I've got a new tooth! For those of you who didn't hear about my previous trip to Cairo, I got a root canal here in 2007. My dentist in Oakland has been vigilantly checking the tooth because, you know, it was done in Egypt but after a year even he has put his stamp of approval on it! Dr. Ahmed Kouedi did such a great job and his English is perfect and I'd happily get another root canal done by him if I ever needed one. I didn't get a crown, though, so since then I've been buying time and taking care not to crack the old tooth. Once I arrived in Cairo, I called him up and made an appointment to finish the procedure with a new porcelain crown! It's a real beauty! Feels just like a real tooth but it's even stronger! And it only cost 600 LE (or $113)!! I told myself that if I achieve just the crown, my trip will be a success. Mabrook, Andrea!
Another amazing thing about this trip is that I never suffered any jetlag. With the call to prayer at 4:00 in the frickin morning, an American traveler's ability to get a full night's sleep is in peril. Somehow I've managed to sleep right through it and then awake with the 1:00 pm call to prayer. It's like my personal alarm clock rousing me in my sweaty galabaya (the robe I use as jammies and house wear). Waking up to temperatures of 38 C don't give me much will to do anything other than go back to sleep, but once I take a cool shower and fortify myself with a small cup of potent and muddy ahwa I feel ready for anything! Murad told me that the best hours of the day to get anything done are before 10 a.m. (yeah right) or after 5:00 p.m. because at those times the temperature is cooler. Since I'm not likely to be ready for anything by 10 a.m. I've developed the following rhythm: Wake at 1:00, shower, eat, drink coffee. Run a quick errand such as mailing postcards or changing money. Seek air conditioning at a restaurant or shop or friend's flat for a few hours. Dine with family, then go out with either with them or with friends. Come home and watch TV, talk, or play with Mirna until 3:00 in the morning. (Sometimes the 4:00 call to prayer signals my bed time!) Sleep and dream and start again at 1:00 p.m! That's my rhythm here and it works well for me!
Today's source of a/c is McDonald's. You can criticize me all you want for going to an American fast food spot in Cairo but if you were in my shoes, you'd do the same. First, this McDonald's has FREE WiFi! Second, it has a/c! Third, it is just a block away from home! Fourth it is one of the only places you can get ginormous 32 oz Coke Light on ice! Everywhere else, all you can get is a tepid can of soda and no free WiFi. I rest my case.
As my battery runs out of juice, I'm sitting here in Mickey D's, savoring the feeling of goosebumps on my arms, and my bladder hatinfigl. Tonight for dinner we're having mukh and kibda--sheep's brain and liver-- as per my request. Last night as we were finishing dinner at TGIFridays on the Nile, I was looking through my English/Arabic phrase book and checking off the Egyptian foods I'd already tried. I've enjoyed meals of mulukhaya, bamya, maHshii, and for dessert basboosa, ba'lawa, and Om Ali. I announced to my hosts, half-jokingly, "I haven't tried mukh yet." They laughed but said it's good and I should try it. So tonight they have arranged to buy the best mukh and kibda in Cairo so I can check it off my list! How thoughtful is that?
In my next post I'll write more about what I've done and seen, but now I just just wanted to jot some random thoughts. Wish me bon apetit!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Tant Andrea
Marhaban! I've been staying in downtown Cairo with the family of my friend and Arabic teacher from San Francisco. It's exciting living in the heart of the capital of Egypt! This family definitely exemplifies Arabic hospitality. They warmly accepted me into their home and made me feel like family right away, even though they didn't know I was coming! My hosts, Morad and Amani, have a 6-year old daughter named Mirna who calls me Tant; it translates to "auntie" and it's used to address a woman who is a friend of the family, but more than a friend. We don't really have a word like this in English. I really hope I can improve my Arabic while staying with them, and of course be as gracious a guest as they are hosts. Amani showed me how to make ahwah, or turkish style coffee, and she'll show me how to read the grounds as well. I did her make-up for her for the engagement party we attended today. I'm helping Mirna learn English and, like her uncle Maher in San Francisco, she's being a great teacher of Arabic for me. My favorite phrase that she taught me is "Butnee Hatinfigl" or "my belly is going to explode." That's what you say when you have just eaten and you are very full and you are 6 years old. Or you are a silly grown-up like me.
I've gotten most of the tourist stuff out of the way so now I can pretend I'm a local. True to my word, I'm getting the most out of experiencing things I've never experienced before in Cairo.
