bye!

This is me signing off. It has been quite the "incredible" "adventure." ha ha I feel very lucky that I got the opportunity to go to all these places and see everything I saw. I hope you enjoyed reading up on my journeys and monkey business.

Buying Chandeliers

It's official. I am done.

Yesterday, work was really fun. Knowing it was my last day of shows ever may have had something to do with it. There are quite a few of us leaving the company and they gave us all a papyrus painting as going away present which I wasn’t expecting and thought was really nice. My last show I really skated it out one last time. It is sad leaving and knowing I will never be lacing up my skates again to do silly numbers and entertain kids.

Our last three days of shows finally had a crowd. Our shows had really been pretty empty up until this week! The word finally spread now that we were leaving!! After work, we all went to the disco one last time and had fun dancing.


My last day in Egypt, I spent some time out by the pool with people one last time. I got my packing out of the way so that I would be able to enjoy my last hours. Alex, Mauricio, Meredith, and I took one last trip to the market to eat at Diaa’s fave restaurant again. I tried some melon juice this time and falafel which was pretty good. We walked around the market a little. We went inside this one store that was pretty exquisite. It used to be a palace. They had these massive chandeliers that were very different and funky looking. If I was going to purchase a chandelier, I would totally want one of these. Alex was asking the guy how much for one of them, as if he was actually interested which cracked me up.


On our return trip, we almost died……Well not exactly but all of a sudden the wind shield shattered into a million pieces. We really don’t know what happened. I guess a rock hit it, but usually when that happen the whole doesn’t crack. It was pretty crazy and our driver was way to calm about it as if it happens every day. He flagged us a new cab and sent us on our way.

Only in Egypt!

Habibi

Today, I took Skyler’s dance class he organized which was a lot of fun. It was just small group of six in the class which made it even more fun I feel. We did a jazz type warm up which included so many things we used to do for synchro warm up with Tisa including the alternating arm move. Doing these things brought back fond memories fro synchro. We then did some stretching and then small combos which were then used again all together as a dance to a Missy Elliot song. It was really a blast learning.

Later that night the locals were taking a group to a Shisha bar. I wasn’t really interested in smoking but I wanted to go to hang out and I’m really glad I did. The locals are such fun and I feel like they are just such happy people because they are constantly laughing. They are also so nice. Tarek, who earlier today at work asked, “Where are you?” I answered, “Right here” but he had meant, “How are you?” Anyways, Dora said she was hungry so he ran out and got some food for her and any others who were hungry which was really nice. They call each other “habibi” which translated means darling but they use it all the time to call here friends. . We started saying it over and over again. For girls it is "habibati" which doesn’t sound nearly as cool. We then changed it to "habiboo" because it sounds kinda like "hey boo." They were amused with us I think. One of them named Samy is going to be interning in Portland, ME soon! I wish we had started hanging out with our locals right at the beginning because now that we finally befriended them we are coming to the end of our stay but at least we got the chance to bond with them a little!

Picture Break

Pharaoh Boat Cruise

So the past three days even more people were out….so I got the chance to be the Popcorn Seller in Opening which Adrienne used to do. I love the opening number but her spot isn’t quite as thrilling as doing mom because she does a lot of standing by her cart while others are dancing and doing steps. I must say though the orange colored curly up-do wig looks smashing on me! With JJ gone, Tilley has been doing host quite often leaving me partner-less and brother-less so I have been skating with an array of all different people for my last few days.


Tonight we had our closing night party on the Pharoah Nile Boat Cruise. It was decorated in what you would expect to be cheesey Egyptian décor. They played Egyptian music and a belly dancer performed for us. She pulled some of us girls out on the dance floor with her to try belly dancing. I went up with Charlotte, Pia, and Corrie and made some sad attempts hahaha. I have no idea how they move in those ways. She really didn’t look Egyptian to me and not that non-Egyptian can’t belly dance but I just thought it would have looked better on the authentic Pharoah Boat to have a dancer that looked more the part. Turns out she is from Scotland!

The food was very tasty which made me very happy. It was a huge buffet spread which had two of my favorite things to eat here: hummus and dolmas. They also had quite a spread of dessert including ice cream which I hadn’t had in awhile so it tasted so awesome. After eating everyone went up on the top deck and sat outside to take in the view of the Nile. We only had the boat for two hours so soon enough it was over and were backing to the dock.

