Ramadan- again.

today is the 2nd day of Ramadan... so 'Ramadan Kareem' and 'kollo sena wentu tayyibeen' ie peaceful ramadan to you all and may all your year be good!

What shocked me was on wednesday night- just before ramadan starts I had almost as much hassle in the street as I had on monday night walking home. cars curb crawling, comments from everyone and stones thrown not to mention firecrackers thrown at me! The night beofre the fast. What- they had to release all the testosterone left in them or what???

Last night I thought I would experiment, so a friend and i went out to see if we could find any bars/clubs etc open on the 1st night of Ramadan. We found one bar in the whole of cairo serving alcohol, to foreigners- not to Egyptians, but you weren't allowed to dance. Egyptians were served beer- but only if they were christian and only if they agreed to drink it out a tea cup- in case anyone came in! Oh and the bar manager thought nothing of flicking through pron channels on the TV while we were there too- I'll refrain from naming the bar in case it gets closed down- but you see what I mean about contraditions! Bizarre!!!!

I really do find Ramadan the lonliest time of the year in Cairo- not enough work, no partying, salsa is cancelled, pool closes early (assuming you can find someone who will agree to go with you!) ,everyone is spending time with their families. It is the hardest time for me anyway! It's going to be a long month......................