Morad and Amani took me Muqattam which is an area southeast of Cairo. It's an elevated platueau with an amazing view of Cairo! It's so lovely at night--cool, fresh, and there was even an impromptu ahwa or coffeeshop there. Unfortunately the police came and closed down the ahwa for operating without a permit or something like that. Hey it was my first police raid in Egypt how exciting is that! Today they took me to an engagement party in the "popular style." Basically this means that the family decorates a small section of the street with lights, puts ups a pretty dais for the happy couple, hires a DJ and band, and people dance and clap and cheer in the street! I got some great pictures and video of the dancing!!!!! Kids, adults, men, and women were dancing up a storm!!! In case you didn't know, Egypt is the home of the what we call "belly dance" in the U.S. Of course I danced with them--how could I resist the music and the celebratory vibe? I've said it many times, the Egyptians are the best dancers of raqs baladi and this footage proves it.
I'm glad there weren't any chickens
Last thing I'm going to write about now, because it is 4 a.m. in Cairo for crying out loud, is the zar Amani took me to. My fourth time in Cairo and finally I get to see a real zar! A zar is an event which is increasingly hard to find and is considered haraam according Islam. It's where women go to get into a trance and feverishly dance out their demons. (Why only women and not men? I don't know. Maybe that's what soccer is for.) There are musicians pounding out music that is supposed to induce the trance and you dance until you faint. Sometimes they slaughter chickens at these zars too. Sounds voodoo-ish and cool huh? They started with a prayer, then lit incense and let everyone sort of bath in the smoke, and then musicians started banging away! At the start there were only 3 women in addition to Amani and I, but later more kept trickling in. They were all country-folk. Several women danced and fainted and one had the most crazy look on her face and attacked one of the drummers as if he was one of her demons! (got footage of this too.) In retrospect I don't believe that the trances were real. How can you enter a trance, faint, recover your sense in less than 5 minutes? That's how the trances happened. I'd think it would take at least an hour of continuous music and dancing to achieve that. I'm convinced that one of the ladies was working with the band, dancing wildly to convince us that their music is magical and the zar is working. At any rate it was damn entertaining and the music was great! Real trance or not, the women there must have had some real problems in their lives to bring them to the zar. Maybe someone's mother was ill, or her husband cheated on her, or her sister disappeared. I asked Amani the rhetorical question, "I wonder what their problems were?" and she answered "Maganeen. (They are crazy.)"
I've gotten most of the tourist stuff out of the way so now I can pretend I'm a local. True to my word, I'm getting the most out of experiencing things I've never experienced before in Cairo.
Morad and Amani took me Muqattam which is an area southeast of Cairo. It's an elevated platueau with an amazing view of Cairo! It's so lovely at night--cool, fresh, and there was even an impromptu ahwa or coffeeshop there. Unfortunately the police came and closed down the ahwa for operating without a permit or something like that. Hey it was my first police raid in Egypt how exciting is that! Today they took me to an engagement party in the "popular style." Basically this means that the family decorates a small section of the street with lights, puts ups a pretty dais for the happy couple, hires a DJ and band, and people dance and clap and cheer in the street! I got some great pictures and video of the dancing!!!!! Kids, adults, men, and women were dancing up a storm!!! In case you didn't know, Egypt is the home of the what we call "belly dance" in the U.S. Of course I danced with them--how could I resist the music and the celebratory vibe? I've said it many times, the Egyptians are the best dancers of raqs baladi and this footage proves it.
I'm glad there weren't any chickens
Last thing I'm going to write about now, because it is 4 a.m. in Cairo for crying out loud, is the zar Amani took me to. My fourth time in Cairo and finally I get to see a real zar! A zar is an event which is increasingly hard to find and is considered haraam according Islam. It's where women go to get into a trance and feverishly dance out their demons. (Why only women and not men? I don't know. Maybe that's what soccer is for.) There are musicians pounding out music that is supposed to induce the trance and you dance until you faint. Sometimes they slaughter chickens at these zars too. Sounds voodoo-ish and cool huh? They started with a prayer, then lit incense and let everyone sort of bath in the smoke, and then musicians started banging away! At the start there were only 3 women in addition to Amani and I, but later more kept trickling in. They were all country-folk. Several women danced and fainted and one had the most crazy look on her face and attacked one of the drummers as if he was one of her demons! (got footage of this too.) In retrospect I don't believe that the trances were real. How can you enter a trance, faint, recover your sense in less than 5 minutes? That's how the trances happened. I'd think it would take at least an hour of continuous music and dancing to achieve that. I'm convinced that one of the ladies was working with the band, dancing wildly to convince us that their music is magical and the zar is working. At any rate it was damn entertaining and the music was great! Real trance or not, the women there must have had some real problems in their lives to bring them to the zar. Maybe someone's mother was ill, or her husband cheated on her, or her sister disappeared. I asked Amani the rhetorical question, "I wonder what their problems were?" and she answered "Maganeen. (They are crazy.)"
