More of Luxor

You already know how people in Egypt are very casual about their riding habits. These boys look like err I don't remember what they are called. You know what I'm talking about - those boys/ lackeys who ride behind the horse-drawn carriage? I caught them on the road to the West Bank of Luxor.

Going back to the temple of Luxor - I believe this is Ramses the Pharaoh who loved and respected his wife so much that he placed her statue in front of his statue. The regular rule of thumb was putting her behind or next to the pharaoh's leg. In case if you do not see what I'm talking about - the midget is the wife and the imposing guy with hands crossed is the pharaoh.

Walking around the Luxor temple. The place was so crowded I was just glad to see less people in this area. Probably everyone was in the "towlet". We were advised to always carry some tissue with us, since toilet paper is a rarity in Egypt's bathroom. Otherwise there is a bathroom attendant monopolizing the toilet paper roll and asking for a pound or two. But even if you are not using toilet paper, give her/ him a pound. They earn so little that every pound is like a fortune to them.

I mentioned before that I was bored with old ruins and temples and stuff; this guy shares my opinion. He is one of the numerous tourism police officers flooding touristy places

                                              

I can't stop being amazed at local animals. They find food everywhere! Those donkeys were grazing on what seems to be dirt and gravel.

I am done with my report on Luxor now. You can find way better and informative pictures and descriptions. 

Soooo

Yesterday we were supposed to go through Zabaleen district - one of the most intriguing places I heard of so far. The district bears its name from Zabaleen people - they belong to the branch of Coptic Christians. From the time they moved to Cairo from rural areas their main way of subsisting was collecting trash from the streets of Cairo, taking it back to their district on donkey carts and processing it with their whole family. Some  families specialize in aluminium cans, paper, metal or plastic, which they then resell to the middlemen companies. The organic waste is fed to pigs which is their main source of protein. To add to their misery, the city government ordered all pigs culled because of ... swine flu.  Now people are basically starving. Oh wait and in the past years the government decided that Zabaleen ways of collecting garbage are not modern enough and donkey carts interfere with crazy traffic in Cairo, so they hired western companies to manage garbage pick up and processing. Many Zabaleen people had to move back to rural areas due to these factors. Fact: western companies recycle up to 20% of garbage (there is no trash separation in Egypt) compared to 80 % that Zabaleen were able to process. Also the trucks of the western companies do not fit in Cairo's many narrow streets and they had to set up garbage bins on wider streets, so the residents have to walk there instead of putting their garbage in front of their buildings. Mane residents are too lazy to walk too far so the garbage just sits there and rot, creating more infections and health hazards.