Are You Ready?

Picture this: Live Arabic music in a Bedouin tent on the shores of the Red Sea, dance and music classes by day, parties every night, plus three days and nights in Cairo for costume shopping, sight-seeing, etc.

The camp is the 4-8 of May. We would go on Egyptair, *nonstop* from JFK to Cairo, leaving Friday, April 30, arriving May 1. We have a couple of days in Cairo, then depart for Dahab early on the 4th. We would stay in a decent but not fancy hotel, and check out the shopping and sightseeing. Upon returning from Camp, we spend two more nights in Cairo, plus options to stay longer or tour around Egypt.

http://campnegum.net/ All classes, meals, room, and board are included, as well as transport from Cairo. Both music and dance classes are offered. Classes are in a Bedouin tent on the beach with live music for all the classes, and live music parties every night. Camp accomodations are in an air-consitioned hotel with modern private baths and all amenities. There is even room for non-dance folks, so bring your significant other (or kids). Dahab is a major diving community, and all around pretty cool place.

The earliest you could sensibly depart Cairo would be May 10 (arriving NY on Sunday, May 11), and that is what is included: RT airfare, two nights in Cairo before camp, all of camp, and one night after camp. Meals, shopping, admission to sightseeing, etc is a la carte.

Stay longer. Those interested in extending their stay, we can look at all sorts of diversions, such as Nile cruises, side trips to Luxor, private classes with Egyptian dance stars, visits to the Pyramids, costume shops, nightclubs, yadda, yadda. Obviously, the longer you stay and the more you do, the more it will cost.

Egypt is relatively inexpensive, and you are going with me, and I am cheap, but things do add up. I can at least get us to some awesome shopping, the Cairo Museum, and the Pyramids without breaking the bank.

Leila recommends: Go from Dahab after the camp directly to Aswan by bus and then take a Nile cruise to Luxor. She says it is not expensive and it's amazing! The cruise takes two or three days and then you take the overnight train (the cheapest way) back to Cairo and stay in your same hotel, pick up any costumes you ordered and fly out the next day. (I'll be getting prices for this option shortly.)

Booking and Prices

The sooner you book, the cheaper is is. People would be able to choose their own return date, too, so those who wanted to stay longer or return home earlier would have those options.

Earlybird prices: For those who book right away (by December's end), the base cost for RT airfare, four nights in Cairo, and the camp (double occupancy) will be $1,850 if you pay with checks, Paypal Personal Transfers, or e-checks (as opposed to credit cards).

Non-dancers deduct $350. Single occupancy, add $100. Credit cards add 3% per transaction).

Book in Jan, you will probably add at least $100 to the above prices. Book in Feb, you will probably add $200 to the above prices. Increases reflect the increase in plane fare as we get closer to the departure date. I will check your exact price for you before you book.

Installments, Deposits, etc

If you want to pay by installments, you can. A $200 deposit buys your spot. **This deposit is non-refundable.** That's what it takes to reserve air tickets. We can work out the installments, but you'd have to have put down an additional $500 by Jan 28, and the remainder by April 28.

THE FIRST $200 per person IS A NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT. EVERYTHING ELSE IS REFUNDABLE before MARCH 1, and most of it up until April 30. I will also ask you to sign a contract agreeing to the payments, refund info, and that I am not responsible if anything outside my control goes askew.

Book EARLY to be sure you get a seat. Planes fill up. There is one plane per day. We want to all fly together.

I realize everyone will have lots of questions, and little by little we will get this hammered out. Email me to be in on the conversation. I'll be doing research and getting us more information as time goes on.

Interested? Email me.

We are going to have so much fun!

Love and kisses, Alia