There was a football game going on so traffic was horrible. Some people went to the Hard Rock Café after which I regretted not doing because our ride back not so fun. It look us so long sitting in traffic and this English concession guy with the heaviest accent ever was very intoxicated and causing a scene. I was right in the midst of the craziness too sitting just one seat behind him. It was so uncomfortable. We got back safe and sound though!

I am so gothic.

Today was Adrienne’s last day here. Before even coming she had had a wedding to go to this coming weekend. She told them she had to go to it so they allowed her to leave Egypt early. I was wicked shock they were ok with this because usually people never got work off to do anything of that nature.

Our cast is kind of falling apart. Many have been getting sick and not just with mummy tummy; there’s been lots of sinus infections among other tings. Julia was out today and Sasha got hurt during the first show and then was out. And Pia’s foot is hurt so she’s been out for a few days as well. In between shows we played catch phrases which was so much fun and made the break go by so fast. Adrienne and I get so competitive with it and are really good at making each guess things so we aren’t allowed on the same teams. It got me so revved up for the second show.

After work we had a party that was a gothic theme. I was not into the theme but it turned into an awesome night. Some went all out with their costumes. I just didn’t have the means. If I had been warned prior to leaving we would be having a gothic party, I could have done way better but oh well. I just wore my sole black tshirt and pants I brought and I put on some eye liner and called it done.

I was so hyper and got a second wind from who knows where. There was a huge turn out which always makes it a shoe in to be fun. Netta and I had this dance off. It took place on the three stairs that are between the bar and the sitting area where crew and people were chilling. So everyone got to see the spectacle. Oh and I won! A song that Mauricio and I love came on and I wasn't with him. I went on a frantic search to find him. Dora thought it was hilarious because I was pushing through everyone to get to him.

Our locals crew came which was fun; whenever they played Egyptian music they got pumped and then we’d get pumped for our music. Adrienne was leaving at 5:30 so we just stayed up until then. We left at disco at 4:30 and were maybe the first to leave! I’m really sad she had to go. It was gonna be weird having an empty room and finishing it up without her.

I thought long and hard about that fake chanel bag.....

Today I went out shopping with Alex and Meredith. I should have known what I was getting into but was not thinking. They had got advice from our dresser Jenny and Nisma on where to go and we were going to meet them. I was under the impression we were going to a different market; we get to the place and it is a mall; a mall filled with stores selling fake bags and other crap I could care less about! I was super annoyed because this is not what I wanted to look for at all!

The girls had their friend Maha with them too. They were really good at bartering prices for them because in general it helps to have an Egyptian with you because they will often start the price higher on purpose for foreigners. I told Jenny I really wanted to find some cool scarves and she said she could help me find them. After looking around in all the identical store brimming with fake pradas and louis vuittons for an hour and a half Alex and Meredith were complaining of hunger so we left the mall and the girls took us to a Koshary Restaurant. It is a very Egyptian dish that these restaurants solely specialize in. I was slightly scared because it really doesn’t look that appetizing. They serve you this bowl with a random mix of crap thrown in it. It has rice, macaroni, lentils, chick peas, and fried onion and they give you sauces to put on top. I had mine with no sauce and thought it was pretty good. I liked that we got to try something very local.

Maha, had a car with her so she had drove us to the restaurant. I can’t fathom driving around here and she parallel parked; that’d be out of the question for me! When we were driving downtown all of a sudden Jenny was like want me to take you to get a scarf and we jumped out. Right on the side of the street there were vendors selling some and they were pretty ones too. I liked a few and couldn’t decide. If you buy more they give you a good deal so I ended up getting three! Jenny used her magical skills and got me an awesome price!

After that it was back to the crappy mall but I was totally content after eating some Egyptian food and getting scarves. Meredith has to be at work before us so she started worrying about time and Alex was taking so long so they started fighting and Meredith ended up taking a taxi by herself over it. Drama.

When we got to work we entered from the front of the arena which slightly resembles Disneyland. There are huge billboards and all the lap posts have banners with different character from the show as well as Belle who isn’t in the show! Hahaha There is also a trolley that takes you to your car just like Disneyland!

Wearing a green cape, singing Celine Dion, and exploring Cairo.

Our third day off filled to the brim! We did so much and it was a really awesome day, I’d have to say. It was a trip exploring more of Cairo because after being here for three weeks I still hadn’t even seen much of it!

We started off by seeing Mary’s Tree. This tree allegedly provided Mary and Jesus with shelter when she passed through Egypt. The tree looks pretty decrepit and is really warped. Aside from its age, it also apparently bent itself into this weird shape in order to give them more shelter.

