Basic Egyptian words to use on your holiday in Egypt

I was asked recently to teach a basic Egyptian language class. Just half an hour on some of the main words and phrases that might be useful for a tourist spending a day in Egypt.
I am not a fluent arabic speaker by any means, but have lived in Cairo for 7 years. I thought I would publish this list for any of you who are planning a trip here and might find it useful. If you are an Egyptian arabic speaker and notice any mistakes- please do feel free to advise me! so here goes- some of the basics for a complete beginner!

Egyptian Arabic- just a few basics to help you get by!

Most common greeting- ‘peace be upon you’- is’sallam aleykum

-Answer that with- we aleykum es’sallam

Hello- Ahlan                       Hello and welcome- Ahlan we sahlan

-Answer that with- Ahlan beek (m) / Ahlan beeki (f)

Good Morning- Sabah el kheir,    Good Afternoon (which you use in the evening too!)- Miss a el kheir

Goodbye- ma’asallama (but most people also use is’sallam aleykum to say goodbye too!)

How are you? – Izzayack? (to m)/ Izzayick (to f)

How do you do?- Amal eh? (to m) / Amla eh? (to f)

-I am good- Ana Qwayees (m) / Ana Qwayeesa (f)

-I am not good- ana mish (or mush!) Qwayees/ Qwayeesa

What is your name?- Ismack (m) / Ismick (f)  eh?                                 

 -My name is... – Ismi ....

Where are you from? – inta min ain? (m) / inti min ain?(f)  

 to reply; ana min.......... ‘your country’

Yes- Aywa     No- La’

Thank you- Shukran  (remember La’ shukran with a smile works wonders!!)

Please – Min fadlack (m) / Min fadlick (f)

Excuse me (to get attention) – Lough samaht (m) / lough samahti (f) (both with breathy ‘h’)

Is it possible?- Momkin?  

Eg Momkin shey? To order tea in cafe!

Also momkin da? (pointing at something) - is it possible to have ‘that’

Tea- shey,    Turkish coffee- ahwa,    ‘normal’ coffee- Nescafe,    water- maya

Sorry- asif (m) / asfa (f)

I don’t understand Arabic- ana mish fahim arabee. (m) / ana mish fahma arabee (f)

How much? – be kam?                

Too much! – Kateer

The word you will hear most often – Inshallah – it mean ‘god willing’ !

Inshallah that will be of help to you if you are planning to travel to Egypt soon... have fun, and enjoy my chosen homeland!

Visa's on Arrival .....

One day you do, next day you dont. Welcome to Egypt.

The Egyptian 'government' has now " shelved plans " for new visa regulations. It will continue to be possible to buy your entry visa at the airport on arrival. http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/494934

Seems they have just realised that such a regulations would have a negative impact on tourism.... you don't say!

good........... shame they didn't consider this before announcing they were going to implement it and cause chaos in an already shaky touirst industry! Better late than never!

On a different topic all together, i bought a light for the ceiling in my dance studio in 'Hotel BellyLorna' today so that from now on I can dance, and teach Saaidi without fear of having glass rain down on me from the already broken from exuberant stick twirling, light fitting!!!!

Oh and the duck lost its quack, it was melted off... and then of course was burnt alive (I'm talking about a kettle here- no animals have actually been hurt!!!) and has now been replaced with a bright shiny dairy milk purple 'duck' which is not really a duck of course however 'kettle' in Hotel Bellylorna will be forever more be referred to as the duck in memory of the ducks who have losts their lives in the honourable duty supplying bellydancers from all around the world with their morning cuppas!!! (if you are still confused about all this talk of dead ducks- please check out an old blog entry from last year!  http://bellylorna.blogspot.com/2010/05/death-of-duck.html )

If you want to come and stay in Hotel Bellylorna... now that you can come and buy your visa on entry and partake of a cup of tea from the lovely new purple duck......and swing your Saaidi stick freely..... .

send me an email- Bellylorna@hotmail.com 

or check out my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=258340284200687&id=100000741536736#!/pages/Hotel-BellyLorna/103205596445518

The latest from Cairo.....

It was a hectic time in UK... hence my lack of Blog updates... but back to Cairo and trying to get on with 'normality'.

I want to put those worried by recent news reports at rest.

Cairo is unsettled- of course, they have no actual government in power... so thing cannot really get to any sort of 'normality' until after the elcetions in November. There were 'riots' last night in Cairo which were very localised beside the ministry of interior, a police station at giza and the Israeli embassy. Those riots were by people who are angry by govermental policies and want political reform- they weren't running riots in the streets burning down peoples houses and small businesses just to get their hands on a new phone of plasma TV.

The protests yesterday in Tahrir weren't troublesome at all, and it was only a fraction of those people who went to the embassy to tear down a wall that the army put up to 'protect' the embassy- the army however stood back and watched the protesters tear it down- not trying to stop them at all..... which is strange behaviour, no? anyway- there are of course lots of conspiracys- which in this country often are later revealed to be justified. Egypt is now in a state of emergancy- which might seem news to the rest of the world- but since they have been for the entirety of Murabaks 'reign' then its of no surprise to Egyptians. What it means in practical terms for life in Egypt... we shall see. so far the police holidays have all been cancelled- which is a good thing. the police are needed on the streets.

So- at the moment- things are happening... but as yet- Cairo is working fairly normally and is safe. Most of us go about our daily business as normal and are totally unaffected by what you all see in the news. (other than of course hoping and praying for a good outcome of it all for our country- yes i feel Egypt is my home...!) Dont worry - plus if you were intending on coming to visit- please still come (just maybe avoid Tahrir square on fridays!!!)

