Al Shaheed Park

It had been a sunny morning so I planned to go to a coffee festival in the afternoon. Not so sunny...

I think it was the first time in Kw8 where I was almost the only Westerner. It's not a problem, but you do feel conspicuous. But I wasn't. Which is unusual. And a relief after being so conspicuous in Egypt. There I got attention because of my looks (some of it sweet, some damn annoying), attention because I represented money (beggars, begging scams, potential customer - sometimes to be ripped off) so here it was ok. But it all felt strange, nevertheless. Not a negative experience though. Just different. The clothes were everything from Western to traditional, which is nice to see because almost everything else here is modern, and while you know you're in an environment with a different culture, it's not so obvious.

I kinda missed not being given samples and invited to try things for that was a way to try, especially as I was on my own and am a little shy so was a little hesitant. It would've been unusual for them to see a woman out on her own, and it would potentially be culturally inappropriate to be welcomed openly by the predominantly male stall holders, with the exception of the 'imported' workers.