Pedestrians

Upon successfully crossing a wide boulevard in Alexandria, I'm inspired to post a brief Adam Sachs passage about Cairo pedestrians--
"...In Stockholm, they look both ways, judge the distance and speed of the approaching Volvos, and formulate a rational decision about when it is safe to cross. In Madrid, they look with disdain and cross with bravado, taking back what some bastard would deny them. In Cairo, they look inside the onrushing cars to read the soul of the drivers. They wade into traffic as though it were a refreshing mountain stream. They are drawn to brush against and bond with the swerving, swarming tons of steel the way people at aquatic theme parks are drawn to brush against and bond with the trained dolphins...."