Next we went to the citadel. Within the grounds was the Alabaster Mosque. All of us girls were given nifty green capes to cover ourselves with. We also had to either take our shoes off or put on stylish blue booties over our shoes. I liked how there were carpets laid out covering the whole floor and there were lights hanging that looked like lanterns.


We had a guide showing us around all day whom was amusing but hard to understand and hear at times. It was hilarious because when we were standing outside the citadel his phone rang. His ringtone was Celine Dion’s “Because You Love Me.” We all found this hilarious and started singing along with it.

It was extremely hot; not that it should have been a shock but on day excursion like this you really feel the burden of the hotness. After the citadel we headed to old Cairo where we visited the Coptic Museum. Coptic basically translates to mean Egyptian Christians. You weren’t allowed to have cameras inside which I was disappointed about because I saw some really cool architectural details I wish I could have photographed. The museum basically had a lot of stone carvings and old artifacts. I more enjoyed looking at the building itself. They had these windows that I learned are called Arab-esque style. From the outside they were this wooden box that jutted out and had intricate carving with wholes to let in light. There were small parts that could be opened like a shutter; There was one large one in the center and then two small ones on the side. The larger one was for men and the smaller ones for women because that’s fair! There was also cool carvings in the ceilings and doorways and awesome stained glass windows, none of which I can show you.

After that we walked down the block to see the Hanging Church. I still can’t grasp the concept but apparently there used to be water underneath the Church and it was held up kind of on stilts as if it was hanging over the water. The water has now dried up but there are parts of the floor that have glass inserts so you can see how far down the ground is underneath the Church. This is taken inside the Church.

As we left the Church, we could hear the Calling of the Prayer happening. Five times a day they play a prayer over the loud speakers of all the Mosques so everyone can hear it and pray even if they aren’t at the Mosque. To us it just sounds like weird moaning but I’m sure it means something important. If you are in an area with multiple Mosque, the sounds often blend and it becomes an even more muffled weird sound. As the moaning continued our guide took us through a part of Old Cairo like nothing I have seen yet. We were in this very impoverished neighborhood. The buildings were run down and trash lined the alleys. We saw some chickens on the side of the road as well as a family with a goat, just hanging out. Walking through here felt slightly wrong to me, like we were intruding on them. People were snapping pictures which I felt bad about but as others did I couldn’t help but snap a few as well.


People didn’t seem bothered by us though. There were tons of kids running around that all seemed so happy. A bare-footed little boy was riding his bike and kind of followed us. He kept having to get off and pick it up or because of steps along the way. There were two others playing with balloons. They never asked us for anything; they more just intrigued and wanted to say hi. When we were outside the Museum, a family had asked Megan if they could take a picture with her, I guess just because she looked so different.

After that we went to Diaa’s favorite restaurant to eat some Egyptian cuisine. The place was stunning. Our table was a shiny gold color and had designs covering it. My food was very scrumptious. I had hummus to start with and some fabulous mango juice. Then I had a dish called dolmas which was vegetables stuffed with rice. I really liked the peppers and zucchini but didn’t like the eggplant. Some people tried pigeon!!! And Mauricio got rabbit! He made me try a piece which I was very reluctant to do; something about eating such a cute little hopping creature seems wrong to me. I tried a little though and it wasn’t bad. It was very plain tasting though. I also tired Hibiscus, this super sweet drink made from flowers.

The restaurant was located at the market and for the first time I got to see the cool part of the market. I wish we had had more time to look around. This was where there were more stores rather than street stalls and they were selling all different kinds of crafts and snazzy things. I not having much guidance had ended up in the yucky part of the market twice. Now I feel I need to go back yet again to explore the nice part!

Scenes from Egypt

Here are some extra pictures!

A Muddy Mess

So running here has not been too thrilling but I’ve been taking it a little easier because I am gearing up for my first marathon and will be going full throttle into training when I return. Daytime is excruciatingly hot so running would be out of the question. There is also just no where for me to really go. Our hotel is right on the airport premises so the surroundings are just parking lots and highway roads. So I was left with no choice but treadmill running. After just a few days, I already was growing tired of running this way so I found a solution. I woke up at 8 to beat the heat and ran outside staying within the gates of the hotel. It is about a 6 minute loop I did on repeat. Not so thrilling but it was a nice change from inside on a treadmill and at that hour the temperature wasn't too bad. I did this absurd run once last week. Today I did it again and it just so happened to be the day they had the sprinkler system up and running. I thought, hey this will be refreshing.

