Encountering Cairo, Pyramids and Out

My first morning in Cairo the hotel tour desk arranged for a taxi to take me to Ramses Station to purchase my ticket on the sleeping car to Luxor and then for a tour of the great pyramids and back to the train. My driver, Achmed, picked me up and we headed for the station. I've taken a few semi-perilous risks in my life (parachuted out of a plane, ridden in a glider, married, parented two teenagers), but nothing could prepare me for the treacherous, insane, life-threatening downtown Cairo traffic.
Lonely Planet Egypt has this to say:

Driving in Cairo can’t in any way be recommended. Lane markings are ignored and brakes are scorned; traffic lights are discretionary. At night some drivers use their headlights exclusively for flashing oncoming vehicles. But Cairo drivers look out for each other and are tolerant of the type of driving that elsewhere might provoke road rage.

Regarding renting a car:

The only reason we expect you might rent a car is to drive directly out of the city.

In addition to automobiles and trucks, the streets are crowded with horse-carts, kids on donkeys, herds of sheep and goats. Even on the freeways. We spent 13 minutes sitting in one place without moving an inch. I did not get out of the car until we arrived in Giza since Lonely Planet advises that the only way to cross a street in Cairo is to position yourself between two locals and use them as buffers. Under no circumstances should a tourist try to cross alone.

After my tour of the pyramids, Achmed dropped me off at Ramses Station where I waited a couple of hours for the train. At the station I met Adam, a young man from Hungary who speaks English and I also met Kulsoon and Misbah, two Muslim ladies (mother and daughter) from London who were staying at the same hotel that I was in Luxor.

I love the sleeping car. It was exactly like the one Toby, Cheryl and I took from Athens to Istanbul. I had a personal porter and was given dinner and breakfast with my passage. I didn't sleep one wink, but I rested and relaxed and utterly enjoyed the experience.