Just Shoot Me!
The next time someone asks me to go to The Khan, and I agree, just shoot me! If I were ever to go postal anywhere, it would be the Khan, especially in the heat of the summer. I hate the hucksters, they jump out right in front of you, and stop you dead in your tracks. They won't take "la" for an answer! Then they don't want to give you back your change and ignore you.
Everyone wants to go to the Khan - it's a souk, bazaar and yes, a huge tourist trap. Just check out the photo with all the tourist buses and tourists gathered in front of the coffee shops.
Granted they have items I would be interested in buying, but I'm usually too fed up to haggle, when I have to wrangle just to get through the alleys. So instead of going postal on an entire group of strangers, I would prefer that someone just shoot me, and we all could avoid the misery.
I know I'll end up going there again, especially if we have visitors.
Here's how Gridskipper describes it:
"Khan el-Khalili: Cairo is known for its bustling marketplaces so you have to go to a bazaar at least once. We like Khan el-Khalili for its abundance of shops and winding alleyways. They sell jewelry, antiques, shoes, fabric, and anything else your grubby tourist hands want. Everyone haggles here so don't be afraid to be aggressive and even a bit nasty. They like that we promise."
BTW, I don't own a firearm, so you'll have to bring your own.
And, due to my ongoing problems between Safari and Firefox, and Blogger, I present another dose of:
The Computer Says "Noo," from Little Britain.
LOL-LOVE the little britain clip...one of my all time faves. As for "the khan"...you gotta go when no one else is there. I enjoyed it once every 6-7 months, reminding myself each time that I should think twice the next time. I just hate being treated like a tourist, and the khan is not the place for that.
ReplyDeleteI think anyone who's not good at Arabic or not in traditional dress gets treated like a tourist. I found a few nice sellers, but there's just way too many annoying ones. I think I may have OD'd on my visits there too. I've had 3 since March, but 2 of those with visitors.
ReplyDeleteYou're probably right. I'll just have to wait until the bad taste in my mouth wears out before returning. I am interested in seeing more of it, as I've only gotten a chance to visit a small section, and the place is huge.