Cairo March 2010
by Trish Champion
The lovely Candi had a special birthday in March, and she decided that the best way to celebrate would be to go to Cairo. Well, you would wouldn’t you! I plan to do the same in 2 years time when it’s my special birthday! Candi and I share the day, and Siobhan and Vanessa share a birthday in the same week, so it was cakes all round! Candi’s trip was organised by Kay Taylor of Farida Adventures. If you are wondering about going on one of Kay’s trips, stop wondering and book it. We had a great time, out every night and most days on varying trips and shows. It was tiring but fun, and I enjoyed myself hugely.
Cairo is the biggest city in Africa (yup, Africa. You never think about that part, but Egypt is in Africa!) with the traffic to match. The congestion is mad, the driving insane, no-one takes any notice of the traffic lights or the policemen (perhaps because traffic police in Cairo is a new phenomenon) but I didn’t see any accidents or near misses, just a lot of tooting of horns and flashing of lights to let other road users know you are there. No road rage, they’re all very calm amidst the madness. It’s the only way to be! Crossing the road requires courage and confidence. She who hesitates gets left on the other side of the road! At the wrong time of day it can take hours to cross the city, and even in the dead of night (2-3am) the trip from the airport to downtown takes a good 20 minutes. The hotel Kay uses is lovely. It’s a local hotel not a western chain; clean and comfortable, the breakfast is good and the staff helpful. The lifts are amazing, but don’t be tempted to try and fit 3 people in as that’s just not going to happen! There’s a little-shop-across-the-road-that-doesn’t-shut (apart from sometimes in the dead of night, and maybe Friday prayers) that sells snacks and water, an off-licence and a bank over the road and round the corner is Talat Harb, Cairo’s equivalent of Oxford Street only with market stalls as well and people selling orange bras (they don’t do plain underwear in Egypt) on the pavement. It’s amazing and I love it. If you brave the shops, bear in mind that what’s on display is what they have. They don’t do stock rooms!
Kay organises some great trips, including an orientation walk, so you can get the feel of the place and find some of the major landmarks in the area, like the Egyptian Museum and your way back to the hotel. Very important that, as not all the taxi drivers know the city well. They’ll say they do, but then you end up outside the Grand Hyatt instead of the Grand Hotel….. Essential outings include at least one dinner cruise (we did 2, to see Randa and Camellia), everyone needs to see the Hassan folkloric show, the funniest thing I’ve seen in years, Jo said the Tannoura show is fabulous (I was in the Khan el Khalili buying veils instead) and of great importance to us dancers; the club outings. The seedy nightclub round the corner is magnificently dilapidated and boasts a range of dancers. It’s good to see this as we dance in a safe environment and need to be reminded that some people have to earn their living by avoiding being groped as well as dancing. There’s a posh nightclub too, El Layl on Haram Street where we saw a newish dancer, Aziza who is FABULOUS. Go and see her if you can. It is a nightclub so there are singers too, and probably more acts, but we didn’t stay long after Aziza danced, mostly because it was nearly 2am, and because the club fills up then. It’s mostly blokes so can feel a bit less than comfortable. We went to see Dina too, she was great. It’s a bit pricey compared to the others, but not as expensive as it was now Saad isn’t part of the show too. A visit to the Khan el Khalili is essential, not just for the bellydance stuff, buy some tacky fridge magnets too! They don’t do stock rooms either, but will go next door if they haven’t got what you want. Visit al Fishwary, the oldest café in Cairo as well as a lovely restaurant with nice loos! Haggle for a headscarf and receive outrageous compliments! Buy CD’s but make sure you listen to them in the shop first. Some of us had a trip to the Pyramids, it was amazing. You can’t describe how big the Great Pyramid is till you see a tourist bus drive past looking like a dinky toy. Stunning. As was the sun boat museum, where you have to wear these fabulous canvas overshoes! And the boat itself is just so clever. We also had a dance class with the lovely Amani, she’s a lovely teacher and I’m sure I can still remember some of the things we did. There are quite a few costumiers to visit if you’re in the market for a new costume, and have time for the fittings. The last night was party night at Yasmina’s, (fab view of the pyramids from her balcony!), live music and singing, a buffet and as much dancing as you want before you go back to the hotel to fetch your case. Some of the girls had a photo shoot with her earlier in the week and were very, very happy with the results. There are lots of other things you can do, but we didn’t have time. I shall have to go back.
I had a great time and remembered to take photos this time! Kay’s trips are highly recommended, and rightly so. She does trips for dancers and non-dancers so if your other half wants to go there’s no reason not to!
Something I didn’t know: fly KLM and take 2 suitcases back! It’s amazing how much you can get in a medium sized suitcase, plus your hand luggage, plus your handbag.
