Happy Canada Day! from Cairo! Laurel and I had a surprise breakfast with Adam as his schedule changed and he had a few hours in Cairo. Next time will be on the 3rd of July where he will host his Mom on her big birthday. Sadly, I am unable to attend. Aviation sucks sometimes. But making the most of it we are celebrating Laurel's Timemark in grand fashion throughout the month of July. For example this afternoon we traveled to the coolest old city style market you can find. Khan el-Khalili http://www.touregypt.net/khan.htm To quote - this is not just any market, but one of the most historic of any market in the world. Founded by the Emir Djaharks el-Khalili in 1382, this Khan was responsible for developing such a stranglehold on goods moving from the Eastern world to the West, that it is directly responsible for the discovery of the American continent. The spice markets in the Khan, a monopoly controlled by the ruling Mamluks of Egypt, forced explorers such as Columbus to find alternate routes for goods coming from the East.
Even today, the Khan el-Khalili is not strictly an Egyptian market, nor is it a a market for tourists only. Indeed, goods from all over the world seem to arrive here, and amongst its alley ways and off streets, one will find more Egyptian shoppers than tourists, buying everything from American jeans to fine gold jewelry.

From there in stark contrast we enjoyed a wonderful 4PM Lunch on a lakeside Restaurant in beautiful Al-Azhar Park. This reclaimed garbage dump is truly a spectacular park as the photos show.

Tomorrow we are up at 4AM for a trip to the Pyramids. Stay Tuned... D&L