Cairo, Egypt That is the universal cry of bazaar vendors everywhere, Cairo being no exception. We visited the ancient Khan el-Khalili bazaar, founded in 1382. Anticipating pickpockets, we had all our valuables carefully tucked away, and toured the repetitive offerings.
Yes, Egyptians have a fondness for color, and lots of it, somehow believing that hundreds of one object make it more appealing. We managed to resist the high-pressure vendors and the glitter of the stalls, not finding a hidden gem to take home. Belly-dancing costumes were readily available, but I’m not dressing for Halloween.
After leaving the bazaar, we strolled through the old Islamic section of Cairo. There was much to admire in the Islamic architecture, most of it religious.
And then there was people-watching in general. Cairo has a large population of young boys, who navigate the crazy traffic with impunity. Two of them tried to show me just how strong they are.
We had wanted to tour an historic home, but didn’t realize we had passed the ticket booth miles back. A very friendly man sitting across from it tried to help Don navigate the dreaded QR code, but after 10 minutes of questions, and just before they asked for a blood test, (joke) Don ran out of patience and we gave up.
Our only slightly less frustrating experience was at the London Zoo in the rain one day. We were standing at the ticket booth, but had to fill out a lifetime questionnaire to be authorized to buy a ticket. To the zoo. In the rain.
I ruined a pair of shoes for that. In this case, I had just had my shoes polished in the bazaar, to get rid of the dust of the pyramids. Nice job.
