Tuk Tuk Driver in the Garbage City

    Driving a Tuk-Tuk Through the Garbage City Streets

    Cairo attracts visitors from around the world for its cultural and historical  heritage, but there is another side to the city. Manshiyat Naser , also called Cairo’s Garbage City, is one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Cairo. It is a place where the inhabitants are trying to create an economy out of the things that other people throw away.

     When you drive through these streets you will appreciate what you have and where you come from. Manshiyat Naser is a tough place - poor, isolated, populated by a discriminated-against Christian minority.

    The tuk-tuk has emerged as a durable solution for transportation in Manshiyat Naser alleys, where the streets are too narrow, full with piles of garbage and without pavement. The parts for the vehicles are made in India and the tiny engine's puttering sound spawned the name - tuk-tuk, originally coined in Thailand. Tuk-Tuk drivers are mostly young men or teenangers with little money and jobless. There are no regulations and everybody can drive a tuk-tuk, regardless of age. There is no need of driving license too.. Many accidents happen though.