Adios Egypt.....:(

View of Port Said Street in Downtown Cairo

It is time to say goodbye to this place that has captured my heart in many ways.  Now , here this, with all its “gameela” (beautiful) things it does have many things that drive me crazy.  They are things that are sometimes hard to understand and I just shake my head in wonder sometimes….It’s a  

Traffic !

country full of contradictions, like the fast and slow pace of doing things….Drivers drive like they are on the Indy 500 racetrack but when you arrive at your location things sloooooowwwww down.  A simple stop at a shop in the market turns into a 1-hour visit. 

Tahrir Square- The home base of the revolution

Another thing that drives me apes at times and  for us western women too , is  the way women are dressed (covered up). At first glance, you might get a perception of submissiveness or  
passivity…..but NO WAY, you would be wrong…Egyptian woman have a mind and they will give you a big piece of it at any moment’s notice.  Do not confuse or mistake their attire with an attitude or thinking of meekness.  If you see an Egyptian woman (or man) take off her shoe and threaten you with it, know that you have just received the most offensive thing they can do to you.  Hmmmm didn’t Dubya get a shoe in his face one time 

The Egyptian Museum

while in the Arab world?...Welllll if our current esteemed president ever shows up his face in Egypt he will need to wear protective gear because a whole slew of shoes will be coming his way. !... But I digress…sorry, back to Egyptian women… I know a woman that wears a “nikab”, the covering in black over the face that you can only see the eyes, but this woman has a very open mind about many things.  More so than some that are not covering their hair or body to the same extent!. She just chooses to wear the nikab as her interpretation of her religion and culture. Egyptian women are feisty, opinionated and

will not have any qualms to tell you off in a second…I love them !...:).  The men, hmmmm, very flirtatious and appreciative of the female form, if you know what I mean...;)...lol


Time is another thing that sometimes just makes me absolutely crazy especially, with a curfew going on and a very narrow window of time to conduct business.   Like Cubans, 10 minutes really means 45 minutes or more. Of course, traffic plays a huge part in it because traffic in Cairo is by far the worst I have ever seen and I have been to highly populated cities like Hong Kong, Sao Paulo and Mexico City.   As we say in Spanish Cuban style, those places are “niños de teta” compared to Cairo traffic.  So when they say I’ll be there in 5-10 minutes , count on 45 minutes or an hour at least.  It kind of plays havoc with your schedule when that happens… So lots of grin and bearing it and the art of being patient!

Sherwin Williams should start marketing here !

Another thing that it is very very rare in Egypt is to find a building that is painted on the outside!  If you find a residential building that is painted you have just discovered a jewel as precious and unique as a treasure from King Tut’s tomb!...Seriously!  I know that the vast part of Egypt is in the desert but a little paint and care on the outside of the building will go a long way…just saying..

The Bead Shop !

But with all of that it’s still a place that fascinates me. Egypt is 7000 years old….how many places can say that!  it’s history and culture are perhaps only rivaled by China/Far East in its antiquity.  Now, I’m not an expert but I would bet it’s probably older than even China.  There is beauty in its old buildings and mosques with its architecture and intricacy in design.  When you find handcrafted

items, they leave you breathless in its loveliness. The colors in the fabric market are incredible; I had so many choices to buy from to make the scarves that it was overwhelming.  The landscape especially of the Nile in Upper Egypt is truly stunning.  When the sun rests at the end of day and you see it disappear behind the Nile, you think nothing could be more incredible.   

Lunch with the Girls !

Then of course, the people you meet along the way are truly remarkable.  They are simple and complicated at the same time, another contradiction ! Their sense of humor is contagious…lol.  Lots of joking around and smiles. My GF’s Raghda, Rasha, Fatma & Mara are wonderful women and Mohamed, Mohsen, Amer, Mahmoud, Tarek & Aghmed are great guys and someone you can count on.

