As we had a 6pm flight to Dubai, via Sydney we had Friday the 13th to fill. Simon went for pre-flight run, running his Ferrymead / Heathcote loop before the final packing. Nigel dropped us at the airport with plent6 of time to spare which was greatly appreciated.

We had no problems with the flights, we managed to both get some sleep as well as watch some movies. I flicked onto CNN at one stage and saw President Trumps speech about the USA, France & Britain’s retaliatory attack on Syria - no doubt more innocent deaths. It showed how upto the minute travel is now with live news updates while flying. 

Our plane was delayed a bit leaving Sydney but after 18 hours we arrived at 6am Saturday morning. Our legs got a good bit of exercise as we must have walked close to 1km to get through passport control, luggage before we walked our shuttle outside in 20degree heat - welcome to Dubai a bit of a culture shock of the 6 degrees we had in Christchrch earlier in the week.

The drive from m airport took about 20 minutes on Multilaned roads with very little traffic. Saturday alaways has the least traffic. Where our hotel is a lot of development is going on hotels, offices and apartments. The area has 15 5* hotels with another 15 being built!

Once we had checked in and our luggage had been delivered it was 8am so time for a swim in the Hotel Pool.  They have a children’s pool and an bigger pool for adults only so it is very relaxing. The water is kept at a lovely 28 just like our Fiji at Luxton Place. Unlike Luxton pl the hotels do not need solar panels for heating. When we checked in we were told where the hotels bars and restaurants were but as it is a Saturday they are dry until 7pm so sitting by the pool having a quiet ale was not an option for Saturday.

With the prices of beer in the minibar Simon might stay dry for longer. Heineken UAD60 = NZ$22! With prices that high Simon went for. a wee walk to the local supermarket and found some zero alcohol beer plus nuts and nibbles. One bonus of his walk was discovering a rubber cushioned running track which he will try at least once. The hotel concierge was not sure how long the track is.

Susan had a wee power nap and then joined Simon by the pool. The pools even have lifeguards on duty and plenty of big beach towels and complimentary  cold bottled water available. We were both surprised how many guests were at the pool especially children. You hear lot of European languages. The variety in the amount of skin covered by those swimming from the full burqat style to the G-strings plus a small top, All the staff speak English no doubt plenty of other languages. Side note the Emirates aircrew were from 18 countries and spoke over 20 languages between them. Us Kiwis are so poor at 2nd languages yes I know Simon’s first language is a struggle to understand at times. 

Simon went for a swim in the sea, very warm but the sand and sitting on a deck chair was far too hot. He might be game and try paddle boarding as the sea is calm and no waves or swells like Sumner. Today is a catch-up day for our bodyclocks with the touristy part of the Ski Trip starting on Sunday. 

Sunday’s plan changed as Myra found out she had booked the wrong day for our trip to Abu Dhabi so instead we are doing what a lot of Kiwis doan go to the mall. The Mall of the Emirates. This mall is a bit different besides having over 560 shops it has a Ski field with 5 runs including an 85 metre high mountain. This is not the biggest mall in Dubai that award goes to the The Dubai Mall with over 1200 shops. According to Wikipedia in 2011it was the most visited building on the planet! It seems the saying ‘mine is bigger than yours’ is common between property developers!  Our shuttle driver on Saturday told us that a new smaller mall is being built on The Palm only 350 shops  the Nakheel Mall is point of difference will be two indoor waterfalls. One with a fall of over 20m. 

Fun Fact Time: Palm Jumeirah, Nakheel’s flagship project, is the world’s largest man-made island and is comprised of a two kilometre long trunk, a crown made up of 17 fronds and a surrounding crescent. Following a number of years of feasibility studies, the Palm Jumeirah was launched in 2001, with reclamation starting in the same year. From the end of 2006, the island's first residences – comprising 4,000 luxury villas and apartments were handed over during a phased period. Since then, the tourism, leisure and retail elements of the island have been developed, creating a spectacular, world-renowned residential and tourism destination.              

Photo 1 pool by the pool, 2: table soccer in the beach 3: Alcohol free beer! 4: Fairmont Palm from the beach 5: Beach sign not sure why. 6: The 2.7km rubber cushioned running track. 7: Mum’s and bub’s meeting at 8am. 8: Fervo Churrascaria Experience A meat lovers paradise. 9: Solar Power 10: Chilled Waterfor the swimmers 11: Beer Offer which was an easy no thanks.. 12: The Palm.                         

Hopefully for those of you who read later editions the photos may be linked into the words a bit more. Please beer with me!