The traffic that flows through Cairo creates a cacophony of sounds. Cars and taxis honk incessantly, motorbikes and scooters beep their way through traffic jams while playing loud music, pickup trucks host entire chattering families in the back and a thundering growl tells of the metro passing underneath the streets.
Different neighbourhoods come with unique additions to the overwhelming roar that intrudes on our daily existence. Be it tuk-tuks, livestock, street vendors or school children, most of us can recognise where we live with our eyes closed.
The railroad that traverses Maadi seems a relic from a time long past; grass grows between the iron rails and the trees that grow on the sides of the track join high in the air to form a tunnel of leaves. But looks are deceiving – late in the evenings, when the suburban stillness has spread over the Maadi streets, horns of the engines blare out into the silence of the night, warning those still about that a train is moving along the tracks.
