When you're out sight-seeing, it's really hard to take pictures of anything but your kids. If your kid is not in the frame, that means they're out of sight while you're taking the picture. Yesterday, when we were exploring the Khan al-Khalili (ancient bazaar), our kids being out of our sight wasn't really an option. The narrow alleyways were packed with masses of people all pushing their way through to where they needed to go. All of the shiny, fragile, and carefully organized wares for sale were placed on low tables, completely within reach of impulsive 2-year-olds. And oh yeah, those crowds I mentioned? Lots of them were pushing huge carts precariously and heavily loaded with tall stacks of goods and they wouldn't let anything as trivial as a small child stop them from getting through. Seriously - Miriam got shoved into a shop stall by a lady wielding a huge load of plastic bouncy balls and the lady didn't even notice her.
Anyone who wasn't sidelining foreigners with their cargo was often balancing a large tray of cups of tea or coffee to deliver to vendors in their shops. That made me feel really safe, to have tiny vats of boiling water weaving in and out of the crowd around me and my children.
So, yes, not a lot of pictures were taken. But I had plenty of "ooh, I wish I could take a picture" moments. The actual pictures that somehow made it through are as follows.
One (1) picture of the general splendor:
One (1) picture of a store containing hair scrunchies, and that's it:
And one (1) picture of a massive wall o'bras:
As for pictures with my kid in it, here's one:
and here's another:
But believe me, I took great pictures in my mind. Lots of them.
Anyone who wasn't sidelining foreigners with their cargo was often balancing a large tray of cups of tea or coffee to deliver to vendors in their shops. That made me feel really safe, to have tiny vats of boiling water weaving in and out of the crowd around me and my children.
So, yes, not a lot of pictures were taken. But I had plenty of "ooh, I wish I could take a picture" moments. The actual pictures that somehow made it through are as follows.
One (1) picture of the general splendor:
One (1) picture of a store containing hair scrunchies, and that's it:
And one (1) picture of a massive wall o'bras:
As for pictures with my kid in it, here's one:
and here's another:
But believe me, I took great pictures in my mind. Lots of them.