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I got to Mme. Raqia’s and started my rehearsal alone (as usual). I go there a little before 4 because she disappears at 5 usually unless someone rings the door bell. She told me today we’d be learning more of the new routine and she wanted to see me do the old one to make sure I wasn’t forgetting it. I ran through both and she came in ½ way through the old one to have a look. The new parts of the new choreo are killing me. It’s really, really fast and almost everything is a one-count move. So we only did about 30 new seconds.
After that I walked home again and showered to go out for the Nile dinner cruise and dance show we’d booked. I decided I’d wear my hair down since we were getting picked up and dropped off at the hotel and we were going to be with tourists all night. Our guide was supposed to be there at 6:45 so naturally he strolled up around 7:05 and interrupted our conversation with “Are you ready yet?” We were talking to one of the front desk guys who used to be the darbuka player in a band. He was telling us stories about weddings. One wedding the groom and bride got divorced at the party with both sides of the family using the cake in a huge food fight and they left without pay because they couldn’t find anyone to pay them. Another time everyone was smoking hasish and the dancer became so out of it she got stuck halfway through a hip circle and couldn’t move. He also played a little for us.
So we left with our prompt and kind driver and drove to Giza. The cruise goes from Giza to downtown and back. You are supposed to be there for 7:30. I think we got there around 7:10 and the boat leaves around 8 for a two hour journey.
It’s a buffet style dinner but you have to pay for drinks. There was spaghetti, potatoes, cinnamon rice and some kind of fish. For dessert there was chocolate cake, vanilla cake and some other pastries. There was also a small salad bar and bread stand. I think a bottle of wine was 120LE but we got a large mineral water to split for 10LE. There were 2 large, full tables of Japanese tourists and 2 large, full tables with an Egyptian family and the rest were tables of 2-4 guests.
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