The only thing thats of EXTREME IMPORTANCE TO TOURISTS TO EGYPT is that you will very soon be unable to buy a entry visa on arrival. Which means you MUST apply to the Egyptian embassy in your own country in advance of your visit! http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/494265

 I do not know if the new visa laws will apply to trips to Sinai or not ( since sharm does seems to have different visa regulations all of its own already and also since most tourists there come via organised tour groups which will be unaffected by the new changes!) but it would be best to check! Anything can happen here- the powers that be who have made this ruling may have their eyes opened by the tourist sector ( who are very distressed about anything which could harm Egypts tourism more http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/494000.) and withdraw the law before its even put into practice.... but my advice if you intend to travel within the next few months to Egypt is GET YOUR VISA IN ADVANCE!!! 

Come ................. Egypt is wonderful... the touristic places are all well protected.... the streets are in my opinion still safe to walk in, I chose to live here.... . the people are friendly.... they just want a better life for themselves and their children...some may have extreme ways of trying to get this- but they have always been up against extreme policies. A country needs time and patience and education to change patterns of many lifetimes..... we need to have patience, tolerance and understanding and stand by Egyptians as they work out how to get and run the Egypt they dream of.

See you in Cairo soon!!!!

tourist visas, Hotel Bellylorna and the yacht!

I haven’t written a blog entry for some time- and I would love to say it is because I have been so busy working- but unfortunately that still isn’t the case.

There is a slight improvement in the numbers of tourists in town, but often the pharaoh boats where I perform are still only having one boat go out each night instead of the usual two. I hope it will pick up soon, but I am guessing it won’t now, not before Ramadan. I can but hope and cross my fingers and say Inshallah!!!!

 Egypt needs tourism. It is one of the main supports of the economy here. I heard to today that they are refusing tourist visa extensions from now on. That you can get your visa... but that while you are in the country you cannot then extend your visa. This will have a big impact on Egypt with many of the thousands of foreigners here are currently here on extended tourist visas. I am not really sure what the thinking behind it is.... if anyone reading this has any ideas I’d love to hear them!

So if I haven’t been working- what have I been up to....?

well... I was playing ‘hostess with the mostess’ to my two recent houseguests in Hotel Bellylorna. Two dancers from London who had a fabulous time here, taking classes (with various teachers), having massages (I have a girl who comes to the house to do that- she’s not professionally trained- but she’s great!), and they even had a how to make your own costume class here with someone who came to the house to show them the ropes! It was a fun 2 weeks!

During that time it was my birthday... and what a day I had. The best birthday ever! Woken up with pancakes (made with rum and covered in chocolate and banana!) oh and my favourite ‘eshta’ filled Turkish delight sweets while I waited for the pancakes and tried to reply to some of the hundreds of lovely face book birthday messages (thanks everyone!)

...Then a trip to the pool for a few hours... where I even had a birthday candle in my crème caramel!

.... home for an outfit change... then off to Sequoia for a delicious dinner with 2 close friends....

And then off to the Yacht that I had hired for the evening for my friends and I to party on!!! It was an amazing evening... with about 30 good friends gathered together on the yacht ( it was due to be 3 hours- but we were all enjoying it so much that lots of people opted to chip in some money to extent the trip for a 4^th hour!).



I recommend the Valentino to anyone- it cost 450le per hour... docks between the Pharaohs and Fridays on the Giza corniche, and it is large and comfortable, with a great dance floor and sound system and the management are really easy to deal with. The owner even called me the next day to wish me a happy birthday and check that everyone had enjoyed their night! 


 Dancing on a Yacht on the Nile, with lovely friends (a special thanks to Laura for bringing along a ton of homemade goodies for us all, and also to Ellie, Ruth and Anna Louise!!). It felt ever so decadent... Duran Duran eat your heart out! We had about 9 belly dancers on the boat- you can imagine the party!!!
 

It seems many of my friends are also cancerians... with Diana (an American dancer here in Cairo) celebrating her birthday the day before and the two dancers from London (Delia and Debbie) celebrating theirs a week early too... 4 Belly Birthday girls......!

The night was so perfect in fact that one guy decided it was the perfect moment to propose to my friend at the front of the Yacht. I saw the moment... and thought they looked very sweet... but only after realised the importance of the occasion! Congratulations Laura and Mohammed!!!

Cairo at its best!

Life is good!


(I have some more photos to add to this blog.. but it doesn't seem to be letting me- so publishing now without those pics and will add them asap!)

Rainy days and sundays....

Thunder and lightening and rain all day yesterday!

It's amazing how Egyptians react to this weather, a bit like Brits do to snow, no one goes out! Mind you- when it rains here, because it doesn't very often, the air is so filthy that the rain pulls the dirt out of it as it falls and lands black on the ground (or on you- not the day to be wearing white!!!). I love Cairo - but I hate the pollution. It's even more obvious when you feel the difference in air quality after the rain!

I however, being hardened to such weather from a life in Scotland, went out with 2 friends last night, Laura from N. Ireland and Johara from London . Johara is the creater of http://www.londonbellydance.com/ - it has among other things, a fabulous long listing of restaurants in London where you can go to see bellydance performances!!!

We went to a fabulous Egyptian Cafe called Khamseena, which is in Mohandiseen, near the Zamalek Atlas Hotel. The food is good Egyptian fare and tasty, big portions ( The sheesh Tawook - ie chicken kebab is to die for!) and there is sheesha and Amazing live music there too. They have 3 different singers who work through the night (starting around 8pm ish and going on til the place shuts). i love the female singer best. She started last night at 10pm has a voice to die for- with a wicked sense of humour to go along with it, which makes her a fabulous entertainer! It was a great night!

This is going to be a busy week... Eshta ( London dancer/ teacher and organiser of http://www.saqarah.co.uk/ arrives tonight), Then Athena and Elena of Greece arrive on Friday (http://www.athenanajat.com/ ) and then 2 dancers from Estonia arrive on the 10th! Hotel Bellylorna will be busy this month, and a lot of fun!!!

