It’s a long time since I wrote and I’m sure you’ve mostly stopped reading and looking by now, so you’ve probably come across this by pure chance! Life has just become so busy with the company (Nile Wave Travel, find us on Facebook and become a fan - sorry, small ad break there) and the net is so slow here that I just never seem to get around to writing. Besides, life is now routine- the same routine you have – get up, go to work, come home from work, have dinner, watch TV or work on the computer, go to bed! There’s not much exotic or interesting about that!
But because it’s been a few months there have been a few bits and pieces.
Mohamed’s sister Shimaa and her husband and 2 kids, Yousef and Hella visited from Kuwait. I have put some photos of the kids on Facebook – they are gorgeous but “full of life” shall we say. Shimaa is adorable and taught me a little more Arabic and a little more cooking. They mostly stayed in their own flat in Maadi, and bought another one while they were here (in our estate). Mohamed adores the kids and it was lovely when they were around.
We bought a new car – Mohamed finally got his way and we now have a new black BMW which is nice but not sure that I would buy another, at least another not 3 series. There’s no storage room in it for anything, only takes a single CD, no cup holders in the front, doesn’t have anything like floor mats (the dealer generously gave us rubber ones), the leather seats and sun roof are unbelievably hot here in summer (maybe I’ll appreciate the sunroof more in winter) – I have a list! I know these are all little things and I’m sure the engineering is superb, still, little things matter. I especially hate the no cupholders and no storage, there’s nowhere to keep any CDs for example when you want to change the one you can have in the player and your bottle of water rolls around on the floor and you can’t have a coffee…. whinge, whinge, whine…
There was a story in the trip when went to collect it – having sold the Honda we took a taxi. Not just any taxi, the most dangerous, decrepit, battered taxi in all of Cairo I am sure. When we got there Mohamed gave him 100 pounds and told me he hoped he’d go home for the day so no one got killed. For most of the 15 or so kms I was sure it would probably be us! At least I was in the back, but I didn’t have a seatbelt and my door didn’t close properly…. Seemed very incongruous arriving at the BMW showrooms in this fashion.
And Mohamed’s sister Hagar got married, a very nice Nubian wedding through the night with much music and dancing – so many different customs. The contract ceremony was on the Saturday, with Mohamed standing in at the mosque for Hagar (men only ceremony) and then the party on Sunday night. They are not together until after the party.
So - Hagar's wedding was different and interesting, about 200 people I'd guess, most from Upper Egypt (Aswan) as both families originate there. So the faces looked African rather than Egyptian and the music was Nubian, like Ethiopian/Sudanese. The dancing was also African rather than Arab, so no belly dancing. More like line dancing of a sort.... really easy to do.
It was all very different from the start - we collected Hagar around 8.30 pm from the "coiffeur"/dress place/photo studio and her Mohamed (yes her husband is also called Mohamed) was already there along with about 40 other people attending the wedding and about a dozen other brides, all with their own crowds - incredibly hot, incredibly crowded, incredibly noisy - we had one family photo taken and then, once the most important people had all arrived, we all loaded into cars and one of our Coasters amid clapping, tambourine banging and music, people blessing the couple etc. Our new car was the couple’s transport, decorated with flowers, Nubian music playing - loudly.
We all went in a sort of procession (as much as you can in Cairo traffic), horns tooting and music blaring, with some cars weaving in and out of the traffic, to the reception place beside the Nile, open air with coloured lights, awnings and heavy satiny curtains - hard to explain. Tables and chairs and a dance area (concrete but with carpets over some of it). A raised stage for the bride and groom with big chairs. Food was a small cardboard box with a small round croissant, a slice of sponge/cream cake and a small juice. Feeding Omar (one of our little nephews) I managed to get the cream all over me. Lots of dancing. Sometimes just men in one group and women in another, sometimes together. Sometimes the bride and groom sometimes not. Stick waving (like walking sticks being waved in the air by the men), finger snapping, clapping, ululating, spraying with Santa snow and air freshener (go figure). SO HOT!!!!
About 1 am the bride and groom danced with Mohamed's parents (his dad on crutches so couldn't get up onto the stage etc.) and another relative of Mohamed's also danced with them holding a tray on which was a velvet box and chocolates. Then back onto the stage and it was revealed that this was the wedding gold for Hagar including her wedding and engagement rings, gold bracelets, another couple of gold and diamond rings and a diamond pendant. So Mohamed put those on her and she in turn transferred his wedding ring from his right hand to his left. Then they threw all the chocolates into the crowd. Lots more noise – tambourines and ululation.
And there ended the only formalities, as such. Lots more dancing. Finally the procession out preceded by the tambourine type drums (big ones) and singing, clapping etc., then up to the car and the men all picked Mohamed up and threw him into the air three times after which he joined us in the car and half a dozen cars made another horn-tooting, music-playing procession to where they were staying. Normally it would be to their house but the carpenter didn't finish the kitchen so they stayed a few days at Shimaa's flat. Then it was goodnight and goodbye.
So there you have it – all very exciting and interesting.
And now I’d better go, get back to work so to speak, designing more tours, talking to more hotels, etc. etc.
I hope you are all well and happy
Lotsa luv
Lyndall
PS - there's some wedding photos on Facebook and photos of the family - look for them in the family in Egypt album but feel free to browse and comment on my other photos as well :-)
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