Headline: Protesters Swarm Streets Directly In Front Of Cairo's Famous Ding Dong Bazaar

One good thing about continuing to get the paper is that you seem to notice more cool stuff than you would had you just scrolled through your reader or visited a website. For example, I don't know that I would have caught that the Ding Dong Bazaar near Tahrir Square is featured in the background of this front page image accompanying another story about the unrest in Egypt had I not picked up the paper yesterday morning and said, "Oh wow — there's the Ding Dong Bazaar!"

I happened to take a picture of the Ding Dong Bazaar as the minibus we were in was making its way toward Tahrir Square on our way to the Egyptian Museum, which is basically located in the opposite direction of where this picture was taken:

I took a picture of the Ding Dong Bazaar because Michael and Jen pointed it out as we were sitting in traffic and — duh! — stuff named "Ding Dong" is inherently funny.

I'm sad that I don't have more pictures of Tahrir Square. What can I say? I guess I was off my game after just landing in Egypt.

Egypt was a whirlwind, and the fact that everything seems to be devolving into chaos just weeks after visiting lends a strange and exciting perspective to our recent trip. The updates from yesterday are frightening and sad — reports of looting at the Egyptian Museum struck a nerve for me, having just visited there — though that is tempered by pictures of Cairo citizens forming a human cordon to protect the museum (at the link) — an amazing and touching sight (here's more about the situation at the museum, with the quote from one person pleading with the crowd not to loot: "We are not Baghdad!"). Again, what can you say besides that you hope everyone stays safe and that there's a peaceful and just conclusion to the unrest . . .

See also the Big Map: Egypt/Jordan, December 27, 2010-January 11, 2011.