Haggling with Mahmood the Carpet Man

After the Sakkara pyramids, we took advantage of the plethora of "carpet schools" nearby to see how Middle Eastern carpets were made.... and to see if we could find some "good bargains". LoL.

It was pretty kewl. There was a large room with wall to wall carpet apprentices and experts weaving the threads by HAND! Their fingers were aflying!!! Whoa to the maximus!

The carpet school's rep, Mahmood, who spoke English came out and explained the process. This pattern that he is holding is an example of one that would be loaded onto a carpet loom. Once it's in place, threads made solely of either Egyptian cotton, wool, or silk (depending on the price and quality) are weaved in and out with finesse and dexterity. Truly amazing to watch!!!

And then the round of "show and tell" began as Mahmood the Carpet Man started showing us carpets from the showroom floor for "special American price". Talk about sensory overload!!!

There were so many beautiful carpets to choose from and because they were all hand made, the "special American price" was still NOT cheap. Ugh!

Deb in deep thought. Mahmood was striking a HARD bargain! There were so many undeniably fabulous carpets to choose from, but only a few were at a price range that we were willing to pay.

I love how Deb blended in with the exotic carpets in the background below. LoL.

I fell in love with the huge silk carpet on the left and Deb loved the silk peacock pattern carpet on the right. If I had $37,000 and Deb had $5,000, we would've bought them on the spot! Instead, two Carolina girlz walked out with two very small carpets under $200 each, and dreamed of coming back after we won the lottery to buy the silk carpets of our dreamz ..... Sigggggggh.

Stepping Out to the Sakkara Pyramids

There have been times during Deb's visit that I thought we

channeled the bumbling characters played by Dustin Hoffman

and Warren Beatty in the movie Ishtar. LoL.

Today we explored the Sakkara Step Pyramids...

and the surrounding excavation sites nearby.

Sakkara Step Pyramids (2700 B.C.) were the first pyramids of Egypt. Amazingly, they have stood up against the ravages of time, and were truly majestic to behold.

Dontcha love our fashionable desert apparel? LoL.

Look Ma! No Hands!

And then there were some pyramids that didn't hold up so well.

In front of the tomb of ancient kings from the Old Kingdom period.

Lovin' my hegab (headscarf worn by Muslim women).

Entering the tomb. Someone turn on the lights!

Here's a recap.

Deb focused.

The End.

Shopping at the Khan Remedies All Ailments

Last night Deb and I went to City Stars Mall to do a little shopping. It started out as an uneventful excursion, until I got food poisoning. Ugh! I still felt ill this morning, so Deb went to the Citadel with the tour guide, while I slept in and tried to nurse my ailing tummy. Oy! When Debbie came back, I was feeling a little better so we headed to the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar; the oldest bazaar in the world that dates back to the 14th century. Once referred to as a "Turkish bazaar" during the reign of the Ottoman Empire, it continues to be a colorful and bustling market today that covers several blocks of Old Cairo. There were so MANY exotic goods that enticed us from the get go! Deb was like a kid in a candy store, as she shopped to her heart's content and completed 3/4 of her Christmas shopping. Whoa!

What Bargains! Blown Glass!

We left as shops were closing for Iftar (breaking of the fast), signaled by the chanting of the evening's prayers that could be heard from the mosque across the way. Day 4 of Deb's visit was complete. Tomorrow we head to the Sakkara Step Pyramids!

Hard Rock Cafe Cairo

After the Pharonic Village, Deb and I worked up an appetite for BOTH FOOD and COLD DRINKS! Poor Deb got a little loopy, since we didn't get a chance to sneak away for something cold like we did yesterday at the Giza pyramids. Her voice got raspy, and she really got hot as the morning dragged on without her giving in to the need to quench her thirst. I was so proud of her because she hung in there until we got to Hard Rock Cafe Cairo, where the "western world" environment gave us the freedom again to eat and drink to our hearts' desires. Touring Cairo during Ramadan has been challenging, since it is considered rude to eat or drink something in front of someone that is fasting. Since 90% of the country is fasting, it's been very difficult! Undergoing a couple hours of "PC" fasting have earned an even greater respect for Muslims in our book! Especially, since they are observing this spiritual ritual for about 12 hours daily x 30 days--- all covered up and in the throes of the desert heat! Totalllllly unbelievable!!!

This bartender was hilarious and so spirited!

Here's Deb downing her THIRD glass of cold iced tea in 10 min.

And may I add that my passion fruit slushy was also deliciously refreshing? The bartender put 4 straws together, so my straw extended out a lonnnnng ways. Too Too Funny! LoL.

Because Muslims don't eat pork, they replaced all the pork entrees (i.e. ribs and bbq sandwiches ) with lamb. The latter intrigued us, so we decided to give it a try.

It was soooo good, except um, er.... I pulled a "Shirley" by getting the knife stuck in the ketchup bottle. LoL. Since nothing came out when I tried to pour ketchup on my fries, I got the bright idea to stick my knife in the bottle, and um.... got it stuck! Debbie had to to yank it real hard for it to come out!!! Oh, the life that we lead as Laverne and Shirley. LoL.

Posing with our very kewl and very hip waiter Emad. Fo' shizzle!

I was so digging Hard Rock's ceiling! I really liked this saxophone chandelier. Kewl, huh?

And of course, you can't be at a restaurant during Ramadan, without sighting of a fanus or two.

We left Hard Rock re-energized and totally satiated....

and with a little souvenir in tow fo' sho. LoL.