The (Suzanne Mubarak) Children's Museum

The formerly known Suzanne Mubarak Children's Museum in Heliopolis is a hidden gem for all parents and visitors to Egypt. Tucked away on a busy residential stretch in Heliopolis, you can never imagine the amazing gardens that lay beyond the colorful entrance gates.

The fees are very reasonable, for 40 LE you get to have a "tour of the Nile" (a walk through a fake safari along the length of a model Nile, a visit to the museum (one floor only per visit -- don't bother asking why), an activity for your kid (painting Nefertiti on papyrus), and an enjoyable stay in the gardens which have one of the best and safest children's playgrounds I've seen in Cairo and even feature a butterfly museum (seasonal).

It is clean, highly under crowded (one of the few places - truly undiscovered so far by the masses), and I'd rate the interactivity and exhibits of the museum itself as better than the ROM in Toronto.

The first floor has Ancient Egypt and this is just awesome. It includes large rubber Sphinxes that kids can assemble like a puzzle, wall drawings, an X-ray scanner of a mummy and a replica of King Tut's tomb. Next floor up is agriculture, then the desert and the sea, and the top astronomy (top two floors are reserved for schools but with a bit of convincing we got to see the desert/sea floor minus use of some of the electrical gadgets).

Awesome, not to be missed by any family coming to Cairo.

Fusion Fanoos

This Ramadan Fanoos a time treasured tradition. Here is Disney's the Little Mermaid (singing a few registers lower than usual).

Venous

Lovely bakery in Korba on Baghdad street. Great selection of pastries for great prices. My favorites are the date cookies covered in sesame seeds and the cheese croissants. I have no idea why the name is spelt like this, it is something I'd expect to read in a hospital (venous: as in related to veins), I assume the intention was something different... Maybe a misspelling of Venus?? Goddess of love, because you will love their food??? No idea. Either way their baking is better than their spelling which is what really counts. :-)

Orange Juice

I've spoken elsewhere about juices in Egypt but orange juice deserves its own post. The local oranges here are fabulous almost year-round. They squeeze into fresh juice so fabulously and make a superb way to start your day.

Music everywhere

Romantic, lovely, heartbreaking, heart-throbbing, music videos in all cafes, people singing on the bus, playing ringtones from their phones, humming to themselves...

Korba

Korba is a burst of excitement. Great cafes and shopping. Beautiful and elegant architectural style (almost reminds me of Jaipur the "pink city" of Rajasthan). With the proximity of the presidential palace it has also been transformed and back again into a small war zone of barbed wire and barricades and rows of gunmen to a return to the usual cacophony of daily sights and sounds of life in Cairo

Zooba

Egyptian traditional foods with a twist. Top trained certified chefs, funky decor, amazing taste, fresh ingredients. Serving kosherie, hawawshi, foul, tameya, beet and lentil salads, soups, fresh juice drinks, aish baladi coated bright green (spinach) and red (beet juice). Amaaaaazing. Give a hug to the manager Chef Zuzu who is one of the talents behind this establishment and who runs the rest of the staff like a close knit family. (Located in Zamalek)

Planet Africa

Just like the North American Rainforest Cafe chain, but with amazing grilled food. (Located in Heliopolis)

Ghalia Alia Mahmoud (Egypt's Rachel Ray)

Overnight television sensation Ghalia Mahmoud brings practical cooking advice, wit, humor and inspiration to millions of Egyptian home television viewers since this past Ramadan TV season.

How to feed a meal to a family of 15 on less than 10 dollars, words of encouragement for women, and the warm inviting smile typical of Egyptians, Ghalia has an inviting touch. She works in a modest kitchen modeled off of her own, using simple utensils and simple ingredients which every Egyptian can afford. Her producer sees her as a potential Oprah Winfrey.

Source: 25TV Facebook page

It is not exactly a story of from rags to riches however, as Ghalia's family budget even after her show and stardom is still less than $200 a month. Nevertheless, Ghalia has a deep richness which is typical of the majority of Egyptians that goes beyond buck, and her rise to celebrity status and popularity offer a great hope to many Egyptians, who hope to see a more egalitarian society on the horizon.

Source: CNN International Ed.: Inside Africa

The B+ Bassem Youssef Show

You've all heard of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, but the newest latest political news comedy is not coming out of America, but is made in Egypt. Bassem Youssef is Egypt's newest home-grown media star, who began his career in media during the Egyptian revolution on YouTube (by trade, he is a heart surgeon), when he began broadcasting from his laundry room because of a passion to make a difference and provide alternative media to the trash that the state media (aka Fox news Egypt) was throwing in people's faces. Bassem Youssef is now going from the net to a wider audience on television, with his first show B+ The Bassem Youssef show, which is a riotous look at the upheaval that is Egypt these days.

Check out the Bassem Youssef Channel on Youtube or follow on Twitter.

