Traffic on the Nile

CAIRO, Egypt, March 8, 2007 — -- While on assignment in the Egyptian capital, ABC's Simon McGregor-Wood compares the serenity of the Nile River with the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

From the 12th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel in Cairo you get a bird's-eye view of the Nile.

It sweeps through the center of this large city, slow and steady while all around the famous Cairo traffic clogs, snarls and grinds though streets and squares built for horse and carriage, and quieter, more elegant days.

Cairo's traffic is a nightmare. Our ABC driver Taher claims 13 million souls live here, and they drive 8 million cars. I think there must be more!

But on the river beneath my balcony I see the dhows -- traditional Arab sailing ships -- setting out from a rickety wooden pier. Their single arch of brown or green canvas flapping then stretching taut, as the morning breeze takes hold. As they have done for centuries these boats ply their trade up and down the mighty river, in their own time, at their own pace.

Today they vie with pleasure craft of all sizes, and this morning before breakfast, two single scullers, a man and a woman, are bravely weaving their way through the waterborne rush hour. From my lofty perch it looked like fun, if not a little scary. They both made it safely to the distant shore.

But watching time is up, and a full day's shooting lies ahead. Internet cafes, street scenes, a Muslim cleric all to be filmed before lunch. Appointments to be kept, and a schedule to follow, all through impossible traffic.

And our latest idea? Correspondent Wilf Dinnick trying to cross this city's busiest street at the busiest time of day, all captured on camera from a safe distance. He'll never make it. Easier to swim across the Nile.