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 Women's Worlds EN BREF
All you never knew you need
to know about the Worlds in Cairo |
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from Naigara Falls
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Cairo |
From One World(s) to Another…
Sunday 7th. Shuttle from White Oaks to Toronto airport, 14.30.
Flight 18h30.
Monday 8th. Arrival Heathrow T5 (yuk) 6.30 am. 3 hours sleep on
the plane.
Taxi to Wimbledon to picking up car. 8.30. Arrival Crystal
Palace where I have my London Room.
Unpacking. Sorting out laundry. Reading 549 emails. Zzzzz for
1h. Going French Consulate at South Kensington to pick up now
Biometric Passport. Back Crystal Palace. 1h sleep. Picking up
mail at Dulwich Squash Club where mate Noreen who received my
postal mail works. Can’t face packing.
3am. Wide awake after 3 hours sleep.
Tuesday 9th,
7.30. Packing. Yes, got it slightly wrong when I booked the
flight London Cairo. Saw I was flying the 7th, so booked the 9th
to Cairo. Except we were arriving the 8th early morning.
And that's nothing compare to the "I have my surgery booked for
the 20th, as in the World's Final"! One Surgery postoned!
And a return on the 21st 9pm for a departure for France on the 22nd
10pm.
Short turn over.
So tired. Soooooo tired.
Was supposed to stay with a dear friend for 2
days in Cairo, then go to Tournament Hotel. Just cannot face
another packing/unpacking. Calling Karim Darwish, Tournament Big
Boss to ask if I can stay in the Hotel from tonight. “No problem”.
Can I get picked up? “No problem”.
 I love Egypt. They don't have problem. Only solutions.
10 am. Off to Wimbledon to drop car –
to be picked up by friends
that keep with while I’m away.
11am. Taxi to Heathrow T2. 12noon, check in. “you have to print
the boarding pass and luggage strip. Moi “Do I have to fly the
plane as well?”.
12h30. Security. “Your bag has been recognised as containing
explosives. I’ll need your passport and boarding pass.” Another
15m of my life I won’t get back.
Egypt Air. Half empty. Nobody next to me. Luxury. Food though: I
didn’t know people could boil chicken, no thank you. Sprinkling
creamer in my diet pepsi. I think I’ll sleep a bit then… |
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Engy welcomes everyone to the Courts... |
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 9pm. Arrival Cairo. Nobody there to pick me up. Ah. Texting
Meguid (forgot to write down Karim’s number). About 10m later, Tamer Mamdouh is walking in. “Sorry
Fram, they don’t let us in the airport anymore, I
had to call a policeman friend of mine to let me in”.
Tamer is the friend from Heliopolis Club that got me to hold
that Egyptian Flag for the Final in Qatar – where I was clever
enough to pick an Egyptian Winner for, for those who were in the
Moon at the time, it was two Egyptians playing each other, doh.
His car doesn’t start. “It will be the battery, no problem.” Off
to his boot, he pick up some jump leads, gets a car to stop, and
sorted. Only in Egypt….
Nice drive (30km) to HolidayInn Maadi, formely Sofitel
I'm told, on the River Nile. Maadi
is one of the nicest area of Cairo with Zamalec. Dropping
luggage in room, 12th floor, breathtaking view of the Nile at
night. It’s now about midnight.
 Tamer takes me for a walk in Maadi, I can do with fresh air and
open space. Along the Nile, we end up at the Grand Cafe, of
course it’s open. Of course the food is delicious. Of course
they put a heater next to the table cause it’s winter and we are
outside and it’s not that warm….
By the time he leaves, it’s 1.30 am. While I’m back at the hotel
trying and failing to sleep – 8 hours jetlag with Toronto, of
course, his car doesn’t start.
 So he stops a taxi, gets the jump
leads out, and off to the garage next door. Wakes up the garage
man who lives right above the shop. Who comes down with his son.
“You need a knew battery”. “Ok, change it now”. So they did.
2am. Tamer has now a new battery.
Trying to sleep. Failing miserably. 3 am. Right awake again.
Third night with 3 hours sleep.
Wednesday 10th. I’m a zombie. Basically, with jetlag, you are
sleepy during the day, and can’t sleep at night. I strongly
recommend it if you want to feel old and useless.
Trying to get a massage – that normally help me to rebalance
body. Only for men not only at the hotel, but at the Wadi Degla
too. Pfffff.
 Thanks to Mohamed El Shrkawy – who helped us for
the Sky Open already – I get a really nice massage at the end of
the day at the Maadi Hotel, round the corner.
On the way back,
Tamer gets me a local phone – 1m of call on my normal English is
£5 per minute!
Back at the hotel for 6. Didn’t have any food since breakfast.
Can’t be bothered. Collapse in bed, the massage has worked. I
sleep for 4 hours. Awake at 11pm! Bit of work, waiting for Cubs
to arrive from London, he is fine. A
bout 2am, I swallow the
Melatonin that Sam Teran gave me at breakfast – forgot mine in
London - and GOD BLESS HER, I manage to sleep until 8am!!!!!
I’m back with the Living. Bye Bye Zombie, Hello Framby. |
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Wadi Degla
Club - the white large tent on the top right is the glass court |
 Thursday, 11th. Full beans. Breakfast with Cubs, then off to the
Club with Mohamed Rashwan. The “5, 10m drive Tamer Dixit is in fact 20m,
with very light traffic. Heavy security at the club.
Ahmed takes
us round the venue, first where we’ll play the qualifying first
round, the players lounge – soooo much space – beautiful view
from the top of the building, then the glass court, then the
Darwish Academy.
So nice to be outside, temperature is perfect, people are nice,
and smiling, and helpful. A little tea with El Shrkawy waiting
for the shuttle bus back.
Back to the hotel for 2pm. Off to have a little walk along the
Nile with Cubs. So noisy with the cars beeping and at the same
time, so peaceful and calming. Arriving at the Fish Market.
“Which fish would you like?”. So much choice. We just point at
things, and just say yes to most of the questions... We get so much food, so nice, so
healthy, far tooo much though. Impeccable service. Strongly
recommend it.
Nile. Why do I feel so close to you?
As I look at the scene, this water, this “source de vie”, “Life
Source” that is the Nile, and those two fishermen’s boats slowly
passing in front of us, I cannot help the tears rolling down. I
will never know why, but every time I see the Nile, I feel I’m
back home. Like I belong here.
And I’m so grateful to Life, to the Angels of Squash, for
bringing me back yet again.
In Love with Egypt.
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the view of the Nile from the Hotel
pool |
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