Not that we haven't had any fun. In fact, Monday night we had a LOT of fun. Our group leader, Ilona, invited us all out to a place called After Eight. It's underground Cairo, and if you visit the city, you have to stop by. It's hard to find though. They've sort of hidden themselves away to keep a low profile since they sell alcohol. Not that they think people will riot, but rather so they don't attract any scummy folks who can't get alcohol elsewhere. You have to walk through a shop and down a small alley. We had a tough time finding the place, and Kaz and Quentin and I, walked around for a long time before stumbling upon it, but once inside it was worth the effort.
By the time we arrived, around eleven, it was already crowded. The atmosphere is great: cozy, well lit, but dark enough. Ilona had reserved us a table right by the "stage." I call it a "stage" because it was really just a small room behind a curtain. When the band finally started playing, it looked more like a puppet show than a concert. They were all sitting down in this tiny tiny room, looking out at us through a window. You may know the band, they're one of the most popular bands in the Middle East, and certainly in Egypt: Wust el-Balad. They play a mix of traditional Arabic music with other forms of world music, especially Latin American. They were simply an amazing group of very talented musicians. And fun to dance to!!
So we danced. And by 'we' I mean, everybody. A few of the others in the group had said things like "I don't dance" or "I'm too shy" but when the music started, it carried them off just as quickly as it took the self proclaimed dancers. Sometimes you just can't resist the music!
Ilona knew an Egyptian dancer, named Alfred, of all things, and she pointed me out to him. So before I knew it, I was salsa dancing to live music with an amazing Egyptian dancer. I suppose that's a life's goal I can write on my list and promptly check off. :-D Alfred really was an amazing dancer, and a very strong lead. Made me miss my days and nights on the social dance floors back home....
And so we danced some more. Fortunately, everyone was able to just let go and dance without worrying about being hassled (though we did have to "save" Brenda from a potential partner. Not that he was doing anything wrong; she just didn't want to dance with him and didn't want to be rude.)
Of course, I'm still recovering. We were out until 4am, which is really not my usual bed time. Tonight will be an early night. Hopefully now that my journal is done, I'll have a bit more freedom to blog more often.
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