Khan el-Khalili souk. Don’t let the photos fool you... The calmness of the photos was only because the pics were taken during Iftar, as everyone gathered inside stores or at tables to break their fast. Afterwards, it was nothing short of mayhem. The Cairo experience was unexpected...we loved, loved, loved Giza and Sakkara, visited the pyramids, the Serapeum, the Sphinx and other ancient sites. The experience of the city, however, was another beast altogether. Crossing the street was like a game of Frogger, minus the extra lives. Cars deftly zig and zag their way around the city without the assistance of lanes or traffic lights, one way streets are mere suggestions, and pedestrians assume that status at their own risk. The city edifices are sand and exhaust blasted. Some buildings were destroyed by the government because they were built without permits, but left as a blight. There were people everywhere, not surprising considering that about a quarter of the country’s population calls Cairo home. I can’t say that I loved or could even appreciate the frenetic energy of the city because it required so much of my own to compensate, to navigate, to ward off those that were hustling to sell every tourist a papyrus or a trinket, a camel (“Egyptian Cadillac“) or donkey ride, to take a picture or just plain begging. But, I have no regrets about going. The ancient community left us so much to be awed by. History is abundant in Cairo and there is still so much being discovered today. I look forward to returning and exploring the rest of Egypt. #cairoegypt #cairo #egypt #chaos #mayhem #travel #souk (at Khan el-Khalili) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxWSuQUBDu7/?igshid=11eqcm6iq6n90
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