Peering into an Alternate Universe

It's rare that I venture out into the lifestyle of the well-paid ex-pat. Fancy parties, nice dinners, decadent apartments; it's all stuff I tend to buck in favour of the local street life. While the latter is a great way to learn about Egyptian culture, it offers little insight into how "the other half lives." "Half," in this case, being more like 6%. To truly understand the change that is going on in Egypt, one has to spend time with people not living in the traditional sense. Such was last night.

All it took was an invitation to a restaurant opening. I had never been to one, but the idea sounded cool. No doubt there'd be free food, some decent entertainment, and plenty of booze to go around. "Why not?" I said, "How often do I get to do something like this?" So off I went, accompanied by four Indians. I definitely stood out in that group, but my claim to be "brown on the inside" allowed me to fit right in.

The highlight of the night was probably the Egyptian guy who knew the words to songs like "My Way," but also knew "Get Down On It," among others. Simply amazing. There was also a 5-woman Cuban group performing a couple of sets. So random.

After the party, we decided to head down to the Sakara pyramids for yet another party. A lengthy cab ride later, we found ourselves at an Egyptian rave. Whoa. I had no idea these things even existed here. People were on E, rolling hash in public, drinking heavily ... all under the watchful eye of the country club stuff. Unbelievable.

While this is certainly not my scene, it was something I'm definitely happy I witnessed.