Funkengroovin - Two Blue Buses and Sleeping Dogs

A couple of weeks ago, we walked over to the Degla part of Maadi (basically through the nearby roundabout). Out shopping, we passed two blue Buses (below: 4 photos.)

A new shop selling cheese has opened.  VB's not sure when it opened, as she just returned to Cairo the third week of December.  The cheese selection resembles what VB has seen at the Gourmet Egypt shop, near Carrefore.

Below:  The open refrigerated shelves with pre-packaged cheeses, and jars of yogurt.

Below:  The larger cheeses, behind the counter.

After checking out a few shops, we stopped at the "HubblyBubbly Cafe and Restaurant" for Lattes.  They make it with illy.  No sheesha for us on this date.  Just coffee and conversation.

For some fun, more "dogs on cars".  These photos were taken at The Khan.  The woman in the blue scarf passed VB as she was taking a photo and remarked, 'You're taking a picture of a dog, why not me?"
VB's thought bubble answer, "You're not sleeping on a car now, are you."

 

Egyptian Pancake House

The Egyptian Pancake is also known as fateer.  Every time we go to The Khan, we pass by the Egyptian Pancake House.  Curious, this time we decided to stop in for a bite. 

Below: Awesome Daughter gets tea.

Below: "Savory Pancake" - mixed cheese.  Very yummy.  Not quite sure what combination of cheese was used.  The pastry of both sweet and savory resembles flaky filo dough, but sturdier.  VB can't find any recipes so far, and most of her Middle East cooking books are back in the States ("How convenient", you might say.)

Below: "Sweet Pancake" - jam and powdered sugar.  Also delicious, but very sticky (we ate with our fingers.)

Below: Close up of the sliced "Sweet Pancake."

Below:  A window full of some of the ingredients they use.

Below: The store front.

Below: Another satisfied customer.

Below: The whole building.  VB keeps referring to this shop as "The Egyptian Pancake House" and if ever there was a place, this one would clearly define it, as it houses quite a few occupants as indicated by all the apartments above it.

Below: Shops across the road.  The road is mainly pedestrian, except for the ginormous tourist buses which are allowed to use it as an exit.

Below: The rest of the street, looking back at the main Khan area towards Muski.

All said, VB would definitely go back for more.

VB's Last Two Weeks

VB apologizes for being incommunicado awhile. Two weeks ago VB returned to the US. That, as usual, entails a few hectic days before departure, doing last minute shopping, and getting doggie certified for export. VB has plenty of VW / Funkengroovin posts, but hasn't been of the mind to actually write about them. So, you ask, "What the hell have you been up to?"

Last minute shopping trip to the Cairene labyrinth known as "The Khan." We were in search of a specific item. It was featured in USA Today just before Obama's visit. We ended up going shop to shop with photo in hand asking if anyone knew where we could find this item.


(Below): We get close, but no cigar.


(Below): We end up on amazing streets in The Khan that we had never seen before.


(Below): Finally we arrive at the shop. At the end of the road of gold dealers stand a few small shops with an assortment of goods, including gold jewelry.


(Below): The item we were seeking. A cartouche of Obama, and metal design of him as King Tut.


These (we bought three) get packed and cause much trouble at the airport during security screening. They and VB survive and get through, along with Doggie. We arrive in the States, only to have a full week of torrential rain.


It was so bad, it made some of us climb the walls - well at least the screen doors.


(Below): During those few hours of dryness, VB was able to catch a some photos. Tobacco season has started.


(Below): Some fields have already been planted, while others await. Here shade tobacco is just a couple of weeks old. By mid-late August, these plants will be poking through the tops of the tents.


(Below): Since it has rained so much, we decided to proceed with phase two of our kitchen work, involving IKEA cabinets. This entails coming up with an IKEA Hack. We've done this before, but not to the extent involved with the cabinets. For more of this insanity, check out VB's Instructable.





We have a bit more work to do, so until the dust settles, there will probably fewer posts. Besides, VB just came down with a case of hives (verified by the dermatologist next door), and it ain't pretty.

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.

Looking Is Free

Vagabondblogger and Son went to the Khan today. We were suddenly suprised to find out that, "looking is free! looking is free! No charge for looking!"

Well, Alhamdulillah - Thanks to God- because I always thought there was a charge for looking (at least that's what I always tell Vagabondblogger Boss Man.)

And when asked, "Where are you from? Canada?"

"No. The U.S."

"Oh U.S! Howdy!" (Is Borat here somewhere? He must be hiding.)

"Where in U.S? My seester lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!"

"Connecticut."

"Oh, Conneticut very good area." (Thumbs up.)

Here comes the onslaught, from all directions, of New York and many other State topics which end up being a muddled mess of simultaneous confusing conversations. And then one guy asks Number 1 Son, "Are you Egyptian? Look our skin is the same."

"No American. Greek American." (Yeah, we're the badasses that lost to the Persians - and they're the ones in a huff? Good thing Number 1 Son didn't have any imperfections at birth, or we would've had to throw him over the cliff - it's a Spartan tradition - you know - among those of us from the Peleponnesse. I didn't start it, okay.)

One thing's for sure - as usual - looking may be free, but picture taking has it's price, as with this hawker, (below) who insisted we smoke one, after taking his photo.

Sheesha anyone? (Yeah, that's a cigarette in one of the pipes.)


For some reason, Vagabondblogger no longer likes malls and that's becoming true of Souks and Bazaars, as well.