Egypt Recap!

Egypt – Om al Dunya RECAP

I am JUST back from an epic trip to Cairo and holy cow, it was EPIC.

It was my 1st trip back in over 4 years and while Egypt doesn’t usually change much, I noticed ALOT of changes this time round.

There have new additions in the roadways- what used to take over an hour getting across town now takes under 30 minutes!  There still seems to be a lot of confusion as people navigate new bridges and streets but overall the flow was so much better! If you have ever been in Cairo traffic you know how crazy it can be – both in terms of volume and in terms of general entertainment – check out this video here!

I had the opportunity to catch Sahar Samara’s show at Lissa faker on the Blue Nile boat – Sahar is one of my FAVE dancers in Cairo.  She has beautiful lines, powerful technique, is stunningly gorgeous and very funny onstage.  I haven’t seen her in a few years and so we had a lovely catch up & she was able to attend my friend Katie’s pre-wedding henna party which was such a treat! Click here to watch a fun clip of her performance with her singer Ramy.

I also got alot of girl time and personal time which both have been in very short supply since having Rowan.  I visited the Zo Clinic in Zamalek for a deep cleansing facial, got my nails done at Wink (the cutest nails ever!) and got an incredible deep tissue massage for the low cost of $25!  Traveling on the dollar means that Egypt was very, very affordable since the Egyptian pound was devalued. Life has gotten very tough for Egyptians & people living on the pound – it was another very clear change since the last time I was there. If you have the ability to travel there – please do & tip generously – people are really facing difficult economic times 🙁

Shahrzad also arranged for a few of us to study with a FANTASTIC dancer & teacher Passant Gemeay.  Passant is a full time teacher & also owner of Bosa Nights which arranges a full henna party experience which is what we did for Katie!  They come in with decorations, a dj, a henna artist and a bellydancer (Passant in this case) for a full fun evening of ladies fun.  Passant taught us a 2 hour class working on 3 top Egyptian hits and we were DRENCHED at the end. It was so great to study with someone new who had a rich variety of movements outside of the festival circuit.

It was also nice to be able to be in Cairo on a non-dance trip. There is so much beauty in Cairo that is unseen when you are totally focused on a dance festival – your exposure to daily life is completely absent.  Whether its hearing the first call to prayer (Adgan) in the early morning (fajr), listening to street vendors shout out their wares, walking down streets, watching the human interactions and just being in the general vibe of the city, Cairo is ADDICTIVE. I love walking around and just

Click here to see a quick video of one of my morning walks. If you ever visit Zamalek, its an absolute MUST to go to Diwan Books.  Its an incredible bookstore full of so many goodies and reading nooks that you will have no problem spending alot of your money here 😛  But its so worth it!

It was such a wonderful return to the city that truly has my heart. I cannot wait to return!