I’m going along just fine and am not even getting hit by any of them staying on the perimeter. I get to this little garden area and step down and almost slip due to the mud underneath me. They must have really over did it in this area earlier because the path was such a mess and more importantly now I was! Up to my ankles was covered in mud! In all my year running cross country, I never was such a mess. You couldn’t even make out my shoes and they were so gunked up even walking on normal ground I was scared about slipping because the traction was so filled with mud. I slowly made my way through the muddy disaster area and then had to do something.

I decided to clean my shoes off at one of the sprinklers. I thought this was a good idea but as soon as I stuck my shoe under it, the muddy water sprayed right back at me. Now I was covered from head to toe in mud splatters! It was hilarious. I finished up cleaning my shoes and walked back into the hotel with shoes squishing away totally drenching and speckled with mud. I looked like such a mess!

Food, Glorious Food.

I finally ate a really awesome meal here. There is a Chinese restaurant in the hotel which I had yet to try because in general I am not the biggest Chinese food fan. People had raved about it so we tried it tonight and it was the best thing I’ve ate since I’ve been here! I just got stir fried noodles with vegetables but man was it tasty. Looks like I will be a regular patron to the Meishi Restaurant now!

Other things I find scrumptious here include the juices. They have amazing fresh squeezed/pressed juice that are super thick and have chunks of real fruit in them. Mangoes are grown widely here so it is one of the most prominent flavor that I just adore. They also have awesome orange and strawberry juices that I’ve had. They also have really awesome feta cheese. It comes in a carton and is a block of cheese but it isn’t crumbly like at home. It is more like cream cheese consistency so you spread it on bread.

Bartering, Mummies, and Flare!

I did a lot of bartering today and would have to say I’m pretty good at it. We told the taxi man, Ali, we wanted to go to the Egyptian Museum then the market and I through out 100 pounds. Before going out we had already discussed we would pay 150 so I started it super low. He then explained just to the museum would be 100 but for both it would be 150 which was exactly what I thought he’d say! I spent the day with Christy and Robbie which was a different group for me.

Today the big group was going to the Pyramids, Egyptian Museum, and Market but I had already done the pyramids so I just wanted to do the last two. When searching for someone to go with Christy and Robbie were the only one I could fine interested.

The museum was filled with coffins, mummies, papyrus, and statues. I really liked looking at the papyrus covered with intricate hieroglyphics. I wish I knew the stories they told. Everything is just so detailed; all the carvings in the mummy cases and in the stones and just so awesome. It is crazy how much details the put into something for a dead person. In one room Robbie asked if he could take pictures. The guard said yes so I snapped a few shots as well.

Turns out photos you are not allowed but he just said yes, let us, and then asked for money!

This sign was on the wall which I found highly amusing:


The mummies were pretty creepy and disgusting but cool seeing at the same time. They had some mummified animals too which were also creepy especially since you could make out with it was. There were dogs and a random crocodile.

I got to see King Tut’s coffins and mask which were pretty awesome. He had his own room to showcase his fabulous treasure. They were so much fancier than the rest of the things in the museum and were in such impeccable shape. They looked flawless as if they were just made.

After two hours of gazing at mummies we were done so we called up our chauffer to pick us up. We then had him bring us to the market. It was extremely hot out so walking in the blazing sun was pretty killer. It is definitely worthwhile to wait until night time to go to the market. He dropped us off on the other side of the street so we had to brave crossing a very busy road. Man, was it scary; the cars just come so fast and don’t show any signs of breaking.

Christy is too nice and had trouble dealing at the market. She had a hard time responding in a firm manner that she didn’t want things. I was leading and when little children would come up and offer me a necklace or something, I would say no and they would move on. She would be like, “Oh well it is very pretty but I don’t think so.” Or “You are really cute but I don’t need that.” She showed weakness and they picked up on it so they would then walk with her for like 10 minutes. She kept saying how bad she felt for them all. She ended up buying a scarf from one of these children!

The first part of the market is neat and has lots of Egyptian looking trinkets and souvenirs but the bulk of the market is just really seedy and full of low budget crap. Also as you walk you just grow tired of pushing through the crowd on the dirty street with men hissing at you and as the merchandise grow less interesting. So we turned around and went back to the good section.

This guy sells things right off his head!
We walked by a couple stands selling scarves. I wanted to get some new ones but up close I was disappointed to see that they all looked so crappy and not that pretty. I stopped at one stand and found one that I thought was nice. The man wanted to sell it for 65. I told him I would give him 20. He acted slightly insulted by this price but it was what I was willing to pay. He lowered it to 50, 45, 40, 35 and said that was his last offer. I said no thanks then and started walking away. As I was walking he started yelling 30 but I shook my head. He then went down to 25 and finally 20. I turned back with a smile because I won.

