On the town with sheep

Some things are easy to carry on your motorbike. A briefcase, perhaps, or a bag of groceries.

But a live sheep?

In Cairo, the intrepid travelers take motorbike transport to a whole new level. Behold*:


"Hi, how you doin'? It's been a long day, huh? Yeah, I'm smoking a cigarette, heading home from hard-hat-wearing work. . ."



". . . with my buddy Ahmed. Oh, and with the sheep, of course. The sheep and I are going to hit the town. Wanna come with?"

This is not the first sheep I've seen on a motorbike. The two-wheeled vehicles also carry entire families, kids in laps, chickens and geese, none of whom wear helmets. But the sheep are the best, if only because they look so furry and complacent zooming through the Cairo traffic. I recently read a book called "The Wild Sheep Chase" in which a magical sheep enters people's minds and forces them to do his maniacal bidding. Perhaps the sheep on bikes are, in fact, directing their own fates. Maybe our ovine friend here got tired of grazing by the Nile and instructed his pals to take him to the movies?

I know in reality that sheep is probably commuting toward the business end of a butcher's block, but I like the fantasy option better.

*Photo credit: Number Two.