a reality. A skilled auto-electrician, Kelley built the battery-powered bug with his bare hands." (Video available at the link.)

The Tygan 356 Speedster
"Yet in spite of its prosaic underpinnings the Tygan is effectively a new car selling for new money. Part of its value is in the stripping of the old Beetle. Behind the Dorset factory is a Beetle graveyard, where these old workhorses are stripped of mechanical components like carrion from old bones before the remains are sent to the scrapyard. It's rather a sad place, especially when you consider that each one of the 600 or so Chesil/Tygans built over the years means one less Beetle on our roads. Only the spine of the Beetle is retained, shortened by 11 inches and fitted with new but similarly shortened floorpans. Tygan prefers to fit the safer, better-riding rear suspension from later Beetles, but will still use original trailing arms if masochistic purists demand it." (Full article and photos at the link.)

He's got the recycling Bug: Man brings VWs back from dead
"To celebrate the 50-year milestone, its silver anniversary, Kulungian brought the car out of barn storage and did some needed work on it to make it again serviceable, this time registering it as an antique auto." (Full story and photo at the link.)

Another reason to watch Dancing With The Stars:
Christina Applegate, Alec Baldwin Grateful for Emmy Nods
"Want to see ... the glamorous life of an Emmy nominee: When we're done talking, I'm getting in my 1978 Volkswagen beetle convertible and driving to the garage so they can install a windshield [part]. Nothing like show business!" – Dancing With the Stars' host Tom Bergeron, who earned a nod in the brand new category for reality-competition show host."

(UK)
Classic search to celebrate 60th anniversary of VW Transporter
"As part of celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the Volkswagen Transporter, Paul Burke and his colleagues at Volkswagen Group Ireland have initiated a search to find Ireland’s classic Transporter van, pick-up, combi or passenger bus.

The company is seeking out the best example of a classic VW Transporter currently in existence here.

Owners in possession of such a vehicle are invited to post photos of their van along with stories relating to its history, journeys, maintenance or restoration projects to the 'Create your own Memories' section at the web site www.volkswagenvans.ie."

(UK)
Car Clinic
"Q I’ve always wanted to buy a funky camper van so I can give up my job and head off around Europe. I’m hankering after an old Volkswagen, probably of 1960s or 1970s vintage. Are VW vans as reliable as their reputation suggests or would I be better off with a less sexy Ford Transit conversion? HA from south London" (Go to the link for the answer.)

(UK)
Right Guard Plots 'VW Van' Live Gigs
"Three winners of a monthly competition on the Right Guard- sponsored Yahoo! 24-hour music festival guide website will be invited to watch a gig in the camper van and sample the deodorant.

The work also involves the creation of a mobile WAP site, while a documentary about the restoration of the 1965 VW van being used for the gigs is being seeded online." (Many photos of the van can be seen here, at flickr.)

Lastly, VB used to take her Vanagon down to the Windsor Locks drive-thru Starbucks, for a latte. Vagabondblogger Doggie would ride in the back seat, and bark at the attendant. It was her thrill for the day. She passed away a year ago, and Lotus the new pup has only had a couple of trips to the drive-thru. Now it seems, the Windsor Locks Starbucks (the one near Bradley International Airport) will be closing. It's a shame, since the staff there was much friendlier than the people operating the Enfield store (not drive-thru.) Plus, the Barnes and Noble, just a few hundred feet away in Enfield, sells Starbucks coffee! (Let's talk about the thought process on that one, shall we.) So much for that. And, regarding friendliness, Dunkin' Donuts would toss a donut hole to doggie for a treat! So there Starbucks! Go ahead a close your damn drive-thru. Oh, and BTW, VB's sure, when she's shopping at Evergreen Walk, (the only other Starbucks she patronized), that she'll find a replacement for that one too, since you seem to think the folks, in Connecticut, on the east side of the Connecticut River are not worth your time. Dunkin' Donuts has drive thrus all over, their cheaper, and their coffee is just as good!