All i can hear writing this is the sound of boys on my street playing football , and birds singing... Life is good.

to come or not to come to Egypt...?

I'm biased... I live here... and I am trying earn a living within the tourism industry. But I'd like to argue why my answer is come...!!!

Yes- there is still a curfew (midnight at time of writing), yes there are still some tanks on the streets, yes occasionally there are still protests and sometimes buildings get set on fire (very specific ones- like ministry of interior yesterday)

BUT......

-) there are police back on the streets and traffic and businesses are all running normallly during daytime.

-) the army and police are both there for tourist protection and although there are still reports of horrific human rights abuses... these are only directed at the protesters... not at visitors. In fact never have tourists been more welcome... every taxi i get into these days is so happy to see foreigners here- they know the country stuggles without them

-) curfew can't calm Cario! The parties all happen early in the evening- band play from 7 or 7.30pm instead of from 10.30, 11pm....  so actually if you want to party- and do sights ( or dance related stuff) during the daytime NOW is the time where you can do both and still get sleep!!!!! There are even cabarets open from 8pm!!!

-) the sights are open- and never before has there been a better time to view them... with no other tourists in your photos!!!

-)the weather is lovely and sunny, but not too hot!

-) dancers are still dancing... there are still shows to be seen- and also since there is less overall work for us dancers- if you are looking for private classes- then there are many of us here and eager to teach!

-) Hotels are empty- so look out for great price deals both on accomaodation here and also on flights! (don't forget my Hotlel Bellylorna for visiting dancers! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=60715&id=113086788706897&fbid=208905759124999 !!)

-) Still not sure? think about it as killing 2 birds with one stone.... YOU get the holiday of a lifetime... and experience our new egypt while people are still eager to talk about what happened and is happening in the revolution and YOU also get the benefit of know you have helped Egypt get back onto its feet economically and make the locals smile!

come over and Enjoy Cairo!!! It's a great place to be.... !!!!

Reasons for being....

Seemingly it was 30degrees here in Cairo today... maybe thats why i just felt urged to do something i really dont do enough of... i got my bikini on, shut the balcony curtains off to one side (to block out the flats opposite) and sunbathed all afternoon! It was BLISS. I feel relaxed and alive again. With all the recent going ons in Cairo, and the massively reduced work load (and therefore income) i have been having to question whether Cairo is really the place for me or not. A day in the sun, in mid March, reconfirmed one of the many things i love about this city!!!!

My guests, 3 dancers from UK, left this afternoon. It's been lovely having them here. Fun moments have included going to a cabaret club that was open from 8pm so we could go and still be home before curfew and was owned by an ex dancer nicknamed Tuna who is quite frankly NUTS.

Also having the girls come to see my show and for a rare change me actually feeling like I had performed well- I tend to beat myself up a lot about my dancing, so that was a really nice change and afterwards 2 of us went on to the Cairo Jazz Club where they had a boogie night (also starting and finishing before curfew) and dancing crazily to everything from michael jackson to duran duran to will smith to cameo! It was relive the 80's night (wasn't billed as that- but totally was that and was amazing fun!).

The girls had some private classes too while they were here. They went over one morning to Yasmina's and had a class with her. Then the Next day Sara Farouk came over and gave them a couple of hours, and then a class with me the next day. I love having a studio in the house to be able to dance and teach when ever the mood takes and also to be able to host other teachers...The class was fun too- talented girls made it a joy!

We went to watch the beautiful Sabriya perform too. She was just lovely! I didn't know what style to expect since she has learned mostly in the USA, is turkish/swedish and has worked mainly throughout the middle east, Tunisia to Dubai to Syria etc etc . It wasn't particularly Egyptian style- but it was a VERY good show with 4 costume changes, lots of lovely moves and best thing was her very relaxed and comfortable way of interacting with her audience. We all liked it a lot!!!

They did even more than that in their 4 days with me... but i had to rest up one evening with a bad cold and tummy... but thats when i managed to get my apartments pics online- so the time wasn't wasted!

Oh, and then there was the costume fitting at midnight!!!! So much for curfew... since they were flying this morning the costume maker came to my house and spent 2 hours here doing final fittings and alterations to them in my dance studio! With a vanilla cola afterwards it was a much more relaxed way of doing the costume fitting than going to the shop to do it!!!

YES- there are LOTS of reason why I love this city and all the things you can do in it- even with a curfew.

I think I'll be staying..........!!! (Inshallah!)

If you'd like to come to Cairo and enjoy it the way I do, why not stay with me at the 'Hotel BellyLorna' !!! I've uploaded a lot of photos of the place onto facebook ... have a look and book soon for a memorable holiday!!!

http://www.facebook.com/bellylorna/posts/10150424218020635#!/album.php?aid=60715&id=113086788706897&fbid=208905759124999

Tourists please come.... The sun is out...

the sky is blue,

and there are only a few clouds, and there are also still protesters in Tahrir square.

Some people are saying ' but its only the muslim brotherhood that are there now'... others, people i know, who have been there in the last couple of days say 'no... its everyone, doctors, lawyers, you name it'. i wouldn't know- i promised the people who worry about me that I would stay out of danger... so that means I am still avoiding tahrir......

although I did go to Khan el Khalili yesterday. The traffic there and back, with so many roads blocked off, was horrific, but once there it was so quiet.. and the vast majority of the shops were open. The really sad bit for me was seeing all the gold shops, open, but with not one gram of gold in the windows. It was all stolen that 1st friday.... and no customers.....

The only other foreigners we saw in the Khan, were a turkish film crew who interviewed me. Unfortunatly, non PR efficient Lorna managed to mourn the loss of the tourists without plugging the fact that i was a bellydancer here!!!

As we walked through the market, all i could hear was
 'Zaboon, Zaboon, fe Zaboon!'
customers, customers- there are customers!....

