Egypt: How Could I Have Forgotten?

I just now remembered something that happened to us in Egypt that I want the boys to read and laugh about when they are older.

First of all, let me preface this story by telling you that when we were in Giza, many males were very persistent in trying to get us to buy some over-priced head pieces to shelter us from the sand.  They were successful too, not only because we wanted some relief from the sand, but because they were tireless and "in-your-face" like a mosquitos that just wouldn't go away.  These people were more aggressive in their selling tactics than anyone else we had any encountered, and we have come across our fair share of unrelenting street vendors.

So when a complete stranger (male) offered me 200 camels for my boys,  I was completely taken off guard.  I managed to reply that they weren't for sale in my complete and utter amazement that someone had just offered to BUY my boys.  Ha ha ha, funny, right?  Well, a little later on another complete stranger (again, male) said, "A boy?  Oh, TWO boys?  How many camels?"  Seriously?!?  I started to wonder if they were sincere in their offers.

Later someone told me that it's a common joke and they heard that in England too.  Umm really?  'Cause nobody offerer me any camels (or anything else for that matter) for my boys both times I went there.  I really can't imagine that happening anywhere in Europe.  If it did, I'd probably find it pretty funny and start bargaining, but I didn't find it funny in Egypt.  It just wasn't too far out of the scope of my imagination for that to really happen there--boys being sold (or kidnapped) for camels!