Then I wanted to get some of the mother of pearl boxes. They have them at so many palces and I was being so picky. I went to probably ten places to see each ones selection. I just wanted to get the best ones. Some of the patterns just weren’t as colorful or pretty or had imperfections.

So after that Robbie and Christy wanted to go to the mall to eat at an American place and do a movie. I was starved since we hadn’t ate all day since we’d been out and it was now 4:30 so I said that was fine. Then Robbie wanted TGI Friday which wasn’t my top choice but I just wanted to eat. Turns out it was just put in and wasn’t even open yet. The hostess explained to us that they were doing test run so if we were interested they could try out their services on us and we’d eat for free! Sweet!! Can’t beat free food!

I was super excited because they had on the old school striped shirts and suspenders with buttons that I thought were the coolest when I was little. The whole staff also would be fun dances. The food was very mediocre but free so I can’t really complain.

I rode a camel just like my big sis!

Today was the most fun day of Egypt thus far. I went to the pyramids with Adrienne, Christy, and Skyler and got to ride a camel! The whole group is going on Monday but being in such a large group for this excursion didn’t sound so appealing. Large numbers can really complicate things so it seemed much wise to go in a small group and have a much pleasurable time.

We had called up our cab driver who took us to the mall because he overheard us talking about going and offered to take us all around for a day for 200 pounds. Then since we were just going to the pyramids we got it down to 150. Now I didn’t notice on our trip to the mall but man does his taxi struggle. We were driving painfully slow the whole way and you couldn’t even tell how slow we were going due to the fact that his speed-o-meter didn’t even work.

People here are constantly trying to haggle you and trick you into things so when we were almost there. He pulled over in front of this papyrus shop. He told us the pyramids didn’t open until 10 so we should kill some time here. First off I’m pretty sure that’s a lie and the pyramids were already open and secondly it was of course his friend’s shop and they have a deal where he bring people in and they share the profits of something. It was too early in the am for us to strong-willed when dealing with such blasphemy so we went in.

It was cool though. They gave us a demonstration on the 12 day process of making papyrus. And then when looking around at all the paintings I decided on buying one for a present. When we got to the pyramids, he again tried to take us to his friend to ride camels. This time we were ready and we told him. We had no interest in riding camels and to just take us to the entrance. We had been told there were tons of camels and the ones outside are a rip off so you need to shop around.

Inside, we first went to the Sphinx and took some pictures here. There were all different kinds of people selling souvenirs inside the compound which I find crazy that they allow. They are constantly yelling out sales pitches in all different language trying to best guess where the next group of tourists were from.

After that we walked up to the pyramids. We started at the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the largest of the tree, and I climbed up on the first tier of stones. I then got yelled at and had to jump down. Hahaha I didn’t know it wasn’t allowed! They look massive from far but up close you see just how crazy huge they are. Each stone is at least 20 inches tall.

One of my goals for my trip here was to ride a camel. Right by the pyramid we found this young 15 year old, Muhammed, on his camel and bartered a deal with him. He ran to find a friend to bring another camel over. Adrienne and I rode together on Micheal. Meet Michael!

We felt very bad for him. The animals just seem so exploited and not happy at all. I was so stoked to ride one even if it was slightly scary.

When you get on them they fall down on there knees and then stand up so fast and jerky it is really startling. They are also so tall so it is a pretty far drop if you were to fall off. As they walk, it is a bumpy ride along the rocky sandy terrain. The camel ride was for thirty minutes which was plenty long for me. They want you to ride for one or two hours and provide you with a guide to explain everything. This, while informative, would have just been too long for me with the heat and uncomfortable seating arrangement. There was a carpet we were sitting on that was very scratchy and annoying my legs. Our ride took us from the largest pyramid over to the smallest one and then back towards the sphinx.

It was a very fun day and I got to check off my top two goals for my time here in Egypt: seeing the pyramids and riding a camel!

Arabic isn't going over big.

Check out our ad in Arabic!

So a week in our shows still weren’t doing so hot so they surveyed some of the audience so see if they could figure out what was up. Some people said they were expecting it to be in English and being in Arabic turned them off. We were told after this that they would be changing some of the shows to English to please tourists and English speaking residents. I was expecting maybe half and half but instead we now have all English shows except two a week!