The Art of Storytelling

Egyptians weave brilliant stories all the time. They have a history of doing so dating back to Ancient times and are now being reinvented by a new generation of Egyptians to suit modern times.

The below is taken from a UNESCO Survey on Egyptian Storyteller's Heritage and its instruments and tools, which describes the importance of preserving this heritage for future generations:

"In its expressive singing, stylized speech, motion, repertoire of narratives and mimetic gestures, it is one of the unique expressions of Egyptian’s rich performing arts tradition and folk culture. In addition to its significance as a foremost literary and musical expression, this heritage represents a repository for the rich spectrum of Egyptian folk history, customs, beliefs, symbolism and traditions not only in its intangible form but also in its instruments and movable assets.

1. In its musical form, there are different storytellings performed by vocalists and poets accompanied by various musical instruments.
2. In the theatrical form, another sort of storytellers’ tool has been used, It features handicraft puppets, made of wood and textile. The puppeteer hides behind a textile and wooden screen, tells or sings his story and moves the puppets in the front of the attendance.
3. In its cinematic form, the storytellers, for narrating the stories accompanied by images, scenes and music, used a wooden box. People used to look at the picture inside the box through some lenses while the artist told the stories and changes the images.

The traditional Egyptian storytellers’ heritage consists in many stories including stories of popular heroes and epic poems such as Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyya and its characters such as Abu Zeid Al-Hilali, El-Zenaty Kalepha and Zayab Ibn Ganem....There are several other stories regarding popular resistance and fight against foreign colonialism, as well as many other political and emotional stories, such as the story of Sayf Ibn Ze El-Yazen, the story of Antra Ibn Shadad and Abla and Antra’s partner Shaybob.

Laylet el Eid (the Night of Eid) by Umm Khoultum

The diva does it again. Festive song for a festive season.

Eid Fireworks

From the early morning of Eid, the fireworks begin to pop off (the sort of "caps" that children are banned from playing with in Canada since I was a child), following the Eid prayer, it is as if a tempestuous storm has traveled through - with the frequent whizzing of fiery crackers and the smoky air they leave in their wake.

Amazing Courage

Striking Colours

Sometimes I believe that the striking intensity and wild mixtures of colors used in Egypt is because of the bold bright hues of the flowers that cover the land.

 

Egyptian Salad

Egyptian salad usually has delicious vegetables, nice spices and vinegar dressing (including cumin plus a mix of spices you can buy in the grocery store called "mixed spice") and the bits of vegetables are usually cut up super small and yummy.

Amazing Street Festivals

Street festivals in Egypt are really incredible. The below pictures were both taken from the Korba district in Heliopolis. The street gets super-packed with youth, music-makers, face-painters, food n' drink vendors, book-sellers, craftspeople, parents with kids, sidewalk artists, drummers and booty shakers. As the day progresses and the sun wanes, the crowds spill in overflowing in a jittery chattery loud but peace-loving rabble, standing room only.

Sayeda Zeinab Mosque

Ceiling in the ladies section of Sayeda Zeinab

The following quote is from Naguib Mahfouz's book "The Mirage", describing a sublime experience experienced by the protagonist within the Sayeda Zeinab Mosque:

"My nostrils were penetrated by a sweet aroma that may have been some perfumes being sprayed by a magzub, while the sounds of the supplications being made by those circumambulating the shrine filled its corners with melodic echoes. A sheikh passed near me chanting verses from the Holy Qur'an in a hushed voice, and I remembered how I'd fallen away from the religion's obligatory rites to the point where the only thing I did regularly anymore was to fast during Ramadan. I thought to myself: If I returned to the right guidance found in the prescribed prayers, might not my heart find serenity and assurance, and might I not experience relief from the burden of anxiety and fear? Despite the pain it had endured, my heart had continued to find refuge in the prophets and the guidance they brought, and to drink deeply from a wellspring of cool, pure waters. I was flooded with a tranquility so profound, I wanted to soak up all I could of the wholesome, untainted serenity that I was experiencing in those moments. In that peace-induced rapture, my sufferings appeared to me as nothing but a fine threat in the fabric of destiny's invincible sway over all that is, and I was drawn into a state of contentment and surrender. A cloudlessness of the spirit set my soul in an upward spiral until I reached a pinnacle of bliss beyond anything I'd ever hoped for."

Beautiful Fountains

The below pictures are taken from Al Azhar Park and are all recent, however Egypt has many historic fountains dating back centuries. You can learn more about the history of such fountains when you are visiting Egypt by a trip to Cairo's Islamic Museum.

For another fabulous modern version of fountains in Egypt - check out Chocolate Mania Egypt for chocolate fountains. Yum.

Jolt yourself awake with coffee

In Eid, after fasting the month of Ramadan and going out to the cafes or in the comfort of the home, it is great to remember the gift of Egyptian strong coffee and strong tea. Even the Latte Macchiatos are stronger here.