the crazy cacophony of Cairo: what's in a honk?

One of the biggest adjustments so far - and a great source of adventure for me - is sorting out the transit systems in Cairo. As you can imagine, a city of roughly 20 million has huge transportation needs... voila, a maze of streets milling with taxis, buses, donkeys, cars and frequent traffic jams; not to mention overcrowded subway lines. So far I haven't had any major fiascoes apart from a walk-by groper in the metro terminal (who was quickly scolded and apologized for by the men around me), but there is certainly a steep learning curve for the Arabic names and negotiations with taxi drivers. Here's what I've gleaned so far:

1. Get out the Map!
... and keep it out! A good map/book of Cairo neighbourhoods is handy when you're not sure the taxi driver's on the right track, or while getting your bearings as a pedestrian.

2. On Foot: be Brave but Brainy...
a) When trying to cross a busy road get a group together if possible and go lane by lane.
b) Trust that those barreling cars (six lanes where the lines would suggest four) will go around you, but keep a vigilant eye on them too! (I nearly had a heart attack my first time, but when I reached the other side I was filled with a huge sense of accomplishment!)

3. On Tallying Taxis
a) Always confidently pay what you think is fair (there's no meter running, and no bartering before you get in). As a green foreigner the driver may try to take advantage so this is important.
b) At the same time, if you've under-estimated, be prepared to add to your fare. I'm still working on the whole distance/pay estimation thing!

and finally...

4. what's in a honk?
The last time I lived in Africa I woke up to the sound of roosters (at all times of night/day). Well here it's definitely the horns. Yesterday I began dreaming about traffic and horns just before I woke up because, in Cairo, to say horns are used plentifully is an understatement. But there are motives for the madness. Here are a few of my favourite auto interpretations...

a) the "hello" honk: a frequent, soft, and curt beep
b) the "let's get this show on the road" honk: bebebebeepp beep beeeep - getting progressively louder! (Used when traffic police are taking too long to let your group go, or when there's a cluster of cars ready to cut across oncoming traffic.)
c) the "coming through" honk: beep beeeeeep!!
d) the "want a ride?" honk: beep.... beep.... beeep?
e) the "I'm waiting" honk: the beeep beeep beeep public scolding
f) the "we just won the football match" honk: bep bep beep bep bep bep bedebedebeep bep beeeep bebebeep!

How's that for a woot woot?! And this is but the beginning!