Epicuriosity

Well our final day in Egypt and I still was not feeling 100%. But I was not about to miss the marketplace! It was our last day there and I had bought ONE gift. So, off to Khan al Khaliji we went. This market is HUGE. It winds through streets and alleyways. Everyone yelling at each other, everyone asking you to come into their shop and everyone trying to bargain a price if you even show the least bit interested in something. You can pretty much bargain for at least half of their original asking price. For instance, I found a shirt. The guy wanted 390LE for it and when he couldn’t meet our offer and we walked away, he ended up chasing us down the street to sell it to us for 150LE.

We found saffron really cheap (yum, can’t wait for Mark to use it), a tapestry I had wanted to get for my mom and a present for Mark’s mom. Other than that we really didn’t see anything we wanted. All the sellers were a bit overwhelming, but honestly most of that stuff was cheap tourist stuff that was probably made in China. Pyramid paperweights, pashminas, stuffed camel toys, keychains, etc. I found a few jewelry shops but the prices were the same as I could get on ebay or from father Dunn so I didn’t bother. A bit disappointing since I just KNEW we’d come home with an entire suitcase full of goodies. But nope……a few nice gifts and a nice stroll through a market that was hundreds of years old and we headed back to start packing.

We absolutely loved our Egypt adventure. I don’t think either of us really knew what to expect. The three cities we visited were overpopulated and way over polluted.  Everyone wanted a tip and everything was double for foreigners (seriously, there were even signs that had different prices). BUT, despite the craziness of it all, the people we met and the ancient monuments were absolutely worth the trip! It was truly an experience of a lifetime and we are so very grateful for such an awesome trip!

Next on the list……Cuba!