Visitors

It's that time of year where we start turning our flat in to a mini-boutique hotel, the time of visitors and trying to avoid double-bookings.

It's always nice to go to our normal haunts with someone who has not been to Dubai before. Their reactions remind me what an exotic place this is to live in, it reminds me of our own reactions on our first visit and makes me realise again how much I enjoy living here. Naime is an old hand at Dubai, of course, she just shuttles between Satwa with visits to the tailor and shopping for real fakes in Karama, occasionally breaking with a bit of relaxation by the pool.

But Maria is here for the first time, so we are showing off to her with a day at the beach club, all azure water and palm trees with great service; evening drinks at the Madinat, gazing at the colour spectacle playing across the sail of the Burj-al-Arab; and lastly a visti to the Skyview Bar at the Burj itself, with a splendid lunch and more splendid views of the Jumeirah Palm in the making.

Later in the week we have a flying change as Naime and Maria leave and Stuart's parents arrive - all in the same night. We are geting really good at finding car parking at the airport...