Almost since the beginning, we heard about the neighboring Road 9 and the various shops and restaurants that are there for the community. There are the local carpenters, various specialty shops, souvenir shops, pricey restaurants, coffee shops, grocery and hardware stores. The road is much more narrow and the trees come right to the edge of the sidewalks at points. An unfortunate aspect of the city is all the trash and debris that lines all the streets, including Road 9.
That is not all the shopping there is to find in Maadi. A couple new malls have sprung up, like City Center. Once past the medal detectors, you are in any western mall complete with a food court (McD's & KFC), we ate at a Chili's, and walked by a variety of similar stores such as Claires. I also bought Grace a Starbucks. As I stared at the menu and contemplated the conversion from Egyptian Pounds (LE) to US $'s, I thought that this is comparable to the US. And then I paid for the drink in LE and quickly realized the awful irony--the bulk of the population outside the air conditioned comfort and sliding doors could never rightly afford one of these drinks without giving up food or other necessities.
Similarly, there is a new Saudi owned mall--the Egyptian young adults said that they now have new rules for no single guys on the weekends, no spaghetti straps or tank tops, and no public displays of affection (holding hands or kissing).
Then, Jamie and Audrey took me to the Egyptian version of Chester, England (Keli wasn't feeling well, and Grace stayed behind to spend time at the villas). The market area of downtown was called Khan El Khalili--imagine the market in Aladdin, and you are close to the picturesque and remarkable atmosphere. The comic absurdity is not found in a blue genie, but in all the shopkeepers who sit outside and plead for you to come in and just take a look, or with greetings in your native language offering 50% off for tourists, and even "just for you, 99% off"! There are trinkets, souvenirs, beautiful handcrafted items, antiques, to produce and baked goods. The architecture of the whole are may be the best part though. What you won't find is a price and everything is bartered--you can get a bargain, but you won't get it easily!
We did see one large modern supermarket, but everything you need is in the smaller, local markets. In addition to the little stands and sidewalk vendors, there are often those selling from carts or large basket-type trays balanced on their heads.
That is not all the shopping there is to find in Maadi. A couple new malls have sprung up, like City Center. Once past the medal detectors, you are in any western mall complete with a food court (McD's & KFC), we ate at a Chili's, and walked by a variety of similar stores such as Claires. I also bought Grace a Starbucks. As I stared at the menu and contemplated the conversion from Egyptian Pounds (LE) to US $'s, I thought that this is comparable to the US. And then I paid for the drink in LE and quickly realized the awful irony--the bulk of the population outside the air conditioned comfort and sliding doors could never rightly afford one of these drinks without giving up food or other necessities.
Similarly, there is a new Saudi owned mall--the Egyptian young adults said that they now have new rules for no single guys on the weekends, no spaghetti straps or tank tops, and no public displays of affection (holding hands or kissing).
Then, Jamie and Audrey took me to the Egyptian version of Chester, England (Keli wasn't feeling well, and Grace stayed behind to spend time at the villas). The market area of downtown was called Khan El Khalili--imagine the market in Aladdin, and you are close to the picturesque and remarkable atmosphere. The comic absurdity is not found in a blue genie, but in all the shopkeepers who sit outside and plead for you to come in and just take a look, or with greetings in your native language offering 50% off for tourists, and even "just for you, 99% off"! There are trinkets, souvenirs, beautiful handcrafted items, antiques, to produce and baked goods. The architecture of the whole are may be the best part though. What you won't find is a price and everything is bartered--you can get a bargain, but you won't get it easily!
We did see one large modern supermarket, but everything you need is in the smaller, local markets. In addition to the little stands and sidewalk vendors, there are often those selling from carts or large basket-type trays balanced on their heads.
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