Khan el Khalili with the ladies

Not too long ago I told you guys how much I enjoyed my visit to Khan El Khalili with a friend/coworker.

When I found out that my aunt and mother were visiting Egypt, I thought, "they've gotta see this place!" Khan El Khalili is so unlike anything I've ever experienced.

We went on a Sunday evening, the day it's supposedly closed. Off day or not, this outdoor market is always bustling, and the fact that it was less busy than usual was probably a good thing. They were shocked enough as it was.

Here, in this first photo, my peeps were admiring the arabic logos printed on the soda bottles when I asked them to pose next to what I gather is a wool shop.

Pictured next is a typical little shop: small and packed full of interesting objects.

There's something about the spice shops that intrigues me: the jars, the bright colors, the old scale for weighing. I would include the exotic smells, but rarely do I notice spice scents. My nose is already overwhelmed by the trademark scent of Egypt: wet mud (the nile?), freshly baked bread, a dash of urine and loads of exhaust.