11-13^th July 2016

Dubai was always going to be an adventure. I had pre-booked a luxurious hotel, with roof top swimming pool and a desert safari. It got off to a fun start when the man waiting for me at the airport had an entire private coach waiting to pick me up. “No guests” he smiled and asked. “Not today” I said. It’s an odd experience having an entire coach for yourself.

It was early so I checked my bags into the hotel and headed up to the pool. It was lovely.

After a few hours of swimming it was time to check in properly. Unsure of the differences in time zones but knowing I was knackered I decided to go for a nap. The room was as big as some flats and the bed was super comfy. I quickly found peace in sleep.

When I awoke, the air conditioning was slightly chilly. It’s odd to think outside is around 40’c when I hopped into the shower and put the temperature up high given how cold the room was. This is probably the hottest shower I’ve had in months and I’m in the hottest country I’ve been to!

Feelish refreshed I headed to grab some food. It was at a fast food joint called Doner Deli. It was lovely. For fast food it was hugely expensive though, which appears to be a trend for Dubai.

Next stop was to check out these famous malls. The Mall of Emirates was first on my list and it was a multiplex. Ginormous. Complete with cinema, snow dome, magic centre and a plethora of shops. I got myself some sweets and a cinema ticket and went to see Me Before You. It turned out to be hugely emotional and I found myself weeping in the cinema and all the way home. I’m not used to that!

The night’s ended with another swim and sometime in the gym.

Which also happens to be how I wake up in the morning too. Waiting to be picked up I start to get excited and wonder what a desert safari may entail. It wasn’t long before we were on our way.

We had a small group in a Toyota 4×4 and headed towards the desert. When we approached, the guide had to let out air from the wheels to make it a smoother ride. We pulled off to get a few photos and wait for the others. It must have been around twenty or so 4x4s by the time everyone arrived. It was very impressive.

Shortly after we found ourselves being hurled over sand dunes with the distinct feeling the 4×4 might flip. It doesn’t help that we were near the front and the tracks we were making today were fresh so accidents could easily happen. It was such good fun though. At one point, one of the drivers got stuck and everyone else had to help push it out of the sand.

Eventually we make it to a village area in the sand. It’s complete with a stage for the entertainment (a female belly dancer kicks it off and the male equivalent finishes it), camels and quad bikes.

Who could resist the quad bikes, right?

This was the start of the man’s show whilst he still had layers of clothes on.

We had some dinner provided, which was all very nice and were dropped off at our respective hotels. One last night to make the most of a pool and gym and I did just that.

Come morning I’m waving off another country. The time is just flying past!

There’s always time for one last whiskey before you get on the flight though.