“Where to?” asks Mohammed*, a memorable Uber captain as I slide in his car. He is not the first captain to ask for a location already on the application. I tell him Heliopolis. “Good, I wanted to go there anyway.” Thus marks the beginning of a curious and exciting car ride, one I am sure to remember for years to come. In fact, when I woke up one morning in May, I thought that attending a press conference at the embassy of Ecuador would be the highlight of my day. How wrong was I. Though the ride was ridiculously expensive, the conversation has stuck to mind ever since. Mohammed is an elderly gentleman with a wide smile, wearing an off-white Nike shirt and black sports pants. He asks if I know Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Street, to which I reply yes. He asserts that it is his destination which strikes me as odd; I’ve always imagined Uber drivers just… driving—going where the app takes them, with no regard for starting point or destination. This man, however, seems to know both Zamalek and Heliopolis well, like friends long-visited. It makes me feel…
Zigzagging Through Cairo and Life: a Memorable Conversation with a Captain
June 15, 2023