...you could taste the hope in their voices. While the recent events have no doubt made a very important, and neccesary impact on Egyptian politics, they have unfortunatly also made a massive negative impact on tourism. Most hotels now are completely empty. I spoke to a manager of the el hussain hotel in the khan who was telling me how his guests were saying 'no no, we'll stay...' but when the khan was raided and they heard gunshots, they packed and left the next day. Understandable... but probably more upsetting to local businesses than the looting in the first place. The police are back protecting the streets and things have really quietened down. 80% of Egypts income is from Tourism. Sharm and Luxor have been totally unaffected by the 'revolution' and are praying for visitors.... Now is probably the best time to go to Luxor if you want to see the temples without hoards of people in front of them, getting into your photos!!!

If you love Egypt and like me are impressed by the peoples strength in expressing their need  and right for a voice.... then please do what you can for those same people now... and book your holiday for this year..... i admit i wouldn't recommend this week,.... since we still have a curfew in place and Cairo really is a fabulous place to be at night.... but as soon as that becomes all clear again... come! Please.

Our jobs depend on you....

......and I have 3 spare rooms to rent out to any dancers wanting to come!!! even through the worst of the last 2 weeks, i have had dancers, from all over the world, staying with me in my house and we have managed to do a lot of private classes here in my studio... and I have had 4 other teachers come to the house to teach my guests too. For anyone want to do intensive dance training... there is nothing better than an imposed curfew that means your teacher can't leave the house!!!!

Funnily enough- with my last house guest leaving today...despite everything,  everyone of them said what a memorable, and enjoyable holiday they had had.....and that they would be back.... despite being indoors the majority of the time through a revolution! The friendships made through these events are friendships which will last.....Cairo still charms even in its most volitile moments...

Blogging from sharm...

3 days with no work on the boat... so why not jump a bus up to Sharm el Sheik and chill out by a pool? The bus is less than 100lle each way and can take anything between 5 and a half hours to 8 hours to arrive. Unfortunately on this occasion it took closer to 8.

That’s what i have been doing - and its fabulous. Reading, listening to music, watching videos of dancers such as samia gamal, mona el said and zizi Mustapha that I’d downloaded from youtube in anticipation of doing some dance research by the pool! Have also really enjoyed stretching in the pool... it feels like I can take most stretches that bit further when the water is supporting me.... or maybe that is because i am stretching when i am relaxed... rather than waiting until something hurts and then stretching to try and fix it!!

What i really didn’t expect to be doing is ... wait for it.... ice skating.

YES... ICE-SKATING in Egypt!!! In Soho Square, Sharm. It cost 90le each, and you can stay as long as you like.

I can honestly say it’s probably over 15 years since i last put my feet into a pair of those uncomfortable boots and gave myself the challenge of staying upright, made even more urgent since i was dressed to go out clubbing. That is to say- if I had fallen, the tan I’d been working on during the day would have been removed completely!! The adrenadline rush was stronger than a sharm cocktail and kept me warm despite the chilly temperature of the arena. When I was there, the only other person on the ice was a tiny Russian girl who was doing full one legged spins, jumps etc etc.... as if I didn’t feel stupid enough in my clubbing gear nervously sliding my way around the edge. But, after a while i was hands free and almost in the middle too. No spins for me though- not intentional ones anyway! It was great fun. Facing the fear and doing it anyway! So if you are going out in sharm for a night out, i recommend packing a pair of socks in your handbag and hitting the ice (not literally!), and i strongly recommend doing it before you go to the bars and before all the little Russian girls show you up!!!!

If skating is a bit too much for you... then the other thing I did that night was 10 pin bowling. Also in soho square. It’s 40le per player per game. And again the socks in the handbag were useful since you have to wear the shoes they provide! My first throw was great... then my tendonitis in my shoulder reminded me it was there and my game went downhill rapidly from then on. That is my excuse anyway, and I’m sticking to it!! A great night!

In fact, I can’t rave about soho square enough... they have lots of lovely fountains (and a dancing one- lights and water moving to music- its great!) and statues and bars and shops and cafes and an outdoor show complete with a bellydancer and tannoura. It’s all new, and not cheap, but it is a different sharm experience than wandering around Naama bay, especially if you spend it trying to keep your pins upright and then trying to make sure the other pins don’t stay upright, as I did!!!

That is all for this blog since i am typing by the pool and the sun is moving round to my area, which would make the screen to difficult to read. Yes of course i could move out of the sun, and yes of course i am only writing this to make you jealous sitting reading my blog from your office chair or wherever you happen to be just now!!!

Latest Lorna video and warning to all female travellers!

This is the latest clip online of me performing.

The costume (Eman Zaki) looks lovely but the dancing is not in my opinion my best ever- but perhaps my opinion is swayed becuase i can't take my eyes off my huge (for me) belly!!!!!!! where did all of that come from? It's gone now- dancing over 30 shows in last 2 weeks has made sure of that! Amazing what Egyptian food can do to a body!

Think I might have to get into the studio for a stretch before work tonight...

BBC weather page says the max temp today is 40 deg- but i don't believe it- the wind is strong and its like a hairdryer on you constantly!


WARNING to all female travellers arriving esp alone at Cairo airport. DO NOT TAKE A TAXI FROM THE TOUTS WHO COME AROUND THE ARRIVAL ENTRANCE!

Instead go to the airport taxi/limo desk. The prices are the same, usually... and the saftely is the amin thing. Above all never get in a private car that is not even marked taxi!

