Taxi

I take a taxi twice a day at most times; once going to college and once going back home. It's the most amusing transport in Alexandria. There's nothing like it that I have seen. To me, an Egyptian taxi driver is the closest thing to a magician; being able to make a connection with a complete stranger in a matter of minutes. Of course, the same way a magician will rarely remember his spectators; a taxi driver will rarely remember his customers.

Taxi drivers will talk about four things in most times: prices, traffic laws, queues or (this one is usually in the morning) the traffic jams. Mostly a taxi driver will start the conversation; I personally never talk as I silently wait for the conversation to begin. The discussions usually seem too rich for the mouth that utters them. The sarcasm sharp, the wit incredible and the jokes as if written by the most professional stand-up comedian in existence.

In the twenty minutes of my taxi journeys (ten going to college and ten back), I get the pleasure of conversing with people who are possibly more interesting than many I have met in my life and who can say so much in so little time with so little words...I invite anyone who never took a taxi in Egypt to take one. But remember, don't take some fancy 1990 Suzuki or Skoda, pick one of the Fiat 128 or the Ladas. Although they may look like there are rats running the engine rather than petrol; they're still (as I said) the most amusing method of transport.