Here's a full, alphabetical, list of state by state closures, throughout the US: All 600 Stores



Mad Men - Theme Song - "A Beautiful Mine" by RJD2

VB heads back to the US Tuesday night, for a two month stay. She will still continue postings from there. She has also been informed that the electricity at her house will be out most of Thursday too.

Vagabondblogger Eats Junk Food!

VB considers any chain food restaurant junk food. That's because, for the most part, the food choices are either deep fried, smothered in some thick, creamy cholesterol loaded sauce, or full of trans fats. Not only that, but in the US they suggest not reusing deep frying oil after a certain period. VB generally only eats junk food, while traveling. Unfortunately there's not a lot of choices in Maadi, restaurant-wise. How many Italian? Max's, Vittorios, The Cellar Door (previously known as The Swiss Chalet), and The Mermaid, Restaurant 55 has Italian, as well. Then there's all the Asian restaurants, which are too numerous to remember.

So, for a change, dining along the Nile has become a new past-time. It's either The Fish Market (a review), or TGI Friday's, where VB can get a sizzling dish of chicken fajitas. Not only do they offer a bit of a change, but splendid views. Both restaurants also offer beer and wine, as well.

(Below): Main Entrance to TGI Friday's.


(Below): Some feluccas, and a jet ski.

Funkengroovin Wednesday - On The Corniche

Traffic along the Corniche here in Maadi is always congested, but even more so the darker it gets outside. Hosting several restaurants all in a row, the area has a big draw. Places to eat include TGIF Fridays; an Asian restaurant called Fusion; a cafe (VB thinks probably for sheesha - she hasn't been there); and then The Fish Market, which is not as upscale as the one at The Intercon in Abu Dhabi, but very similar. All these restaurants have a wonderful view of the Nile, and as the evening goes on, regardless of weather, a refreshing breeze starts to blow. Below: Scenes from the Corniche.

(Below 4 Photos): A VW Bus mired in traffic.















(Below): Just had to get this - a flatbed truck loaded with fresh eggs, presumably being delivered to one of the restaurants.


(Below 3 Photos): And, going in the opposite direction, clearly a fan of Tweety Bird and No Smoking, another VW Bus. Looks like it might be for sale, too. Interesting windows.










(Below): The traffic cops, doing what they normally try to avoid doing - work (directing traffic.)



NEWS:

Gone West: Balloonist And Restaurant Magnate Rocky Aoki
"To most of the world, Hiroaki "Rocky" Aoki will be known best as the founder of the Benihana chain of Japanese steakhouses... described as "equal parts restaurant, magic show and performance art" by restaurant architect David Rockwell. But Aoki also left his mark on the aviation world, before passing away last week at the age of 69...
In addition to those exploits, Aoki also raced in the original "Cannonball Run" cross-country race, driving a Volkswagen Beetle stretch limo."

Monster tractor stunt causes extensive damage
"The tractor came to rest on top of an early 70s Volkswagen, but not before it tore a path west, causing damage to a pair of vans. The tractor was then guided south over the top of an Oldsmobile and a Ford. It plowed over five cars before it came to rest on the Beetle." (Photo at the link.)

Camper van man week 1: Southend to Skegness

Camper van man week 2: Skegness to John O'Groats

VW Transporter completes UK-India-UK
"Demonstrating Volkswagen’s reputation for durability, quality and appetite for adventurous travels, a Volkswagen Transporter has successfully completed a 27,000 mile trip to the southern tip of India and back." (Read more at the link, or go here for round the world 2007.)

Tired of your VW? Maybe you'd like a Tonke instead.
A giant step for vankind
"Part monster truck, part Little House on the Prairie, Tonke Campers are the creation of Dutch documentary film-maker Maarten Van Soest. Hand-built in the village of Wagenberg in the south of the Netherlands, they combine a traditional wooden caravan with a modern truck. 'Compared with normal campers there's something like beauty involved,' Maarten told us, when we arrived to pick up our Tonke."

Is reading in a moving car bad for your health?




Nine Inch Nails - Ham 'N Eggs (Live at rehearsals)