The usually bustling city of Dubai was quite subdued on our arrival – a quiet airport and even quieter streets. The city seemed even more subdued than what Abu Dhabi normally is. There were two reasons for this. 1 Who in their right mind would visit Dubai in the middle of summer when it is 45 degrees outside? And 2. It’s Ramadan when food outlets and many other shops are closed as people go about the business of fasting until the Iftar meal in the evening. This was our first trip through Dubai airport – the last time we came into UAE, we flew Etihad into Abu Dhabi. We did stay two days in Dubai but it was 2011 and the metro was still being constructed and only serviced the far end of Dubai. For a few minutes I thought catching the now completed metro would be a good idea. Then we realised how tired we were and how hot 45 degrees actually was. Dan, sensible as always, suggested a cab would be a better solution. We ended up in a Lexus limousine service – about $30 to our hotel. We checked in – took some Club deal that gave us breakfast both days and then headed upstairs to snooze. Like most other places in the world, you t service in Dubai that you wouldn’t need at home and that you feel compelled to tip for. The porters, limousine and taxi drivers must chuckle to themselves when they see an Australian coming. You can call it cultural cringe or whatever but I just don’t feel right having people carry my luggage for me. If I can’t carry it, I shouldn’t have brought it. I know that is what they get paid for but I feel bad that someone’s purpose is to stand in the 45 degree heat and lift my bags out of the boot.

After a bit of a snooze, we had some breakfast in the hotel. One of the things you notice here during Ramadan is that during the day there are privacy screens in front of open areas where food is served. It is a neat little compromise to keep the economy going but yet still be respectful of Emirati culture and beliefs. Speaking of compromises – the UAE, being a Muslim country does not serve pork products. Last time this was a bit of a struggle for Dan whose breakfast side is usually a good helping of bacon. He was, however, quite impressed with the veal bacon, a big improvement on the turkey bacon we found everyone on our last visit. (Long Live the Queen – Frank Turner – I had heard for ages about the brilliance of Frank Turner but hadn’t acted on it. A couple of years ago when I purchased tix to a Dropkick Murphys show in Newcastle, I ventured out and snapped up this album. By the time the show rolled around I was looking forward to seeing Frank almost as much as The Dropkicks. I wasn’t disappointed.)

After breakfast we decided to venture out and have a walk along the street. We were staying in Diera near where the gold and spice souks were. We made it about 500 metres down the road and realised we couldn’t handle the heat. Our last trip here was in spring when it was hot and humid. In the summer its and oppressive dry heat. A lot hotter and drier than at home. What was even more oppressive than the heat was the stench of rancid fish that filled the air. The area we were in was downwind of the fish market and it was a repugnant assault on the senses. We headed back to the mini mall attached to the hotel – everything was closed – and then back to the room to cool down.

Dan had planned a treat for later in the afternoon, something we had enjoyed immensely last time we were in Dubai. So once again we put on our finery and headed to the Burj Al Arab for high tea. There is a fairly strict dress code for the Burj – at least for men – no jeans, shorts or sneakers – pants and dress shoes. Dan wore the pair we bought in Turkey for our last Burj visit, his wedding suit (made for him to be a groomsman at a wedding) and a Ben Sherman shirt. Dress codes are usually less complex for women but in Dubai where modesty is culturally appropriate, especially during Ramadan, it can be a difficult choice. While the dress I chose is appropriate for work at home and even covers my knees, I did add a wrap to cover my exposed shoulders. And flats of course given my heavily wrapped fractured foot. At least I got to leave the moon boot at home.

We arrived a little early and once again were awed by the sheer gaudiness of inside of the Burj. For such an iconic building that is tastefully decorated on the outside, it is so decadently hideous on the inside it is hard to imagine how such a triumph could be achieved. Everything about it screams luxury from the heavy wooden doors in the toilet to the gold on well everything. Add to that a nice helping of pop art brights and patterns on the ceiling, some traditional Arabic style finishes that take their cues from carpet salesman, some incredible fountains that might be stylish with a more subdued water vessel and a massive fish tank as a dividing wall. (That’s the one part I really do like, even if it is a bit outdated now (desperately seeking Susan anyone?)

After a bit of a wait, we were ushered upstairs and then into the Sky Bar – as expected, there were only a few other guests and we all got a table with a nice view of Dubai and the coastline – at least what you could see through the Dubai haze. The menu had changed – which you’d expect – but we were in for a slightly different kind of treat. Being Ramadan, alcohol cannot be served during daylight hours so the obligatory glass of bubbly was replaced with unlimited refills of sparkling date juice (which tasted quite a lot like sparkling apple juice).