A guests arrived yesterday but did get in a private car, not realising she shouldn't, since the driver was laughing and chatting with the police, which assured her that things were ok. I won't put details of exactly what happened.... but lets just say he was a pervert and she was very upset by the time she eventually arrived to my house. I think she was actually lucky that things weren't actually worse than they had been, becuase he drove her, intentionally, out of town into a deserted area 1st, knowing she wouldn't be able to attract attention or get help. PLEASE take care. Even if you end up spending a few extra pounds on an airport taxi- it is worth it! The police take a register of the taxi number and the nationality of the people in it, so you are protected..... unlike private cars where they don't even check who you are and no-one has a note of anything!

Pharonic Village, Cairo

Every day when i get a taxi to work, the driver asks if i want the pharonic boat, or pharonic village.... Since I had never visited the 'village' I thought having visitors from Scotland was the perfect excuse to go and see what i had been missing.

This was a very expensive day out (160le for an adult, which means anyone over the age of 10!!!) ...... but incrediably interesting and educational. The children i went with really enjoyed it too.

The tour starts with a boat trip round the island with a prerecorded commentary, showing you statues of people and gods of note from the pharonic era. We found it amusing that the god Osiris had his own personal shower head over him!!!


There were lots and lots of herons nesting,

and a model of the Moses story within the bullrushes...

and lots of 'how life was' scenes of cultivation and craftmaking...... all with actors dressed in clothes of the day, and some responding to that fact that there was a boat full of tourists looking at them, but mostly just repeating over and over their actions, which i think i prefered because you could imagine more how it might have been in those times...

farming....

storing the grain....

None of the women working there looked particularly happy, but i felt it made a really nice change to see so many women employed in somewhere like this despite that...mind you, i guess they must repeat the same actions numerous times for all the boats coming round all day....

fishing (he had some plastic nile fish in his net too!)...


The women pretending to squeeze flowers to squeeze out perfume oils was a very pretty scene..

But the potter was the only one actually actively creating something, rather than just miming....

spinning the wheel with his feet.....

It was all very well done... but there were a few things that really annoyed us... like the metal file with plastic handle for filing the alabaster???? and the plastic sheeting over some paintings which reflecting in the sunlight and meant you couldn't see the imagine. Plastic in pharonic times... hmm- they were ahead of their time- but not that much!

Also the commentary was incrediably fast as was the boat, so to listen to everything, take it in, think about it and watch everything going on, never mind to take photos there just wasn't time. I think i heard maybe half of what was said. I would have liked all that slowed down... especially for people who might find a lot of these ideas and words new. I felt very sorry for the chinese guy in front of us who was translating everything into chinese for his group after it was said in English.... even he just gave up in places! It wouldn't have taken much on their part to have added a few minutes onto that section of the tour, since it was the most interesting part of the entire village.

After the boat tour we had a personal guide to take us round the 'temple' which is a copy of the temple in Karnack in Luxor, although much smaller! She had a lot of interesting things to say... but unfortunatly her English wasn't good. She knew her script, and recited it incrediably fast, but didn't know the intonation of how it should be said , so we could hardly understand anything she said, and that was us British,... trying to understand English, god only knows how the Chinese group got on with that!!! Esther did try on the anubis mask though and said it was very heavy!

I guess its the performancer in me that really loved seeing the 'actors' when they had finished their pharonic jobs for us, sinking back into real life- a pharonic bread maker checking her mobile!!!....



The scene themselves were really well recreated and reminded me of scenes i saw in Siwa, where house are still built around palm trees, these urns were used to store the wine!

The thing that really let the whole experience down (other than the boat with prerecorded message being too fast, and the guide's English not being great and being incrediably fast) was that we felt the hard sell.

Maybe this works with some people, but to us it felt pushy and cheap. The tickets to the pharonic village are not cheap, yet the guide's talking suddenly slowed down and we weren't rushed onto the next exhibit any time there was an opportunity for us to spend money... at the shops and cafeteria. To the point that we really got quite annoyed and i had to ask the women to move onto the next exhibit after the shop as we didn't want to spend any more money! That's when she discovered i spoke arabic, and wasn't too impressed at my request to move on. Which makes me think that her work is partly commision based. After spending so much entrance fee it really was a cheek to be continually asking for more.

At one point they showed us bread making and described an ancient egyptian pizza- some bread with olives and tomato... and offered to sell us some.. tell me; what would it have cost them to have had a tiny portion for each of us to try, for free. We would have felt it was a much classier experience, worth the huge entrance fee! In fact- we were so angered by this attitude throughout that i even took a photo of the 'motto' they had around the village... because i felt it all sounded lovely- but NOT lived up to, unfortunatly! Especially number 2 and 5 !!!!

However, depsite the many things they could have done to improve our experience, Overall fun was had by all............ as you can see from the photo below... a fun informative, child friendly day out.

'Sobek'

The name of the ancient Egyptian crocodile god, and also the name of the camp in a lovely little village called Tunis in Fayoum where I stayed for the last couple of days…..

Tunis is now famous for its pottery, and the story behind how that came about is a nice one.

A Swiss woman, Evelyn, decided Tunis was the place she wanted to live, and she set up a pottery school to teach locals a useful, creative and marketable skill.



We had a tour round the school… which is small and interesting.. And I learned how the clay has to sit in the sun for months to dry out before it can be used etc.

The village is small and friendly and these kids loved posing for my camera………….

Sobek, the camp, is small, but growing. Currently sleeps up to 10 people and provides tasty meals too….
The atmosphere is relaxed, casual and comfortable.

It’s a short walk down through fields, to the lake and fabulous for chilling around a fire in the evenings. The owner, sherif, is friendly and cares that you enjoy your stay.This is a photo of him posing with his camp's namesake, Sokek, in an ancient temple we went to visit nearby....

Sobek’s link to ‘the Swiss woman’ is that she designed the camp, and her husband built it.I look forward to sometime meeting this phenomenal woman! If she is even half as amazing as her own private garden...........

with swimming pool...........

...which we had the good fortune to be shown around, then she is a remarkable, tasteful and talented woman!

