Cairo: Photos 42 to 46

The Pyramids of Giza at the edge of the Western Desert and the great Mosque of Mohammed Ali (not the boxer) in the east ... between these two monuments sprawls a vast city, the largest in Africa and the Middle East: Cairo. Its population is estimated at around 18 million and is swollen by a thousand new migrants every day. Unlike London, the amount of green space per citizen has been calculated at 13 square centimetres only. The polluted air makes you cough on a good day and is throat-rasping on others. However, it is impossible not to find yourself carried away by the bustling street life, the dramatic sights and the cosmopolitan mix of Arab, African and European influences.

I spent a couple of days in Cairo and stayed at the cheap African House Hostel in Emad el-Din Street. They charged me some LE70 or EUR 9 per night (single B&B) and organised a full-day private tour to the pyramids of Saqqara and Dahshur (EUR 25). The hostel is conveniently located within walking distance of Midan Ramses. One of the busiest spots in Cairo, Midan Ramses is mayhem - huge amounts of cars, buses, taxis, minibuses, donkey carts and

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