Scenes from Basyoun

One of our daily activities (at least when the dust isn't too bad!) is to take a late afternoon stroll through the streets and lanes of my husband's hometown.  Sometimes we head out into the countryside to wander past the fields while other days we take the more bustling route through downtown.  Either way our choice is usually made here at the intersection of our road with the main street through Basyoun.

The grass park with benches is a welcome new addition.

Here our shadows precede us into town.

In Egypt, everything from carts to trucks are all brightly festooned. Here a two-horse cart is taking a dinner break.

Scenes along the main road.

Egyptian butcher shops take some getting used to for those of us raised on neatly packaged, refrigerated meat.  These beef portions hang where road dust, flies and all sorts of other things can get at them.  I just tell myself that it is yet another reminder of the power and adaptability of the human immune system.

 

A typical example of a public bus and another reason why Reda and I are really looking forward to having our own car.

I love to "vehicle watch" while Reda and I are out and about in Egypt.  Seating such as this is a common sight.

Here's another one that caught my eye.

Downtown Basyoun.

The little black "half-cars" are called Took-Tooks and they almost outnumber people here in Basyoun.

Leaving the main street and winding up and down the side lanes is our prefered route for the walk home.  Less traffic and fewer crowds make for a more leisurely pace.

A grain shop.

Thirsty Egyptians can obtain refreshment at cart stands such as this or from wandering vendors who carry a large jug of tea or juice strapped to their shoulder.  Tempting as many of the juice concoctions look, I stick to bottled water.

An intersection of side lanes in Basyoun.

I was initially quite surprised but the Mouse is here in Egypt too.  Unfortunately, they don't always get the spelling on his name right.

Street-side shops selling roasted chicken were quite common in Istanbul as well.  This is one of a dozen or so shops like this in the Basyoun area.

Roasted nuts and seeds of seemingly every variety are a very popular snack item and stands such as this are on just about every corner.

The local Basyoun Post Office.  Although a newer, more modern version is being built a few blocks away, it simply doesn't match this one for nostalgic charm.