Stan's sister Solveig and her husband Bill just returned from Egypt. They brought back gifts, and this story:
Over a decade ago, cash-strapped Zach [their son] told us that a college student could only afford to buy Christmas gifts from the dollar store. He proposed a new Christmas tradition of exchanging dollar gifts: No limit on the number of gifts, but a gift could cost no more than a dollar, with the exception of any gifts for the college student. We enthusiastically responded, ignoring the exception. Since then, Christmas has been stress free, for if you should select the wrong color or style or item, so what? It was only a dollar.
Travel to countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Mexico, Columbia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Kenya, and now Egypt provide Christmas shopping opportunities every time we step off the tourist bus. So what can you get for a dollar in Egypt?
(Photo above) Starting at noon and going clockwise: 10-15 “papyrus” bookmarks; 3 miniature metal pyramids; 2-3 necklaces; 4-5 scarab bracelets for good luck; 20 postcards; 1 beaded fancy necklace; large carved scarab for really good luck; 1 sandalwood bracelet.
These prices are hardly fixed, but the “one dollar, one dollar” starts the bartering, with many a trick to come. Our tour guide allowed this vendor on board the bus if he promised to stick to the dollar price. As he approached the rear of the bus, a trusting tourist asked, “and how much are the postcards?” “Two dollars.” A roar of laughter and a “WHAT?” shot out of my section of the bus; the price quickly dropped back to one dollar, and the tour guide dismissed him (below) with an amused admonishment.
By the way, for two dollars I purchased a zippered cotton bag with a cartoonish recreation of a beautiful scene from Sennedjem’s tomb at Deir el Medina. The caption reads “sennedjem and his wife adoring Osiris and by five genil of the underwarld (hieroglyphs) ra.” Fortunately, I can’t give this $2 item as a Christmas gift , so it stays with me to give us a giggle when we remember the bargains of Egypt. Also BTW, the trip was incredible with best-ever snorkeling in the Red Sea and astounding antiquities from way the heck before the Hebrews and Israelites appeared, as shown to us by a people full of good humor and lightheartedness.
