Pavlovian Dog

Sightseeing really primes you for shopping says the man who bought a rug in Cairo.  Ahmed steered us to an alabaster factory after we toured the Valley of the Kings.

The translucent vases and candle holders didn't do it for me.  Too hard to pack.

I'd seen this scarab, a popular symbol of rebirth during Egypt's Middle Kingdom, in a tomb.

Like a Pavlovian dog, I bought one etched and painted on a small piece of limestone.

Outside, the locals smoked from hookahs and drank hibiscus.