This Cold is Keeping Me Down
The cold I brought home from Cairo is cramping my style. Just going out to buy food exhausts me. My get up and go has got up and left. To pick up my spirits, I just have to remember the fun of browsing in the Khan el-Khalili. It was built in 1382 by the Emir Djaharks el-Khalili and was part of the market tradition that established Cairo as a major center of trade . Like at Alice's Restaurant, you can get anything you want (or nearly so) at the Khan: gold, silver, brass, trinkets, clothing, shoes. There are fragrant spices, pipes for smoking strong Egyptian tobacco. There are carpets, lamps, art and artifacts. There are gorgeous scarves and shawls, billed as Pashmina that are really wool and silk fibers, shawls that can be had for around $8 if you drive a hard bargain, hard enough that the shopkeepers will tell you you're trying to make them go broke and then delightedly close the transaction. More than anything, the Khan's a dandy place to people watch. Young, old, locals...