 

So as I write my last entry from Egypt before I leave tomorrow night to travel half around the world to get back home (to my warm and comfy bed…YAAAAYYY!) and look into the face of my beloved son… I leave you with snapshots of different pictures I took while I was here.  Enjoy them and please leave a comment, I really do love reading what you think about the things I write and show you ….

Life is Good !

Traveling Redheaded Lady

 

 

Egyptian Perfumes ....I'm in Heaven!



Wood and mother of pearl divider

The first time I was in Egypt I experienced what it was to discover how perfumes were made and how the process of smelling different perfumes was all about.  However, today I acquired a deeper understanding of the process “Egyptian” style.

 

 



Ahmed "The Nose"

I arrived at the Perfume showroom and factory via Mohamed (I’m telling you the man knows everyone and everything in Cairo!).  A beautiful place full of colorful perfume bottles, crystals, wine decanters and glasses, mother of pearl and wooden furniture, just gorgeous!

 

and the Lesson begins.....

I had the great fortune of having this process taught by what perfume industry insiders call “The Nose”.  The Nose is the man/expert in distinguishing the different essences from flowers, herbs, fruits, etc  to combine them into a perfume.  He can smell a perfume and tell you if it has jasmine, musk, gardenias, violets, peach, etc, and be able to create a perfume for you based on the smells you like. 

Coffee

Ahmed, “The Nose” is the third generation in his family business of over 40 years.  He told me how they capture the flowers, fruits, herbs, crush them to extract the oils, then they place them underground to maintain an even temperature for approximately 60 days and then separate the oil from the liquid to create these wonderful and absolutely intoxicating Egyptian perfumes or essences as they call them.

The first perfume test



Ahmed than began to explain the different flowers and blends to make the perfumes in the marketplace such as Jadore, CK, Addict, Cool Waters, Chanel, etc. In doing so, he asked what my favorite smells were and I told him I loved Jasmine, Vanilla and Lang Lang.  He then began mixing the oils together and placing them above the knuckles of my fingers.  After every couple of tests, he would ask that I smell the coffee grounds he had placed in a plate to erase the smells and begin again.  Sort of like cleaning the palate but in this case, it was the nose palate.  He proceeded to



 


Fascinating!

do his magic and created two wonderful perfumes to my taste that I am bringing back home. 

In addition to the perfumes they make, they also create beautiful Egyptian glass perfume bottles that are delicate and the intricate designs and colors on them are just stunning.  They do everything in house, grow their flowers, create the perfumes and manufacture the hand blown glass bottles.  It truly was an amazing time I spent getting to know the Bendari family.  Hmmmm I see an Amoura perfume in the future, most definitely!

 

 

Mohamed Bendari

Traveling Redheaded Lady....:)

 



A day in Zamalek......

The Nile River view in Zamalek

 

Aerial view of Zamalek, I didn't take this pic !...lol

I spent the day in Zamalek last Saturday. Zamalek is a little island neighborhood in the middle of the Nile River right in the center of Cairo accessed by the famous Oct 6 Bridge. 
 It’s where many of the embassies are located like Jordan’s, India, Bulgaria, to name of few.  I love walking in the shaded tree lined neighborhood and discovering new embassies, shops, just little holes in the wall that have hidden treasures like this little shop I found owned by a very grouchy Englishman but filled with beautiful things…..lol.

Zamalek is one of the affluent areas in Cairo and home to many Europeans and foreigners.  Perhaps it is why I feel the most comfortable here.  Besides that fact that it’s a lovely area I feel it has the essence of Egypt but also flashes of home like seeing Subway, Coffee Bean, etc. and a bit of a

 
western style living.  I definitely want to stay in this area next time I come to Egypt.  I just need to find an affordable place!

Sequoia Restaurant,,,,not South Beach!

Lunch was at a lovely restaurant called Sequoia on the edge of the “Cornish” (el malecon) of the Nile River.

