Dubai

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What better way to start a trip to Rio than with a stopover in Dubai. Bikini, Havaianas, singlet, shorts - check. Scarf, long sleeve pants, long sleeve shirt - check. We really didn't think too much about the contrast in cultures when we were being true backpackers and booked the cheaper (and significantly longer) flights through Emirates. Instead, we exclaimed, "Won't it be awesome to say that we flew to South America via the Middle East" and "Do you know how many time zones we will be flying through?" and "With one return flight on Emirates, we'll be instantly promoted to Silver frequent flyers!"

As the jet lag set in on the first day, we questioned the wisdom of our choice of flights, no doubt formed in an alcoholic haze in some cozy, familiar bar in Sydney's East. My three nephews are of course an absolute delight, but Thomas (5) and Michael (3) were struggling with the concept of flying over long distances and time zones, even with the assistance of Thomas' gigantic map of the world. They wanted us to play Wii, play with all their toys and watch all their DVDs. The phrase "Aunty Deborah, Aunty Deborah" took on the #persona# of a Top 40 hit as the boys belted it out all afternoon. The adults did their best to stay sane and waited for the slow ticking clock to hit the time for "drinks on the terrace".

David and Sabrina, our excellent hosts, put us to shame as they fed, watered and entertained us for the days we were in Dubai. We stumbled through our time chugging huge amounts of Starbucks style coffee and duty free grog, while trying to come to grips with the fact that as soon as we adjusted to a 6 hour time difference we would need to board the plane for another 14 hour flight and adjust to a further 7 hour time difference. At about 9pm on New Year's Eve, David and Sabrina chuckled as they watched us fall asleep on the lounge, expensive whisky in hand, with the drone of Kung Fu Panda 2 in the background. And I really wanted to see that!

Dubai was, nevertheless, a fantastic stopover. Despite the crowds in town for the holiday season, we managed to make our way through all of the major malls and even suffered a 45 minute taxi queue on New Year's Eve with good grace. A dawn shoot out in the desert was a highlight, despite freezing conditions. Thomas was a real trooper, keeping us all amused and himself warm by running up and down the dunes.

David was very obliging with Adam's desire to hit some rooftop (or at least, top floor) bars in Dubai, taking us to both of the bars called "The Address" in one night. Far above the city, with a cigar in one hand and a glass of red in the other, it was hard to remind ourselves that this was only a stopover on our way to filthy hostels in reportedly one of the more dangerous cities of the world.

Another highlight was our afternoon at Deira, Dubai Creek and Bur Dubai. The souks at Deira are interesting and probably quite a good place to pick up a bargain. Unfortunately, our tiny bags were so packed full there wasn't room for a toothpick, let alone a 4 foot statute of Ganesh. We spent some time sitting on a bench in the covered gold souk, though, and just watching the tourists and the vendors move around us was more than sufficient. The surprise of the day came when a tourist dropped a wad of cash on the ground and two vendors rushed to pick it up - only to give it back to the owner! Not something we were counting on seeing in Rio. Anyway, not content with just the markets, we decided to find the pedestrian tunnel under Dubai Creek that connected Deira with Bur Dubai. Sabrina and David didn't know about it, and neither did the locals who we asked. But, it was on the map so we set out the find it. About 40 minutes, later, wandering around a dusty car park on a wharf, we found the entrance and 10 minutes later popped up on the other side of the creek. It was no surprise that we didn't encounter any other westerners on our way through.

On our final day, we indulged ourselves and had drinks at Bar 360 before enjoying our Christmas presents from Adam's folks - High Tea at the Burj Al Arab. It was fantastic. And extremely filling! Cocktail and tiny sandwich laden, we managed to find our way back to Arabian Ranches and pack our bags for Rio. Who ever thought packing at 11pm the night before a big flight, intoxicated, was a good idea? Nevertheless, we departed Dubai without a hitch on Emirates' second ever flight to Rio. Funnily enough, the plane was half empty. We thought more UAE residents would be flocking to the land of the teeny bikini and the caipirinha…

Deb