The temple we went to see was a temple to the gods horus and sobek, in the middle of the desert...

a fabulous place for meditation and peace.....

I suspect Fayoum, and even Tunis itself, is a place I’ll be back to, possibly in the near future… Its only a 2 hour (150le) taxi ride there and the air is clean and fresh and you really feel like you are stepping into another Egypt. Wonderful.

Dizzy arts

what a week.............

I feel like I have been floating outside of my life this week...... not sure why. I collapsed onstage on monday night- (thankfully didn't actually end up on the floor but wasn't far off it, and did have to cut my show short). Was pretty scary actually. I had eaten, slept well, felt fine in fact....until that happened, but then have not really felt 100% or even 70% all week. Haven't a clue what happened.

So I have had a very unLorna type week til i felt stronger again. Cancelled all outings, parties, classes etc and just worked, stayed home and slept lots. And I managed to spent over 10 hours yesterday sitting in from of laptop sorting my music in itunes........... still lots more hours needed on that- but at least i have been doing something towards my New Year's resolutions!

I'm off, with a couple of friends, to Fayoum tomorrow for a couple of days, hoping the calm of the desert and the fresh air will help restore me to 100% Lorna !!!

Was looking at photos of all the Snow in UK just now and feeling grateful that i am here in sunshine. 21deg suits me far more than -20deg !!! Thinking of my friends and family back in UK and sending you warmth and love!!!

Oh and something completely different. My lovely friend, and talented Poet, Linda, has started up an Arts Residency Centre in Cairo. It a lovely place, overlooking the Pyramids... and has 5 rooms so accomodates lots of artists (up to 10!) at the same time! So if you are a writer, painter, musician etc etc etc and fancy coming to cairo to work on a project, or get some inspiration... then its a great place to base yourself from and meet other artists!

Check out the blog, www.artsresidencycairo.blogspot.com

Lorna in Luxor

Just in case it hasn't come to your attention yet................... I'm going to be one of the headlining teachers at the Farha tour festival in Luxor 22nd-29th Sept 2010.

Me and Eman Zaki and Kazafy- not a bad line up frankly!!!! I am really excited about working alongside with these fabulous dancers!

http://www.farhatour.com/

Book now............ see you there!!!!!!!

Salsa in Egypt

I really am getting excited about the salsa congress here in Cairo, starting THIS friday- can hardly believe it!

For 3 days the TOP salsa teachers and dancers will be doing their thing at the Sofitel Gizerah hotel in Zamalek.

I'll be teaching and performing too ( Bellydance!!!- my salsa is ok- but nowhere close to these amazing teachers- although I doubt i'll be off the dancefloor once during the party nights!)


There is something for everyone... and people don't need to have a partner already to come. There are day passes, party passes, weekend passes etc etc. I have managed to get a few of my non dancer friends to sign up for the beginners course cos it sounds like the perfect way to learn to dance... in fact- Amanda ( the organiser of this amazing event) has written this for beginners....

Welcome to Salsa! :o) The full schedule, including Beginners' workshops is lsted at the top of the group wall. Beginners can attend everything, and you have your own special area of the main dance floor full of friendly people who are ...learning too.

Right now the full congress Beginners' ticket is only 500le - including 14 hours of beginners workshops with the world's top international teachers, and 30 hours of parties/shows/afterparties and a pool party. It all takes place in one of Cairo's premium 5-star hotels, The Sofitel Gezirah.

You do not need a partner, and right now numbers of men & women beginners are equal - please book now, as we might have to stop selling tickets later to balance the numbers of beginner guys and girls.

Please send me a PM to arrange to get your ticket/s - ahlan, ahlan, ahlan to Egypt's friendly Salsa community! :o)

So if anyone reading this in Egypt fancies trying out salsa- THIS is the time to do it! If anyone from abroad fancies it too- why not? Fly on over ( I have 3 friends staying with me from UK who are coming over just for it!)

Check out the website for more info and to see the amazing line up of teachers and to book!

http://www.THEegyptsalsacongress.com

Singing Duck

I'm not sure if Cairo has had this effect on me- or if because my brain is rubbish that Cairo suits me... but I have the worst memory out of anyone I know!

I start one thing, then get distracted onto another and forget all about the 1st thing. To that end i have 'killed' 3 kettles since I have been in Cairo... they boil away forgotten until they burn out! So- I now have a beautiful kettle you sit on the gas which looks like a duck, and when it boils makes a loud sound which is not dissimilar to bagpipes starting up!!!!!!!! You fairly run to the kitchen when it boils I'll tell you! No more forgotten cups of tea for me!!!

Last night i went out with a friend to a lovely new place ( well, new for me!) Its the Nile Zamalek Hotel on sharia el maahad el swiesri, and on the roof they have a terrace which serves wine and beer and sheesha and the most stunning thai food, and the best bit is that there is a lovely view over the Nile. It was a little windy last night, so got a bit cold- but I am looking forward to going there for a sunshine lunch one day when i am off work!!!

My challenge tonight will be dancing with a swollen ankle. Was wearing high heels last night and walked between 2 cars and didn't see the big hole I was stepping into - thankfully didn't fall... but woke up to discover my ankle is rather swollen. Nothing broken- i can still wiggle it etc so fingers crossed there is only one show tonight( with lots of ibuprofen!!!!)

Back 'home'

At what point does the place you have gone away to live become home? this point I guess! previous trips to UK people have always asked- 'so when are you going back to Cairo' or 'when are you coming back home again? (to UK) '. This time- EVERYONE said, seemingly without thinking, because most people picked themselves up on it immediately after saying it... ' when are you going home? (meaning Cairo)'. I guess 3 and a half years does count as 'home' now.