Day 2 Rags to Riches tour of Cairo
Rags: For some reason we started out touring Manshiyet Nasr, one of the districts where the zebelin or trash collectors reside. It’s an area that you won’t find in Lonely Planet and one I’ve been fascinated with since I read about it in Cairo the City Victorious (which I highly recommend). The zebelin are essentially Cairo’s recycling program. They sift through the garbage for scraps that are re-usable or can be bought as scraps, i.e. metal, rubber, cloth. They do a better job than previous government-sponsored attempts at recycling. Of course, it’s not like any recycling center in the US. The zebelin live with their work. It’s an area crowded with ramshackle housing, animals (dogs, cats, goats, rats), and people (selling tawmayya, smoking shisha, kids playing barefoot) and of categorized piles of rubbish. Here you got your rubber tubing, here you got your metal scraps, here you have your cotton. Yun and I, being spoiled Americans used to our trash taken far from where we live, paved streets, and basic sanitation, assumed that the zebelin are struggling to make a life. Some Cairenes tell a different story. They say that some of the zebelin are actually very rich and choose to live the way they do. That areas like Manshiyet Nasr may look destitute, but the people there are quite satisfied. Because of the lack of sanitation, their bodies and immune systems are actually stronger. A spoiled child from Zamalek might not survive in Manshiyet Nasr, but a child from Manshiyet Nasr can survive anywhere. It’s something to chew on. From there we strolled through City of the Dead which is an old cemetery where people have constructed house-like tombs for their departed. The fascinating part of this site is that real live people live there, too. The caretakers who are paid to care for the tombs also set up homes in the tombs. It’s not bustling like the rest of Cairo; it’s quite peaceful and there’s even plenty of greenery.
Riches: After that we spent a few hours in the Egyptian Museum. It’s like a “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous of Ancient Egypt.” All of the treasures and statues and mummies that used to be in the pyramids or old tombs are now in the Egyptian Museum. Or the Luxor Museum. Or the British National Museum. You get the point. Thousands of years of history are packed into the Egyptian Museum, so it’s daunting. I like looking at the canopic jars, jewelry, and animal mummies myself. From the Egyptian Museum we snuck into the Cairo Marriott’s pool for a very refreshing dip. It felt so good that I may have to do it again!
We ended the day on a high note! After watching Asmahan’s show on the Maxim boat, which is the same campy show I saw back in 2004 but with different props and costumes, we went on a little party boat in the Nile. There was awesome music blaring from the boat’s stereo and the people got up and danced! There was this little girl who couldn’t have been older than five who’s dancing rocked my world. She had great rhythm and technique! (Yes of course I videoed it). Also the young ladies and men got up and danced a storm! In case you didn’t know, Belly Dance is called “Raqs Baladi” in Egypt which means “Dance of my people.” (“Belly Dance” is a misnomer. Ask me more about that when I see you next). It’s the people’s dance, a folk dance, and everyone can do it, not just by women and not just for men. Yun and I got up too and danced and had a blast! It was the most fun I had had so far! I tell you what, the working class entertainment is the most fun!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Egypt in 2 days
I arrived in Cairo on Thursday afternoon. I found the city as expected--crowded, hot, and prices inflated. It's happening all around the world, people! By the time I settled in to the hotel, it was past 7 p.m. In Cairo, things are just getting started at that time because the temperature gets cooler. Whatever time of day you arrive in Cairo, go out and experience the life there! That first night I just wanted to stay awake until 10 p.m. to help me avoid jet lag. I wasted no time making dinner plans with a friend, obtaining a cell phone, walking around downtown, and snapping some great photos.
The first leg of this Cairo stay has been devoted to guiding Yun around Egypt. Her busy shooting schedule in Israel afforded her only 2 days in Egypt and she wanted to see as much of Egypt that she could! While I certainly do not recommend touring even just Cairo in only 2 days, you might follow the same itinerary we did the next time you find yourself in Cairo.
