Cuban Camaguey Folkloric Ensemble

...at the Cairo Opera House! I was invited by a colleague and his wife, who actually turns out to be my cousin's good friend's parents - i know, small world, to an evening of Cuban culture. I didn't understand a lick of what the dancers and musicians were saying, but it was a great show. It's kinda like stomp infused with salsa. They used non-musical objects: empty bottles, metal sheets, wood, metal pipes, hammers, wooden sandals, etc... to make bumpn' beats - "WooAh! gotchya all in check ...got the head nod that'll break yo' neck (Busta)" sorry...had a one of those magical moments of hip-hop. Ok, so anyways, they were salsa dancing and banging on anything and everything, had the whistle go'n - "get ya tambourine an' grab a whistle an' (E-V-E)" ...another one of those moments....sorry. They were grinding, breakn (bad ass), had the crowd clapping. It was really fun and high energy....then I look up and I see all these women with the hijab clapping and enjoying the show...pretty cool how the Arts can do that..you know, bring two completely different cultures, lifestyles, etc...together in harmony. So, anyways, I'm gonna make every effort to go to one show at least once a month if not weekly. The tickets are hella cheap and it would just be stupid not to make the effort. Tomorrow, if I can finish some stuff for work, I'm headed to Khan El Khalili, which is a famous marketplace/area that sells gold, silver, papyrus painting and other kitschy things.

Mount Sinai

I spent the weekend trekking up the very same mountain Moses did...frikin UH-MAZE-ING!!!! My calves, butt, and thighs hurt like heck, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Here's some history for you Bible study hookies: Mount Sinai is the Biblical holy place where Moses was called by God and gave him the 10 commandments. This happened after Moses led the Israelites out from the wilderness and let me tell you, after spending a day out in the desert surrounded by nothing, you really appreciate and respect the meaning of "wilderness" and the amazing Biblical journey through it. Ok, moving on...at the base of Mt. Sinai is St. Katherine's, the oldest functioning monastery in the world! So much history - crazy! Mt. Sinai's roughly 2,300 meters high and it takes about 3,500 steps to climb to the summit, which we did. We started the hike up at 1:30am and made it to the top at 3:45ish. Along the way, Bedouins (Arab nomadic pastoralists - i know, pretty cool) are busy ushering people up the mountain atop camels or trying to get you to ride one of their camels. It's funny, cuz they're like "nak tah?, nak tah?", which is the Korean word for camel. (I tell ya, Korean tourists will soon one day take over the world.) Side bar: Camels teeth are really sharp and most of them are pissed off from carrying tourists up and down the mountain all day long; it's kinda sad...almost bit my friend's hand. At the top, we waited for the sun to rise, again, this was UH-MAZE-ING!!! Thoughts of a white-haired, long bearded, grandfather with staff in one hand and holy tablets in the other with both arms raised up to the heavens flashed through my lil' mind and I couldn't help but feel the overwhelming presence of something supernatural, powerful and pure. Yes, I fought back a few tears, but I bet some of you would too. The feeling is just indescribable! Ok, so anyways, moving right along...We trekked back down the mountain, which was also UH-MAZE-ING! I swear my friend was about to kill me, cuz every five steps I was either taking a picture of the scenery, asking him to take a picture of me, taking a picture of him or stopping to say "Ooooo! Look at that!" "Wow!" "Cool!" etc... I admit, I was annoying. I didn't post all the pictures, but as a fair warning there's still like 170 pictures!!! Well, I hope you guys enjoy! You'll also see pics of the church group I went with, pics of Kala Canyon (UH-MAZE-ING!), and of the Red Sea. Enjoy!!! Miss everyone! (btw, I'm watching the 2007 Grammy Awards. Yes, the same one that broadcasted in the States in the summer; the 2006 American Music Awards was last night - ah! a piece of home.) Here's the link. Copy & Paste. http://picasaweb.google.com/jennifer.kimj/Sinai?authkey=uoyG7-B5ywQ