This weekend I had some really funny moments. At the beginning of the Haunted Mansion number I stand on a candelabra as if I am a statue. Pia who plays Dash comes over and picks on my a lot. She sometimes ties the ribbons on my dress in bows or will move my arms. Yesterday Saturday, she took my skirt and tucked it up so my butt was exposed! When I jumped off to start the number I reached back to try to pull my shirt down and in the process I undid my skirt exposing my bum even more. I had to exit and have someone backstage fix it for me. It was really funny. And just so you know I wear pants under the skirt! Today, Jarrod was my partner in the number. He's never skated with me before so it was fun mixing it up. Before the number I gave him one pointed that we had to go downstage of the candelabra on our ballet hop and he joked saying so you don't want me to throw you right into it? Going into it we seemed like we were on the right track but then as soon as I was flying in the air I was heading straight for the candelabra. I didn't quite hit it but I had to put my hands out to brace myself and stop a collision! I made me laugh so hard; he did exactly what he had joked about. Even though I am so friggin hot in my character head, I've still been having fun being a chipmunk. When leaving work today, Smac, told me that I am such a funny Chipmunk which really brightened my day! Last night the first lady came to watch the show with her grand children! We started the show twenty minutes late because we had to hold it until she arrived.

Stella de Mare on the Red Sea

Today was our first day off! They organized a trip for us to the Red Sea where we went to the Stella Grand Hotel in Stella de Mare. It had an awesome pool that had a waterfall and was surrounded by rocks giving it a natural feel. Beyond that was the beach where there were lounge chairs and umbrella set up.

The beach was really pretty and the water, so clear. I got in right away and it was such a great temperature! I’m so used to frigid water even on the hottest days so I was really loving it. The water was super shallow. I probably went out two hundred meters and I could still touch the bottom! I saw a big jellyfish washed up on the shore as well as a bunch of little fish as well as a huge one! It was like the size of a rugby ball and was tan and speckled and camouflaged with the sand. I stayed out in the water for awhile. The rest of the day was spent mostly lounging around. I felt like I was really burning but I guess I was just hot because it didn’t get too much color. I am surprised that the sun isn’t stronger here. While it is super hot feeling, It doesn’t seem any stronger than at home.

The pool was even warmer than the sea and felt really nice. We hung out there for a good chunk of time too. When we got back to the beach people had been doing the banana boat ride so I missed out on that which would have been fun to do. At about 5, I was growing tired of the beach and was getting over it. Vinny, on security was heading the trip and he was passed out on the beach so no one really knew what time we were leaving. I was thinking it’d be 7 but we didn’t end up leaving until 9. Being stuck at a beach really isn’t horrible though so I can’t complain too much.

You can’t escape the dance!

I went straight to bed after our shows last night and woke up feeling much better. Adrienne on the other hand caught the Mummy or the Mummy caught her and really good might I add. She was having similar pains in her stomach and couldn’t get out of bed. She had to be out of work today because of it!

After work people were going down to the bar and then to the discotheque. It ended up being a horrific night for me. That is an exaggeration but it did end on a bad note. First off Mauricio and Alex took forever getting ready so I was stuck by myself downstairs for a half hour waiting for them in which this guy from Norway started bugging me and I felt stuck conversing with him. They finally came and we went up to the disco.

It was such a spectacle up there tonight. Words can’t even describe. They had this band playing that was some sort of Egyptian Big Band Style. They took up the whole dance floor and the group included ten dancers. They were doing the silliest Macarena style dances with belly dancing-esque shaking thrown into the mix. I really don’t know how they do that crazy shaking. The dancers then proceeded to run all around the place trying to get people to dance. Their first targets were the guys. I guess because they are a guy group? I’m not too sure, because being gay isn’t really allowed here. Anyways, they were crazy! I was so amused seeing them harass Alex, Skyler, and Matt. Mauricio did a duck and cover move and was able to stay out of the spotlight. After growing tired of the boy they started going after us girls. They would demonstrate this funny move and then wait for you to repeat it back. When you did they’d get excited and do another. You couldn’t, not dance; they wouldn’t allow it and would hunt you down in the corner if you were trying not to dance!

