Shopping in Cairo – a unique experience

No, I’m not a fashion victim. I’m not going to talk about shoes and handbags, so guys don’t worry! Sometimes I say I’m a “passion victim”, because I just follow my interests and passions, and basically that’s why I’m here! Well, as you all know one of my passions is photography.

A couple of days ago I got the first request ever for a paid article (yay!) and I have to hand it in next week. Of course I’ll write about something concerning Cairo, so I thought “ok let’s go out and take some pictures around!” – I was going to jump on a taxi and head towards Zamalek, but I stopped literally 30 meters away from my building, in a photography shop.

Actually, the purpose was just to ask for an information: a friend of mine needed a flash for his camera and I was just asking the price for that. Ah ah. I was just fooling myself.

So I asked for more “information” – and suddenly I was going through every single lens, filter, flash and accessory in the shop. I’ve been dreaming about a 50mm lens for a while, so I asked to “see” one. Deep inside of me I knew that was dangerous. I tried it on my camera, then I tried another lens: a Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 – and it was love at first sight.

Then I thought I left my tripod in Italy (just because I couldn’t find it before departure) – “ok let’s just ask for the price” – and it was like 10 Euros… how could I live it there, alone, in the cold (?), sad shop?

Last but not least, as I was looking for a flash for my friend, I “accidentally” found a suitable flash for my camera – a basic one, no frills, so cheap. 

“Ok, so JUST IN CASE, how much is the total?” – and the shop owner told me the amount. I was going too far and I knew… I quickly checked the prices on internet, just to be sure he was not trying to rip me off (Egypt makes you paranoid, sometimes I hate myself) – but the prices were fair. It was definitely not a good deal – you would expect everything to be cheaper in Egypt, but for this kind of stuff the prices are the same as in Europe, or even slightly more expensive, because of taxes.

Deep inside of me I knew I was going to buy everything, but I was still not 100% sure.

But do you know what made me change my mind? I don’t know if you do the same, but when I don’t like the seller I rarely buy – unless it’s something I really need. This guy actually remembered my name and my 2 friends’ ones, since last year! He invited me to his wedding (next sunday) and since they were having dinner in the shop, he eventually invited me to join them. Where else do you find this greeting? Not in Europe or in the States, I guess.

So I thought that ok, maybe it was not the best bargain of my life, but there was some value-added. Right? I spent 2 hours or so in the shop, we watched Youtube videos together, he told me about his wedding, the bride’s dress, and stuff. How could I not buy?

So here I am with a brand new Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 lens (can’t wait to use it for great portraits!), a tripod and an external flash. And I am very happy I did purchase them!

After the transaction Mustafa (the owner of the shop) even asked me to take a picture together. So we used my new equipment (tripod included) to do it. (Too bad I don’t remember the girl’s name!) And here it is:

And in case you are wondering, no, I didn’t take a single photo for the article… Guess I’ll do it tomorrow!