So- I'm home.

eventually landed in Cairo after a 2 hour wait on Heathrow runway ( I had fallen asleep as soon as I got on the plane and woke after an hour excited to see we had landed already and I had slept the whole way to Cairo , only to discover there was some sort of problem with the plane, always reassuring, and that we had never taken off- was incredably disappointed as you can imagine!). Oh and BMI charged me 15 pounds for every kg i was over the 20kg limit. What good is 20kg to anyone ( KLM lets you take 2x 23kg bags plus hand luggage on the plane!!!) So my ticket cost 105 pounds more than it should have and they then wanted me to BUY my cup of tea on the plane- to hell with that! Wish to god my return flight with them at christmas wasn't already booked!!!!!!!!!!! Certainly won't chose that airline again!

Anyway, RELAX (speaking to myself there!).

Was working last night. Wore my new costumes from Eman; a fabulous black pharonic style one, my gold and turquoise one i wore in UK this trip, and a Mauve velvet one with purple flowers on it. All very chic! Was good to be back, although my body always struggles on my 1st day back after a holiday- i give it a month break and then expect it to do everything it was doing before- yes there were some strong complaints from some muscles! Lovely audiences though.... and I put some new stuff into my tabla solo that surprised me too. i LOVE my job!

Suppose I better go and unpack that 105 pounds worth of suitcase now!

Birthday Bliss!

I spent 4 days last week in Sharm with some of my friends. The hotel (Delta Sharm) has 6 swimming pools and was beautifully laid out. Days by pool, evenings wandering shops and restuarant in naama bay and old market. wonderful!

Photo of my pals in the pool; On the afternoon of my birthday the girls had bought me an ice cream cake and we ate that with champagne in the sunshine after a day by the pool. What more could a girl ask for?

well- except that one of my friends got very sick later that night... and ended up sampling the local hotel clinic, which blew us all away- VERY well equiped and well run with the latest technologies and even a lab on site to do blood testing etc etc. Couldn't have been better really. She ended up getting 3 drip bags, a ton of meds and care that made her feel comfortable and better. Unfortunalty it wasn't cheap- 2500le !!! Thankfully she did have good medical insurance!!! Unfortuantely she still felt unwell enough to continue the rest of her holiday and flew home directly from Sharm. That was the worst bit about the trip!

so....... if you are in sharm and have medical insurance go to delta sharm resort- if you dont have insurance go to sharm hospital which is also fairly new and seemingly very good, as well as a LOT cheaper!!!!

I came back to Cairo on thursday (with a 2 hour delay on flight- grrr) and hit the ground running. Work EVERY day....... which is great. I have had some lovely audiences and been working on some new songs with my band too so it's all good. On saturday I had a photo shoot with Amera el Kattan (of pharonics costumes) so I couldn't perform the lunch time sail - but my riend Marte covered for me and seemingly it went really well! Well done Marte!!!

The photo shoot was fantastic. I was there with my friend Zsofia and we were the only 2 girls there to model who were not Russian! Was strange being surrounded by all these girls and not understanding what was going on! We modelled LOTS of costumes- and as soon as the shots have been put onto Amera's website I'll let you know ( or maybe you can let me know- since I cannot access the website from within egypt- a measure added to prevent other designers copying ideas!!!) .

There were 3 photographers AND a video camera. I have no idea what its all going to look like- but it was a lot of fun! The new saaidi and melaya costumes especially were stunning and a lot of fun- I'll be going this week to put my order in!!!! Not sure why almost EVERY costume I had to model was chiffon. I am NOT a chiffon fan and therefore wafting this full skirt about wasn't my thing at all... however posing with the sword was a lot more fun!!!

Oh- and I went to a wedding on saturday night with a friend at the Semi-Ramis Intercontinental. I got there after work expecting to have missed a great deal- but by 12.45 the bride and groom had only just entered the ballroom and Hakim had just started his set! The dancefloor was packed- but hardly anyone other then the bride and groom actually danced! How could you NOT dance to Hakim singing live???? I didn't but only becuase I didn't want to attract attention away from the happy couple!!!!

Then came Dina... stunning. She looked the best i have ever seen her and she was fantastic with both pleasing the crowd and with crowd management.... one wee girl ran accross the dancefloor mid Dina performance and almost got a slap (not intentionally!!!). Her entrance was seriously lacking in dance moves but packed with energy and attitude. She did a lovely baladi which actually had people standing and watching quietly- drawn in for a change rather than just trying to grab her attention! She did her job very well... and the only problem was the guest contunally trying to crowd the floor, which meant she couldn't move and no one else could see. Frustrating! I thnaked her afterwards for a lovely performance and she was fairly chatty... doubt I would have been after an hour of fighting of people! One wee boy was totally chuffed with himself as he handed her a flower from the side of the the stage and she rewarded him with the biggest smile ever. He walked about with his chest puffed up high all night after that!

I assumed Dina was the final act, but no- then came the Moroccan singer Ganet. She was very sweet. With a lovely voice. Not the same crowd control or stage presence as Dina, but then she is probably half her age and experience!!

It was a fabulous night- I left at 4am when Ganet was still singing... couldn't keep my eyes open any longer!!!

So its been a busy week. Sharm, work work work, modelling. wedding.... and of course wee 13 day old kitten (we still dont have a name for it!!!) has finally opened his/her eyes last week and is now developing a huge thirst, an inquisitive personality and demanding lots of attention. Marte is a fabulous mum1 and I try to do the mum2 duties as best i can! This is him/her at what we think was 4 days old!! (cotton bud for scale!!!!)

Love my life.

London bellydancers do Cairo.... in all its glory.

The girls went off to the Nile group festival this morning for a workshop with Aida Nour. I have to admit- I had a long lie (was bliss) and then taught a private class in my studio.