Trish
9 March 2010 (I flew back yesterday and have the dreaded post-Cairo depression already.)
by Trish Champion
The lovely Candi had a special birthday in March, and she decided that the best way to celebrate would be to go to Cairo. Well, you would wouldn’t you! I plan to do the same in 2 years time when it’s my special birthday! Candi and I share the day, and Siobhan and Vanessa share a birthday in the same week, so it was cakes all round! Candi’s trip was organised by Kay Taylor of Farida Adventures. If you are wondering about going on one of Kay’s trips, stop wondering and book it. We had a great time, out every night and most days on varying trips and shows. It was tiring but fun, and I enjoyed myself hugely.
Cairo is the biggest city in Africa (yup, Africa. You never think about that part, but Egypt is in Africa!) with the traffic to match. The congestion is mad, the driving insane, no-one takes any notice of the traffic lights or the policemen (perhaps because traffic police in Cairo is a new phenomenon) but I didn’t see any accidents or near misses, just a lot of tooting of horns and flashing of lights to let other road users know you are there. No road rage, they’re all very calm amidst the madness. It’s the only way to be! Crossing the road requires courage and confidence. She who hesitates gets left on the other side of the road! At the wrong time of day it can take hours to cross the city, and even in the dead of night (2-3am) the trip from the airport to downtown takes a good 20 minutes. The hotel Kay uses is lovely. It’s a local hotel not a western chain; clean and comfortable, the breakfast is good and the staff helpful. The lifts are amazing, but don’t be tempted to try and fit 3 people in as that’s just not going to happen! There’s a little-shop-across-the-road-that-doesn’t-shut (apart from sometimes in the dead of night, and maybe Friday prayers) that sells snacks and water, an off-licence and a bank over the road and round the corner is Talat Harb, Cairo’s equivalent of Oxford Street only with market stalls as well and people selling orange bras (they don’t do plain underwear in Egypt) on the pavement. It’s amazing and I love it. If you brave the shops, bear in mind that what’s on display is what they have. They don’t do stock rooms!
Kay organises some great trips, including an orientation walk, so you can get the feel of the place and find some of the major landmarks in the area, like the Egyptian Museum and your way back to the hotel. Very important that, as not all the taxi drivers know the city well. They’ll say they do, but then you end up outside the Grand Hyatt instead of the Grand Hotel….. Essential outings include at least one dinner cruise (we did 2, to see Randa and Camellia), everyone needs to see the Hassan folkloric show, the funniest thing I’ve seen in years, Jo said the Tannoura show is fabulous (I was in the Khan el Khalili buying veils instead) and of great importance to us dancers; the club outings. The seedy nightclub round the corner is magnificently dilapidated and boasts a range of dancers. It’s good to see this as we dance in a safe environment and need to be reminded that some people have to earn their living by avoiding being groped as well as dancing. There’s a posh nightclub too, El Layl on Haram Street where we saw a newish dancer, Aziza who is FABULOUS. Go and see her if you can. It is a nightclub so there are singers too, and probably more acts, but we didn’t stay long after Aziza danced, mostly because it was nearly 2am, and because the club fills up then. It’s mostly blokes so can feel a bit less than comfortable. We went to see Dina too, she was great. It’s a bit pricey compared to the others, but not as expensive as it was now Saad isn’t part of the show too. A visit to the Khan el Khalili is essential, not just for the bellydance stuff, buy some tacky fridge magnets too! They don’t do stock rooms either, but will go next door if they haven’t got what you want. Visit al Fishwary, the oldest café in Cairo as well as a lovely restaurant with nice loos! Haggle for a headscarf and receive outrageous compliments! Buy CD’s but make sure you listen to them in the shop first. Some of us had a trip to the Pyramids, it was amazing. You can’t describe how big the Great Pyramid is till you see a tourist bus drive past looking like a dinky toy. Stunning. As was the sun boat museum, where you have to wear these fabulous canvas overshoes! And the boat itself is just so clever. We also had a dance class with the lovely Amani, she’s a lovely teacher and I’m sure I can still remember some of the things we did. There are quite a few costumiers to visit if you’re in the market for a new costume, and have time for the fittings. The last night was party night at Yasmina’s, (fab view of the pyramids from her balcony!), live music and singing, a buffet and as much dancing as you want before you go back to the hotel to fetch your case. Some of the girls had a photo shoot with her earlier in the week and were very, very happy with the results. There are lots of other things you can do, but we didn’t have time. I shall have to go back.
I had a great time and remembered to take photos this time! Kay’s trips are highly recommended, and rightly so. She does trips for dancers and non-dancers so if your other half wants to go there’s no reason not to!
Something I didn’t know: fly KLM and take 2 suitcases back! It’s amazing how much you can get in a medium sized suitcase, plus your hand luggage, plus your handbag.
Trish
9 March 2010 (I flew back yesterday and have the dreaded post-Cairo depression already.)