 

 



Hooka anyone?

It has an indoor and outdoor setting but the outdoor setting is my favorite.  White tents and flowing curtains, sofas and comfortable chairs….wait..! Am I in South Beach?????...no no no I'm in Zamalek, in Egypt...wow...for a second there I was confused...lol.. Anyway, maybe that's why I loved it so much, it reminded me of Sobe's places.

 

I not only loved the restaurant for its ambiance but the food was fantastic.  Hummus , sambousak (turnovers or “empanadas”) and then pizza & chicken shish tawook, delicious !

I also took the opportunity to get some shots in a different setting of a new bracelet I’m doing for the Starlight Children’s Foundation.  Overall, it was a lovely day and I enjoyed it very much!

 

 

 

As always, please leave me your comments!

 

Traveling Redheaded Lady

Egyptian People.....

 In my trips to Egypt I’ve met and interacted with many people. Some have become friends, others have turned out to be business partners and others just very interesting characters along the way ! 

Streets of Luxor

Today I’ll write and show you pictures of these interesting people, how they dress, what they do ,so you get to see the activities in the daily life of an Egyptian. 

Mohamed

Of course, by now you all know and have seen pictures of Mohamed and his family.  Mohamed, tour guide extraordinaire, negotiator, translator anddddddd, the Formula 400 driver that transports me from one place to another through the streets of Cairo faster than “Beam me up Scotty” would.  It is an adventure riding in the car with him! I first met Mohamed on my first trip to Egypt and he has become indispensable to me.  Amira his wife is always so helpful and excellent cook and his children Yara and Youssef are adorable!

Youssef and Yara

 

 

 

 

 

Then there is the rebel, protector of the underdog and injustice, spiritual being and ambassador to Luxor and Egypt, Marie “Mara” Vaughan.  Mara is the owner of Mara’s House in Luxor of which I have shown you pictures of her beautiful hotel. 

Mara tweeting away!

Amr and I waiting for our taxi

For an experience of Egyptian living and life, you need to stay at her place. She is a wealth of knowledge and information on ancient and current Egyptian history.  Her trusty right hand man Amr is also very helpful; someone that helps keep Mara’s House organized and the guests well fed as he’s an excellent cook!

Visiting Samar and her new baby nephew Oday

In Cairo, there is Raghda one of my jewelry makers.  Raghda is getting married in October and in the middle of finishing my orders! The money she is making on my order is what is financing her wedding and honeymoon to Thailand! 
She is funny and loves to know everything about the US! Her fiancée Mustafa escorts us to the market all the time and helps carry all the bags of the beads and materials.  I was about to carry one of the bags one time and she said to me “my dear, do not worry about that , Mustafa is here for that”…LMAO…I thought..oh boy, Mustafa doesn’t know what he’s getting into.!!




Morning begins with a trip to the bakery to pick up your fresh bread and items for breakfast.
These gigantic bread things that look like pretzels are call simit. But they are delicious ! That and a cup of coffee or tea and you're ready to go!

Grocery shopping for the week is more for the westerners; people here purchase things daily or for just a few days.  So you see the fruit and vegetables sellers, the bakers, people up and about cleaning the front of their shops.  And of course the never-ending car horns!

Now Egyptian men wear a variety of clothes from the long robes to regular modern clothing like jeans and a t-Shirt. Women typically are wearing the traditional muslim clothing of long sleeve and long skirts with their hair covered.  Poor things, it was 104 when I left Luxor and I can’t imagine being dressed like that and out and about.  I would melt!!! 

You do see some women without the “hijab” the head covering but those are usually Christians, foreigners or the high & upper middle class women wearing them. 

Buying Spices for the kitchen

 

So to conclude here are some pictures of just daily scenes from Cairo and Luxor…and a funny video of Amr trying to move a donkey out of the way for our car to move!...lol..

Enjoy and please leave your comments and feedback. I love to hear from you!