Cairo, the 16th September, 2010

Neighbourhood affair...

I love my neighbourhood, for the first time since I arrived to Cairo. I ´ve lived in different places in this crazy city but none feels like "home" so much as "my zone" in Zamalek.

I even have what could be called - by VOGUE and VANITY FAIR standards - a vintage dry cleaning store right next to my appartment called "NEW YORK" (hand painted in red).

How cute is that?

Every time I pass by the shop, I get to remember my favourite city (right next to the rustic, spiritual, enigmatic Haridwar, in India) in the world: NEW YORK.

Besides that, I´ve been discovering a couple of shops and cofffee-shops that are all I love: cosmopolitan with great qualiity stuff from all over the world and yet cozy and warm. They feel like...well, ME!

Last night shows were a last breath into a long run marathon from which I will escape for four days of retreat.

The orchestra was exhausted, I was exhasuted but the audiences, opposite to some rather nasty ones I got not so long ago, were SUPERB! I got all the energy from the people who came to watch me dance and did some of my best work till now.

There were actual yelling burst on several occasions and those were not HEEEELLLLLPPPPP, they were BRRRAAAAVVVOOOOOOOOO........

The exhaustion disappeared and only appreciation and happiness remained.Thanks to my audiences.

Such a pity I don´t video tape all my shows...(MUST start to do it, like backing-up info from my pc).

After the show, I was dragged by a friend to another new place so close from my home but so ignored by me until now. Right next to my favourite book-shop, there it was, a heaven of hot drinks with foam, caramels and chocolates, low lights that make you want to sing the blues and great jazz music to complete the mood.

Just 3 minutes walking distance from my home...who could imagine?!

I love my neighbourhood...:)

Trees (although dusty, we´re in Cairo after all), gorgeous restaurants, the Opera House and the "El Sewy Center" with all those magnificent shows you can only watch in Cairo and original places everywhere.

Baladi and sophisticated at the same time. Now I understand why Zamalek is such an expensive zone.

I am addicted to this place.

Only Joaquin Cortés would drag me out from Zamalek, if he was performing in another part of the town.

Now...he would!