Farewell Cairo!

Today is my last day in Cairo, then I begin the next leg of my journey. The past few days have been simply marvelous, spending time with friends and enjoying the magic of Egypt.

 

Alla Abou Lellah is a friend of mine. He is an internationally known and respected choreographer of folkloric dance and he is also the manager of entertainment at the Mena House. Alla took me and a friend, Roza of Phoenix, AZ, on an informal tour of Cairo one night after the festival. He drove us to downtown so that we could see the city at night – bright lights, energetic and lots of things going on – even at 3:00 am! Then, we stopped by the Nile river and spent some time looking out at the Faluca boats, the cruise ships and the fishermen enjoying the night air. Then, he treated us to a beautiful cup of mint tea at this special place where artists of all sorts – dancers, singers, writers, comedian’s, musicians – hang out. We sat next to the Nile River and enjoyed each others company. It was simply wonderful.

 

Last night, I had dinner with Magda and Atef in their home. Magda and Atef are the directors of the world-famous Reda Troupe and are very dear friends of mine. Atef is a fantastic cook and last night was no exception. Magda, Atef, Esmeralda (my friend from France), Roza and Alla dined on the equivalent to American lasagna, fillet tenderloin in a mushroom sauce, potato salad, cucumber and tomato salad and the Egyptian specialty, kofta. The evening ran late as we all shared stories, watched DVDs and reconnected after the hecticness of the festival. It was pure heaven!

 

Today, the schedule is quite full. In about an hour, Mohamed (my driver while I am in Cairo) will pick Esmeralda and me up and we will visit Madame Raqia in her home, stop by Khan el Kahlili (the famous market dating back to the 1300′s), meet up with some friends and then stop back by Atlantis Oils to indulge in another session with Mr. Ibrahim. Did I tell you that the second time I visited him, Ibrahim surprised me with an essential oil perfume he named after me and created it to remind him of my fragrance? I was so delighted and honored – what a beautiful gift. I look very forward to seeing him today and enjoying a back and shoulder massage. I will miss him until my return to Egypt this December.

 

Other exciting news …. well, I am starting to work to commission a composer to create a CD for me of original music!!! I am quite excited about this and look so forward to starting the work. It will be fantastic and a great project! Then, of course, I’ll develop original choreographies to go with the music … so keep your eyes and ears open for more news about upcoming events!

 

Well, I’m off for now. I will write again when I get to my next destination.  For now, keep on shimmying!

 

Hugs and love,

Raksanna