Back to Cairo

Back to the hustle and bustle of Cairo today. We had a lovely, if long 6 hr, drive along the Red Sea back to Cairo. We were lucky to have this beautiful view for much of the day before having to turn inland. Back from the barren Eastern Desert and then the chaotic streets of Cairo. Gridlock, honking, the complete opposite of our beach side bliss.

We only had one included activity today, visiting the Khan El Kalili bazaar. 500 years and counting, this is Egypt's (?) oldest bazaar and today mostly caters to tourists. You can find all sorts of souvenirs here, but be prepared to bargain as much of it is, according to our guide "low quality or no quality". There is still some hassling, but people are friendlier and we have our Aswan and Luxor experiences to draw from. I surprisingly didn't buy anything, I've bought very little on this trip as a matter of fact, though I seem to have realized I wanted to get something once we left that city. Oops. I've clearly forgotten the see it, like it, buy it rule when travelling as it's unlikely or difficult to retrace your steps. Whatever you're looking for, chances are it's here. Glass bottles, sand art, t-shirts, statues, keychains, bookmarks, oh and jewelry of course.

On our drive later to the hotel, we would catch glimpses of the biggest local market where the locals shop for things from clothes, shoes, and hangbags to second hand items. It was quite the spread and crowd, a scene we watched from a bridge above.

Dinner a low key affair, we checked out a nearby shawarma place near the hotel that was recommended, got take out and dessert to take back to our room for some Netflix.Read more