We headed for an American style lunch.. at Chillis- fabulous- BIG food and a waiter called johnny who skidded to a halt as soon as his name was even whispered and brought iced tea before it was even requested!

then a walk to Amera el Kattans where I got to try on my new costume ( yummy!) then off to Emans costume shop for a fitting for one of the girls and I ordered another costume... ooops... couldn't help myself! Then we dashed off to the Sawy centre in Zamalek to see a show....

but not just any show

no....


the ....


wait for it.........

..................


Abdul Halim Hafiz PUPPET show................

It was possibly the most bizarre thing I have ever seen. Original Halim songs.. but with the full orchestra in puppet form performing it! Ok... so Once we stopped laughed (oh- and after one of the girls gave a TV interview about it all!!!!) then yes- we could appreciate how good the puppeters were- all the musicians played their instruments just when they should with the music.......... but really......... I cannot describe it... the photos say it all. Cairo's answer to the thunderbirds.

The most surreal thing I have ever seen. (seemingly according to the cairolive events blog- the 1st recorded puppet show was in Egypt in 2000BC !!!!!)

Oh and they also do an Om Kalthoum puppet show. .....( check it out if you don't believe me!!! http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=5954)

A walk to Cairo Jazz club took us past an open shoe shop which just had to have half an hour spent inside trying on EVERY shoe........... with one pair, the correct size, it was to be presumed , being delivered in an hour ( ie at 11.30pm!)- they did get the shoe from another branch- but they had ordered the wrong size... oops.. guess the bling went to their heads...

A 'rock' band next in Cairo Jazz club, who played everything from The Police to George michael to Duran duran to .. Oasis. .... oh- and there were 2 guys in there who looked like Jesus. One, the origional- skinny Jesus- and one the American good-living sup-ed up version- big broad musclely thick jaw jesus. Most entertaining. You can imagine the jokes....

The drive home was yet another experience. Egypt beat Italy in football tonight 1-0. I'll repeat that. Egypt beat Italy! The streets were MOBBED in mohandiseen. EVERYONE was on Gamet el dowal st with flags and drums and horns and generally dancing in the streets. A fantastic vibe- and all without alcohol. Egyptians really know how to celebrate.

so recap.... in one Cairo day

-Aida dance workshop
-American lunch with more food than we could eat
-costume shop- bling
-drinks on the balcony ( forgot to mention that earlier!!!)
-A different costume shop- more bling
-A PUPPET show- sore jaw from all the laughter
-a rock concert- with Duran Duran songs....
-a football riot- without alcohol

Cairo.................... you just have to love it.

Otherwise you would go mad!

( oh- and there is probably stuff I forgot about too!!!!!!!!)

London Bellydancers- part 2 !!!

This week i have Eleanor (Eshta) and Nafiseh (of http://www.saqarah.co.uk/ fame) London staying with me.

They are here to participate in the Nile group festival who had their opening show last night.

WOW what a show! LOVED it!

We arrived a little late and had missed Nancy's 1st dance. So when we arrived she was wearing a green catsuit with cut out panels which left NOTHING to the imagination. I have to say the each of the 3 costumes I did see her perform in had me wondering HOW she could dance in that... ie VERY short skirts, without showing Everything. I was kept wondering so much that I have to admit I can't even comment on her dance. at all. Surely the costumes should ADD to the dance- not totally distract you from it??? Anyway- she looked beautiful and sexy.

Nour was next. She is just beautiful... body and soul. Smiling, elegant, cultured, skilled, fun and totally in love with what she is doing. I was insanly jealous of whoever helps her put together her musical sets- she had a fabulous orchestra who moved seemlessly from one song into another and into the 1st again... beautiful. Her costumes are somewhat 'old fashioned' but I have to say- it was a relief after Nancy- since you weren't studying her body - you actually were looking at her moves, her face- that whole package. I had a romantic smile on my face the entire time she danced. Oh and she did one of the best drum solos I have ever seen in Cairo. Such a shame she normally only performs at weddings and there is nowhere other than the festivals where we can go and watch her do her thing!

and next.........................

Corpse bride ( http://corpsebridemovie.warnerbros.com/photos_3.html )

That was the next act........... ok... so actually it was Camelia... and I wish to god I had a photo of her so you know what I am talking about.............

If Nour had me smiling romantically at her all night- Camelia had me alternating between laughing out loud and shocked. She certainly knew how to keep her audence Locked onto her! Magnoona !! ( Crazy!!!) She looked a little space cadet around the eyes it has to be said. She has extreme energy, humour and passion in her dance. I loved it. Her noteable moves were lifting her skirts up to show off her lycra shorts (at every opportunity) and swinging her hair around (including washing her face with said hair?!!!). Her sharp moves, hits, drops etc were to DIE for. strong bold sharp on beat- wonderful. Her lyrical interpretating needed some translation at times though... overall... an AMAZING performer. loved it. wanted to see more.. and more.... totally original... and inspiring.

Most people headed off to sleep then unfortuanatly and missed the best saaidi band ever... Hegazy had us up dancing on stage and in front of stage for nearly an hour.. which is pretty good going on a bad cold- but somehwo I held out- well- how could I not really.... with all those Rabab players and mizmar... not to mention the drums- it would be rude not to!!!


Amazing night. And that was the girl's 1st night in Cairo................... what else does Cairo hold in store for London Bellydancers... this week will tell all ( but not sure how much of it i can write on the blog!!!!!!!!!!! )

Tonight - just to drift off the subject slightly... i performed well. I felt. my second set i usually do saaid- Baladi- Tabla solo.... tonight I did ( twice and to great effect both times) Saaidi- Baladi- Lissa Fakir. I was nearly in tears (honest it wasnt just the sweat running into my eyes!!!). My band really can hold it together if the mood takes them- was proud of them, and I suspect them of me too...

This schedule is fairly full on... I am performing on the Nile Pharoah tomorrow (17th) and then 20th- 27th inclusive. Hope more dancers come to see me.......... so much more fun when dancing for people I know and who love dance!