The first serving was the typical Middle Eastern welcome food dates – with crystallised orange rind and with almonds. Not quite as good as Devils on Horseback but scrumptious nonetheless. This was followed by a white chocolate petit pot with strawberry, a delicate concoction topped with a white chocolate lattice. Then it was on to the savoury selections a delicate yet incredibly hearty duck confit pie with ceps and foie gras cranberry dressing. The pastry was divine and although there were so many flavours they all melded together perfectly. Next up was a selection of finger sandwiches. This was probably the most underwhelming course for me. They were tasty enough but the selection didn’t really push any boundaries – cucumber with cream cheese, beef with relish, sushi style salmon, chicken… especially when compared to the gourmet sandwich platter on our last visit. Alongside our sparkling date juice we sipped on black vanilla tea and for Dan a hazelnut iced coffee. (Nothing with You – The Descendants. Like everyone else I waited years to see the Decedents for the first time. It was 2010 I think and they didn’t disappoint. And this is one of the perfect punk tunes ever about the slacker generation from whence I come.

The great thing about high tea is that it takes a long time. It’s like a degustation menu of pastries. And it doesn’t feel like a long time – you can sit and chat for hours without feeling like you need to be somewhere and in a pot like the Burj Al Arab high above the ocean and looking out on the glittering modern metropolis of Dubai (through the haze) you can dream. And that’s what we spent the afternoon doing over a never ending supply of delicate finger food consumed with the aid of beautiful silverware.

The next course was a palette cleanser – a lychee and rose sorbet replete with sugared rose petals – one of my favourites but not so for Dan. It was then they brought out the most breathtaking display of the afternoon. On the four tiered – Burj al Arab shaped cake stand sat homemade scones with Devonshire clotted cream and homemade jams, a collection of mini patisseries including a cheesecake style slice, a delicate buttery pastry with apricot and white chocolate cream, a decadent chocolate mousse filled pastry, a praline topped chocolate tart and fruit cake. We could only manage to taste all of these. The one thing we did eat all of was possibly the most silken delicious crème Brule I have ever tasted – made from camel’s milk. The last course was a gift for us to take away – a Burj Al Arab pen and chocolates in a box.

We sipped away our tea and wiled away the hours. The perfect romantic afternoon (well as romantic as you are able to get in a strict Muslim country during Ramadan where kissing and holding hands in public are illegal). Besides romance is born much more from gazing into each other’s eyes in a spectacular setting and talking about your plans and dreams or at least what you are going to do on the rest of a jam packed holiday. (Forever – Dropkick Murphys – this is one of my favourite Dropkick tunes – a ditty about love and struggle with a typical Irish sensibility – the perfect wedding tune – much better than that stupid song from Titanic.)

Given the temperature outside was enough to melt your feet to the pavement, we opted to do one of the things Emiratees do well – shop. We got the limousine driver to take us straight to the mall, in fact the king of malls – Dubai Mall. Just by chance, we landed at the entrance where all the sparkly things were. What is really great about Dubai is that there is none of the snobby pretension you get in Australia’s high end malls – you know that look t says “darling you’re not from Double Bay are you – I’m not going to waste my time on you – in fact I’m going to make you feel like you never ventured through the door. The wonderful thing about Dubai is that whether it is $5 or $5million, the shop assistants treat everyone like they could afford to buy it. It makes wandering around in Tiffany’s a really fun experience. In the Tiffany’s store I discovered a new stone I hadn’t encountered before – Tanzanite – apparently it’s from Tanzania and it is the brilliant violet colour with shades of indigo – more subtle than amethyst and more delicate that a sapphire. I resolved to find out more.

We continued wandering around the mall discovering parts we hadn’t seen before – like the fake souk with all sorts of Emiratee products and food (and carpets of course) and the shoe district – with about 25 shoe stores. Of course this must be new– there is no way I could miss a whole wing of shoes. The mall came alive in the evening after 8 when all the food stores and restaurants opened for Iftar and all the Emiratees were out shopping up a storm along with a large number of other Muslims from other parts of the Middle East and Asia. The Iftar celebrations and the shopping last well into the night with local Iftar celebrations near our hotel lasting until 3am. Definitely a good way to live during the intense Dubai summer. After a few hours of being mallrats, we grabbed a cab and headed back to the air conditioned hotel. We certainly hadn’t been fasting so had no need to join the locals for Iftar, although there was an open invitation extended to visitors – the Burj experience had left us feeling content and it felt a bit wrong to join in an Iftar meal after such gluttony.