So up until this point everything was great but then my camera decided to stop working. Me and technology don’t mix. I was so bothered by this and really couldn’t relax the rest of the time. I don’t know how it happened because I didn’t drop it; one minute it was working and the next it wasn’t. This made me really devastated because I still haven’t done the pyramids trip yet. Mauricio tried reassuring me that it would be fine but I wanted to figure it out right then. During this time the crazy dancer left and they put on normal music. I wanted to leave at this point but Mauricio and Alex convinced me to stay longer. I should have gone with my gut though. Because on the dance floor I started walking away from Alex and he pulled me back over to him right where a drink had been spilt. I went down, hard. Man, did it hurt and people thought it was funny but I did not. That was my cue to leave.

Turns out it is the flash that blew on my camera so thankfully I will be able to get daytime pictures and can wait til I’m home to get it fixed.

I’m a Brazilian who loves the Titanic and has a bad tummy aches.

Today Adrienne and I went across the way to Pause to go online and eat something. Our server was being mildly creepy and kept trying to talk to me. English was a huge struggle for him and I had no idea what he was even trying to say most of the time. All I really got was him asking if I was from Brazil?? Cause I look Brazilian! And he was talking about the Titanic!? Beats me why. I was trying to type emails and get some things done and he seemed to have no concept of me being busy. I found it aggravating being interrupted esp when I was talking to mom and he started talking to me again!

After eating, my stomach started really hurting. I was feeling these sharp pains in my tummy like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I was getting worked up about the fact that “Mummy Tummy” may have already got the best of me. It was hurting so much I had to do something about it or I wasn’t going to make it through work. So I literally ran to grocery store which of course doesn’t sell medicine so then I had to go to across the way to the small mall where there was a pharmacy. This was my first time venturing out on my own; not a single person bugged me or asked if I wanted a taxi which was awesome. I made it through the day but I felt so drained of energy. Thank god I took something because it helped so much!

Opening night!

Today was opening night! The beginning of a long schedule of 2 shows daily, 6 days a week. Yesterday we had our dress rehearsal which was the most unbearably sweaty I have every gotten maybe. Luckily today they put on some more AC so it wasn’t quite as extreme. If wasn’t in a character head I wouldn’t be peachy keen but once I put on my furry body and head I am done! Just standing stil,l not moving, I become a sweaty mess. Basically, I’m not digging Dale anymore. I don’t have a problem getting all sweaty from running or other activities but I loathe sweating from doing nothing and without raising your heart rate.

After the shows everyone went up to the discotheque inside our hotel for an opening night gathering. I think everyone in the company came which was really cool. When we first got there they were playing Egyptian music but after awhile they switched over to normal music and we all took to the dance floor. The local were looking on as if we were such a spectacle. The place itself is pretty creepy looking and a place we probably all wouldn’t have chosen to hang out in under normal circumstances. But it will do the trick for our time here in Egypt.

I don't speak arabic but I do like the pyramids.

We still don’t have ice so instead we rehearsed in the discotheque running through numbers on the floor. The big news of the day was we are back to a FULL monkey number. The company finally got it together and replaced the missing heads! I was really stoked to hear this! Even though that is going to be the hottest number for me and it could have been nice to perhaps sit it out, I still just really excited for the news. This caused me to be really into walking through the steps and people were amused by my enthusiasm. BUT I haven’t done that spot since December and I was last doing Brittany’s spot which is near mine so I was slightly messed up at times. And there is a girl doing break work named Megan who is doing Brittany’s monkey so this poor new girl is relying on people around her to help her out and I was probably just messing her up more.

Today Adrienne and I had some major problems ordering food. Our first issue happened at the bar restaurant down in the lobby. Our waitress who was sporting blue eye shadow smeared around the perimeter of her eyes, might I add, was struggling with English. We both decided on the veggie and chicken spring rolls and when I told her this and she looks very confused so I pointed at the menu to show her. Can’t go wrong with pointing right? Well we ended up getting vegetable tempura. It was fine though; we ate it and didn’t complain or anything, I was mostly just blown away that the pointing method failed me. Our second problem happened while ordering room service. (Now don’t think that we are living like rock stars, we just realized that the room service is the same price as downstairs) Well I ordered us two omelets and we were delivered only one. We were both starving so this was not ok! I hope to have some more luck with ordering food in the rest of my stay.

Tonight we went to the light show at the pyramids. The pyramids are killer and I loved getting to see them. We will be going back during the day to really explore them but I’m glad I got to see them lit up at night but the show itself was not that cool. It was this overly dramatic showing with a booming voice over the speakers telling you historical facts and not only did they light up the pyramids they also used lasers to write things and draw pictures on them. They would, for instance, project “455 ft” on the pyramid while explaining how tall it was which just looked dumb. We could here them say that and didn’t need a visual. The trip got me really excited with a taste of the pyramids!

