Mobile shooting gallery, Cairo

I took this photo on the backstreets of Old Cairo back in 1989.

I’ve been scanning some old strips of negatives I brought back with me from storage in Australia and this one, in particular, caught my eye.

It’s been ravaged by mould, but you can still make out the ingenuity of this portable sideshow attraction.

Set on a cart, it was easy to fold away and wheel around to various parts of the old city and tempt kids to fritter their money away on testing their shooting skills

You didn’t win a prize if you hit the freaky-looking doll. The guy running it simply gave you a few more goes.

The photo is also a reminder of the unexpected scenes you happen upon when you simply wander aimlessly.

It’s one of my favourite things to do whenever I go to a new place.

And it’s very seldom that I’m disappointed.

On this very afternoon I was also invited up to the rooftop of an old mudbrick building to check out a guy’s collection of homing pigeons. His wife made us tea and we sat on the roof and watched the sun set over the Citadel and the Mosque of Ibn Tulu.

I tried to clean up the effect of the mould when I edited the photo in Lightroom.

The Infra Red B&W preset seemed to do the best job. But I think I prefer the battered colours of the original, despite the mould damage being more noticeable.

What do you think? And what is the most memorable thing you’ve stumbled upon in your aimless wanders?