Our Journey home...

I didn't get the best night's sleep - the constant buzz of the traffic, the fear that the alarm would not go off and the thought of Cairo Transit all conspired to keep me awake.  I saw the sun rise over a very very dusty Dubai - it was swathed in a sand storm today and the light was strange and yellow.  We were ready and packed when my sister came in to say her goodbyes - she is staying until Saturday with the rest of her party.

We assembled in the lobby just before 9.00am, foregoing the pleasures of some 'mint' tea and dates for fear that they might have some adverse effect on the bladder or bowel ahead of a long trip home!  Our limo arrive early and we were on the road in plenty of time to negotiate the rush hour.  Our very nice Lexus paling into insignificance as we followed a Maserati and brand new Jag on the 8 lane highway from JBR to the airport.  So many landmarks flew by - we saw the Burj Kalifa - or at least most of it as the summit disappeared into a cloud of sandiness - I couldn't get a photograph but then I would have had to have been stood in the next country to get it all in!!!  So much building going on, so many new, big, fantastical structures in an already wacky out of this world place.

We checked in and got assistance without too much trouble and took the monorail ride from check-in to the gate where they had a special lounge just for passengers needing assistance with a TV and loo.  This was all going well, too well as it happened because instead of boarding mum and dad first they did so last as the gate was closing and there was a mad dash to get there on time with me running to keep up with the guys pushing the chairs.  We made it thank goodness - now for the delights of the transit leg to negotiate.

The Egypt air flights were fine - actually more than fine because being the national carrier there was ample leg room and the attendants came regularly with food or soft drinks (no alcohol on these flights).  Mum and Dad coped really well and splitting the journey meant it wasn't too long on board.  Cairo transit proved as idiosyncratic coming back as going.  They just weren't geared for people needing a wheelchair from start to finish and good job that mum and dad can walk a bit.  At one point they had us all sat behind the passenger information desk much to the surprise of the information officers, then they provided wheelchairs at the 11th hour for a trip of no more than 50 yards followed by a walk of about 4 times that distance to a hydraulic lift vehicle that shot off with us in it only for the back door to fly open.  All of this carried out by very smiley people who just told us not to worry - easy for them to say!!

Thank god for assistance in Larnaca - fabulous people who got Mum and Dad right out to the carpark and waited with them whilst I got the car - our drive back to Emba was without incident and I dropped them off at home and made it back to Droushia for a well earned G&T - in fact I could have drunk the whole bottle for less than it cost to have one at Shimmers!!!