Galabay Night

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Galabaya Night
It is now 6: PM and time to don our Egyptian galabaya and join the dinner festivities.
As you may recall we were each to obtain our own galabaya. Rick purchased a simple one piece gray and white one from the boat.
I chose Ahmed who supplied me with a royal galabaya. It is of while linen with deep red designs along each edge. So the ends of the sleeves and outlining the neck opening are all in red embroidery. Over this is a half coat in white and red embroidery. Very stylish. My head piece is also of linen and is a pink, white and black check.
I don the outfit and actually feel it looks good. I soon learn something women have learn and many men have not, you cannot simply walk in a “dress”
I walk out of our room and soon notice my stride is ¾ of normal as my hem prevents a normal stride. Then came the steps. I take my first step, get tangled in my dress and nearly take a tumble. Important safety note gentlemen, pick up your dress when walking up or down stairs.
I arrive a few minutes early at the dining room I need a little help with my headdress. The shop owner fits my scarf to my head and ready I stride, shuffle actually, into the room.
There we have Aussies, British, Americans and Asians all converted to Egyptians. It brought a tear to my eye actually; I could not stop laughing as to how silly we looked. Our group can laugh at anything. They are a fun loving gentle and happy “family” and to see us all in foreign dress just added to the fun.
The room was full of color. The men in black, red, gray and the women in bright colors of green, red, blues all multicolor and all with makeup to look like Nefertiti. I happen to spy one galabaya on an Aussie gentlemen from the Insight tour (remember we share our boat with another group) wearing a galabaya very close to mine. He has only one layer while mine is composed of two.
We greet laugh and take a photo. My brother from another mother and I are the only men in white so we are the royalty.
Dinner begins and tonight it is served to us. I chose a steak dinner medium well. Now steak in Egypt is not the sirloin or rib eye of the states but it is a little thinner, fat free and very tasty.
As we are laughing and joking in our costumes I spy at the entrance to the dining room our tour guide Mohammed. NO IT CAN NOT BE. He is wearing exactly the same galabaya as I am. Two piece and all. Everyone on the Trafalgar side of the boat begins to point and laugh. Mo has no idea why until he sees me stand up and he laments “oh my God, not you!” and laughs. We laugh and take some photos together.
Dinner was followed by music, dancing and liquid libations. Rick was a little under the weather so he headed to bed; I went up to the top deck to chat with Cathy. After photos and such I headed to bed about 10 PM. The festivities when on till midnight when another spectacular vacation day came to a close and memories were made.

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