It was about an hour drive to the pyramids and this time we had a really nice bus because some of the other vehicles thus far have been a little more rickety. On the way we passed the valley of the dead or city of the dead which was pretty cool looking. I really couldn’t get a good picture of it from the bus though. We also witness our second crazy accident. I’m not surprised about the accident after witnessing how crazy they drive but what was more shocking was how everyone feels the need to drop whatever they are doing to see accidents. You know the whole deal with how people having to slow down to take a gander at accidents? Well here in Egypt, people out right stop, pull over, and even walk across the highway to take a look! We were able to surpass the craziness pretty easily but I don’t know how people function in such conditions.

Oh I also saw lots of donkeys, horses, and camels near the pyramids! I can’t wait to ride a camel!

Hitting boats on the Nile

We have no ice! The ice actually hasn’t even made it in to Egypt because it got stuck at the border! So we couldn’t rehearse today and didn’t have to work! I spent a couple hours at the pool baking in the Egyptian sun. hahah not really but it was so hot I spent an hour in the pool swimming around and just staying cool. I got to go online at this restaurant across the street, Pause. I haven’t eaten anything there yet but the food looks decent and is very cheap so I will have to try next time. The service though is painful. It is the slowest every. It took me probably a half hour to get a drink. I also attempted to ask a question and the waiter got overwhelmed and sent someone else over. The new waiter was no help either so I settle for a water because I knew what that was. I then ended up getting a sparkling water which wasn’t what I had in mind. Later that night we heard about a boating excursion on the Nile. We really like to take every chance we got to do things. It was nothing overly exciting but more something to do. We road on this large sailboat manned by a single guy who was running back and forth the whole time. We may have hit another boat when pulling out but shhhh don’t tell. The Nile is supposedly disgusting but at night I couldn’t tell at all. There were some really massive lavish hotels right on the water. The city just has two extreme: wealthy and poor.

Come back juice!

So tonight we got our first experience going to the Market. It is this street market that was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Streets upon street are just filled with these stalls selling some cool looking things like these mother of pearl boxes, hookahs, scarves, and long flowing blouses, as well as big granny panties, hoochy looking attire, and gross looking food.

The streets were filthy. I was wearing flip flops so my feet were god awful when we got back. I witnessed a man empty his trash can onto the street so you can only imagine how gross they were. I saw a bajillion stray cats. They were so cute some were just kittens. They’d be pawing through trash and walking right through the stores.The men would try talking to you but never touched you which was comforting. I got called juice which cracked me up. Some guy was kept saying, “Juice” and then after we had passed he was like, “Come back juice!” Another young boy pointed to the ground and said, “Ticket.” Me, falling for it, thought maybe I dropped something and looked only to see nothing and fall for his little ploy. He then finished his statement with “….to my heart!” Hilarious! I actually heard that one a couple more times with the occasional receipt instead of ticket.

The group that went ended up getting split up a little so I was with Adrienne, Charlotte, Pia, Dora, and Smac for most of the time. Numerous guys thought they were very original and would make comments to Smac. They would count us as we walked by and say how lucky he was to have 5 wives!

I didn’t purchase anything but I’ll get other opportunities to go back I’m sure. For my first visit I was just too overwhelmed and not quite ready to tackle the bartering process. I was too busy just taking everything in. I learned that you should start first by offering them half as much. I’ll report back later on how good I am at it. Adrienne and I were eyeing these mother of pearl boxes. Once you look it is over. A man came up and was persistently bartering with us and we were even saying anything. He started at 150 pounds and went all the way down to 110 without us even saying anything. I want to try to get one for 60 pounds when I am rested and ready to tackle the mission.

There were quite a few women out at the market but still more men. Some women have scarves that allow you to see there whole face while others only have a slit to see out of. I’m not too sure what the difference. I also wonder at what age they have to start wearing them because young girls weren’t wearing them.

Here is a kid carrying a bunch of bread on his head. I need to learn how to use my head better!

The drive there showed me just how crazy it is driving around here. They have lines drawn on the streets which seem to be painted with invisible paint because no one pays attention to them. They straddle the line and there is usually an extra lane of traffic. They cut through traffic so close each time I thought they were going to side swipe the other car. They beep a lot but all their horns sound like the one in Little Miss Sunshine so they aren’t quite as loud and obnoxious. I could never drive here! Although it sounds so crazy I felt like our driver knew exactly what he was doing so I didn’t feel unsafe in the van.

After a full day here it has already been such a different experience!