Ain Sokhna

After struggling through a mid-year workweek, I was off to the closest thing to paradise in Egypt- Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea. It was less than a two hour drive away but it felt like we were on a different planet. There was no car honking, no smog, no dust, no yelling. Actually, there weren't even people there. We were alone in this beach resort, summer homes of the wealthy. This time of the year is too cold to swim but warm enough to sit out on the beach. The gentle, unassuming sun even gave 2/4 of us pretty bad sunburns. I, of course, was sparred.

It always baffles me how beautiful blue water can sit right up next to a dry barren desert. Isn't it ironic? (cue music)

Cairo Flea Market

The Cairo Flea Market is a monthly market held in Designopolis (what a name!) in the 6th October. I've been eyeing it for a while- carefully examining the pictures on their Facebook page. It looked promising enough so I booked a driver for the day and headed out. 

The market was a lot smaller than I expected and held in a very upscale retail mall. It was almost too organized and orderly for my taste. I get a certain satisfaction from rummaging through a pile of stuff- looking for something I didn't know I needed. 

Perfectly lined tents housed used clothing, antiques, tupperware, jewelry, etc. The food selection itself was enough to make me forget I was in Egypt. I enjoyed the live music which was heavy with American oldies while I snacked on a hot dog and popcorn in the scorching hot desert sun. 

I walked away with some shirts, bags, a ring, cards, and guava jam. A successful shopping day in my book-not that my shopping list featured any of those items....