Day 1: A full-body workout
We walked through Old Cairo, which is my favorite walk. You certainly feel like you're in a whole new world...umm actually an old world. If you head down Shari' Muizz li Din, the main drag from Bab Il Futuh to Bab Zuweila (the old gates which enclosed the city), you cover the length of what was once Cairo in the 10th century. It's a good walk, (especially in the heat!) because you hit so many mosques and monuments along the way. The government has done a lot to restore this area and make it more attractive to tourists. In the street, granite bricks have replaced heaps of garbage and helpful signs tell you when you are approaching an historic monument. Many building facades have been reconstructed and there are many souvenir shops. I like not having to jump over a heap of mango peels, but I hope Islamic Cairo doesn't loose its historic feel with all of the reconstruction! We peeked into the mosque of Al Hakim, played tea party in Beit Al Suhaymi, and haggled for a couple of souvenirs. I thought I was good at haggling but Yun is truly the master! I could have achieved the same results, half the original asking price, but she did it in only 5 minutes. I would have taken 45.
Crossing Al Azhar, we continued down Shari' Muizz li Din. This side of the street is "the non-touristic Khan il Khalili." I remember someone telling me that years ago. Instead of hookahs and mother-of-pearl boxes, you find galabayas, blankets, and sexy lycra dresses for sale. It's like a recipe for a romantic night! At Bab Zuweila, I managed to convince the attendant that I'm Egyptian with only two sentences in Arabic-- "Ana Musraya we sakna fee Amreeka" and ended up paying only 1 LE instead of 10 LE to enter the minaret! We climbed to the top and got an intense 360 view of Cairo. (Danielle, I left you a hidden message there. You and Tim have to climb the dark, steep, narrow steps to find it at the level just under the top.) At the tent maker's bazaar, Il Khayimiya, we admired the gorgeous tent cloth. If you've read any of my previous letters from my Cairo visits, you know how much I love the tenth cloth! I wish I could cover my home in it! After lunch and the de rigeur tea and shisha stop at Fishawi's coffee shop in Khan Il Khalili, we headed for the pyramids!
Mental note: bring Neosporin for Mickey Mouse and Ali Baba
By the time we got to Giza, the pyramids had officially closed. Our trusty and resourceful friend
Alex said "Don't worry, I'll open it for you." He knows people who have a license to take tourists around the pyramids after they officially close! If you know the right people, and I believe that Alex does, you can make anything happen in Cairo! We went on camel back to the pyramids, an experience which is a vegan's nightmare. Even if you are against the use of animals for humans' benefit, you want to support the business to give the camels a better life. Maybe they'll use the money to buy the camels food, upgrade their stables, or at least take them to the vet to treat their flesh wounds. My camel was named Mickey Mouse and Yun's was named Ali Baba. I put my San Francisco brain aside and enjoyed the wobbly ride of the camel at high speed! It was wonderful entering through "the back door of the desert" as Alex called it and seeing the pyramids at sunset. Although the guides have special permission to ride around the pyramids after they close, they don't have carte blanche access. We couldn't get close to all of them, but we did get to touch Chefren quickly before the guards got mad. By the end of this day, I had gotten a full body work-out! Walking for cardio, steps of Bab Zuweila and gripping the camel for the upper and lower body strength training!
The first leg of this Cairo stay has been devoted to guiding Yun around Egypt. Her busy shooting schedule in Israel afforded her only 2 days in Egypt and she wanted to see as much of Egypt that she could! While I certainly do not recommend touring even just Cairo in only 2 days, you might follow the same itinerary we did the next time you find yourself in Cairo.
Day 1: A full-body workout
We walked through Old Cairo, which is my favorite walk. You certainly feel like you're in a whole new world...umm actually an old world. If you head down Shari' Muizz li Din, the main drag from Bab Il Futuh to Bab Zuweila (the old gates which enclosed the city), you cover the length of what was once Cairo in the 10th century. It's a good walk, (especially in the heat!) because you hit so many mosques and monuments along the way. The government has done a lot to restore this area and make it more attractive to tourists. In the street, granite bricks have replaced heaps of garbage and helpful signs tell you when you are approaching an historic monument. Many building facades have been reconstructed and there are many souvenir shops. I like not having to jump over a heap of mango peels, but I hope Islamic Cairo doesn't loose its historic feel with all of the reconstruction! We peeked into the mosque of Al Hakim, played tea party in Beit Al Suhaymi, and haggled for a couple of souvenirs. I thought I was good at haggling but Yun is truly the master! I could have achieved the same results, half the original asking price, but she did it in only 5 minutes. I would have taken 45.
Crossing Al Azhar, we continued down Shari' Muizz li Din. This side of the street is "the non-touristic Khan il Khalili." I remember someone telling me that years ago. Instead of hookahs and mother-of-pearl boxes, you find galabayas, blankets, and sexy lycra dresses for sale. It's like a recipe for a romantic night! At Bab Zuweila, I managed to convince the attendant that I'm Egyptian with only two sentences in Arabic-- "Ana Musraya we sakna fee Amreeka" and ended up paying only 1 LE instead of 10 LE to enter the minaret! We climbed to the top and got an intense 360 view of Cairo. (Danielle, I left you a hidden message there. You and Tim have to climb the dark, steep, narrow steps to find it at the level just under the top.) At the tent maker's bazaar, Il Khayimiya, we admired the gorgeous tent cloth. If you've read any of my previous letters from my Cairo visits, you know how much I love the tenth cloth! I wish I could cover my home in it! After lunch and the de rigeur tea and shisha stop at Fishawi's coffee shop in Khan Il Khalili, we headed for the pyramids!
Mental note: bring Neosporin for Mickey Mouse and Ali Baba
By the time we got to Giza, the pyramids had officially closed. Our trusty and resourceful friend
Alex said "Don't worry, I'll open it for you." He knows people who have a license to take tourists around the pyramids after they officially close! If you know the right people, and I believe that Alex does, you can make anything happen in Cairo! We went on camel back to the pyramids, an experience which is a vegan's nightmare. Even if you are against the use of animals for humans' benefit, you want to support the business to give the camels a better life. Maybe they'll use the money to buy the camels food, upgrade their stables, or at least take them to the vet to treat their flesh wounds. My camel was named Mickey Mouse and Yun's was named Ali Baba. I put my San Francisco brain aside and enjoyed the wobbly ride of the camel at high speed! It was wonderful entering through "the back door of the desert" as Alex called it and seeing the pyramids at sunset. Although the guides have special permission to ride around the pyramids after they close, they don't have carte blanche access. We couldn't get close to all of them, but we did get to touch Chefren quickly before the guards got mad. By the end of this day, I had gotten a full body work-out! Walking for cardio, steps of Bab Zuweila and gripping the camel for the upper and lower body strength training!
There's got to be more than costumes
Alo to everyone wherever you are! I can't believe I'm on my fourth day in Cairo. I've covered a lot of ground--literally--in the past four days. By plane, taxi, camel, subway, and boat, I'm well on my way to a journey that will be like none of my previous journeys to Egypt, for this time it's Cairo on a shoe string!
During my previous trips in 2004, 2005, and 2007 I've come with mucho savings and a clear purpose: buy fabulous costumes, watch dancing, buy costumes, take dance lessons, find great music, and find great costumes. I'm proud to say I fulfilled those goals to the fullest! I tell you what, Egypt is a cheap place to travel--unless you are a dancer. Lessons, shows, and costumes are not cheap. You could easily spend hundreds of dollars a day if you share those goals--and I sure did in '04, '05, and '07. I'll be happy to show you my collection of fabulous costumes bought in Cairo and hours upon hours of recorded lessons and shows. This trip, however, was planned in less than a month! When my friend and dance student Yun invited me to be a part of her documentary film in Israel and be her guide in Cairo, how could I say no? I worked my butt off for three weeks to earn enough cash to cover expenses in Cairo and Jerusalem. But without money for costumes, shows, and lessons, what else can I do the rest of the time? As my aunt Martha astutely pointed out, "Most of the people in Cairo live on a shoe string. I'm sure you'll manage." I figure, with a population of over 18 million people, a history of over 4000 years, and a reputation as a city that never sleeps, there's got to be more the Cairo than costumes! I'm determined to find out!
During my previous trips in 2004, 2005, and 2007 I've come with mucho savings and a clear purpose: buy fabulous costumes, watch dancing, buy costumes, take dance lessons, find great music, and find great costumes. I'm proud to say I fulfilled those goals to the fullest! I tell you what, Egypt is a cheap place to travel--unless you are a dancer. Lessons, shows, and costumes are not cheap. You could easily spend hundreds of dollars a day if you share those goals--and I sure did in '04, '05, and '07. I'll be happy to show you my collection of fabulous costumes bought in Cairo and hours upon hours of recorded lessons and shows. This trip, however, was planned in less than a month! When my friend and dance student Yun invited me to be a part of her documentary film in Israel and be her guide in Cairo, how could I say no? I worked my butt off for three weeks to earn enough cash to cover expenses in Cairo and Jerusalem. But without money for costumes, shows, and lessons, what else can I do the rest of the time? As my aunt Martha astutely pointed out, "Most of the people in Cairo live on a shoe string. I'm sure you'll manage." I figure, with a population of over 18 million people, a history of over 4000 years, and a reputation as a city that never sleeps, there's got to be more the Cairo than costumes! I'm determined to find out!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
