Our last full day in the glitzy Dubai saw us up at a reasonable time to enjoy a lovely galley cooked breakfast of bacon sandwiches out on the back of the boat under the already scorching sun. With most of the day free of plans we sat around the table trying to hatch a plan… After several coffee’s later we ended up on a visit to the newly opened Dubai Mall, having heard about its sheer size and of course the massive shark infested aquarium.

The mall itself is as usual in Dubai, massive, flashy and over the top, unfortunately not all of the shops were open yet but we took a walk around anyway. Inside the main doors there was a Porsche display with a really nice old Porsch and a few new ones which drew our attention for a while, then after some head scratching and map reading we were off in the direction of some wedding dress shops, obviously via the aquarium. And what an aquarium it is… Its by far the biggest I have ever seen and its brimming with all sorts of massive schools of fish and sharks, while we were there they were doing a spot of maintenance on the bottom of it and while one diver was working away a second was hovering above him with a large wooden bat! I assume to beat any hungry sharks back with, there is a job I definitely would not want! We stood and gawped for quite a while but it was hard not to because its as if your staring out into the sea itself, it is that huge.

The mall itself is a maze and when its done it will be just as impressive as the aquarium and any other madcap super-sized thing in Dubai but at the moment and despite a fully functioning full sized ice rink it was all a bit empty and felt as if we were there after it had closed… Not to be put off Jo and Mandy decided to haul us along to the Mall of the Emirates, a mall which was very much open and not to be out done, has inside a fully functioning ski slope… Complete with snow, chair lifts and log cabins. A lot has to be said of a country that, although essentially is in the dessert, has its own snow covered slopes and slices of sea inside shopping malls, I’m not sure exactly what is to be said but maybe that’s the point… If I could, I would and maybe Dubai is just full of people who can, and will!

We did have plans for the afternoon which were thus… Go back to the boat and meet up with Richard, the boys and Dee’s family for an afternoon out on the salty seas, so after a bite to eat and a wander around the super shops we headed back down to marina and back aboard good old Charlie. Not long behind us were Richard and friends and soon enough we were once again chugging out of the marina and into open water. Jo was following behind on Richards smaller speed boat called Gaeil Force and this nippy little beast was the one that was going to tow us all behind as we had a go at water-skiing!

We dropped anchor just outside the marina and not quite in the open sea, where the water was good and calm, Keiron strapped himself up and off they went. The little fella was amazing, He was up first time and zipping along behind the speedboat off into the distance like a pro. Georgie and I launched ourselves off the side of Charlie while the boys were off skiing and yet again it washed over us just how good it feels to be around warm seas and blue skies, knowing it would be some time before we could enjoy it again we splashed about for as long as we could… Which turned out to be until a coastguard boat came over and told us to move, apparently we weren’t allowed to drop anchor there or something so we hauled it up and headed back into the marina for the last time.

The afternoon was drawing on by this point, Richard and family had places to go and people to see so they said their goodbyes and made tracks and left Jo, Mandy, Georgie and I to our own devices… A little time just relaxing aboard Charlie as the sun set behind the high rise towers surrounding the strangely peaceful marina before making a short walk around it to the Buddha bar at the Grosvenor House Hotel, walking is not the done thing in Dubai, in fact its actually very difficult to navigate on foot, pedestrians in Dubai are as out of place as pigs in the sky. But we conquered the short walk and made it there alive despite the very real risk of sudden and instant death by a speeding sports car or Range Rover. The Buddha Bar didn’t actual open for half an hour so we had a few cocktails in the Grosvenor Hotel before heading down.

The Buddha Bar itself was a lovely dark and lavish place bustling with people and cigarette smoke (beautiful) and at the back was a huge golden Buddha statue watching over everything, we had a few drinks and damn good evening actually before making the walk back down to the marina, a short pit stop an a “all American” burger bar for some take away and then sat aboard Charlie scoffing our whoppers. A night cap to wash them down and then to bed because this time tomorrow we would all be back home in good old England…

The next morning we had a spot of breakfast aboard the boat, said goodbye to Richard who popped down and packed our bags up for the last time… Well, until next time. We were at the airport in good time to give duty free a good seeing to and lets not forget the priority lounge (Thank you Jo and Mandy) and then off we went into the sunset.

Sharky and Georgie… In Dubai mall was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Learn how to make money travel round the world with you

The plan today was to head back down to the marina with Richard and take Charlie the boat out for the day, so up good and early, packed our bags and had a spot of breakfast then straight down to the marina we went.

As usual in Dubai it was a gorgeous day and in the sunshine Charlie looked even better, all white and shiny and lovely. After a days boating fun Jo, Mandy, Georgie and I will be staying on the lovely Charlie in the lovely marina for the next 3 nights until we head back home to the UK. Bags dropped off Jo, Georgie and I all went to the local supermarket on the marina to by supplies for our time on board, of course we came back with far oo much food of everything but at least if we got marooned we would be good for a week or two.

Supplies supplied and packed away in the small but perfectly formed galley we had a short safety talk from captain Richard about what to grab if Charlie sinks and where the life jackets are etc. Then with civilised roar the engines fired up and we all sat up on the fly deck as Richard to OK us gently out of the marina and into the open sea… At which point shirts came off, beers where opened and the throttle was wedged open.

For such a large boat I was not expecting it to have the kind of power that it did, there was a slight wind at sea and that made the sea a little choppy but Charlie cut right through any waves in its way with a kind of rowdy elegance. As the wake behind the boat got bigger so the amazing skyline of Dubai slowly sank out of view and into the haze that hangs over the city. We followed the coastline all the around the giant Palm Jameira and got to take a look see at the awesome Atlantis hotel from sea, a side of it that I’m sure only few people will ever get the chance to see and regardless of the fact we were there the day before it was still just as impressive. Staying with the coast we passed the newest development The world… The one where they are making loads of new islands off shore in the shape of the countries of the world. At this point Georgie the newly appointed galley wench emerged from the galley with armfuls of delicious grub for us to enjoy as we turned down the creek and away from the open sea. Heading up the creek it was hard not to notice the fact we were on by far the finest most luxurious boat there, every other boat seemed to be either the Indian trade boats piled high with goods or cross creek ferries jammed with people going back and forth in the burning sun, such stark contrast does make you feel a little bad, but I suppose that’s a good thing, some of the tourists taking the local way across the creek on the small ferries were even taking pictures of us gently plodding along sipping beers and generally looking like rock stars or something. This really wasn’t helping Georgie or I to re-adjust to normal life again but fuck it… When were we ever going to do this again!

We didn’t go right up the creek, after all on a boat like this there were no paddles… So we turned about and started on our way back, again following the coast but this time sweeping in nice and close to the Burj hotel, an amazing sight from any angle but again getting to see it from the sea was something special. By this point Jo had fallen asleep and was napping on the fly deck and Georgie and I were laying out on the front deck enjoying the sun and being back on the water and back with Jo and Mandy after so long. We roared past the spot where they are set to moor up the QE2 soon and turn it into a floating restaurant then slowed up to gently sway back into the marina for the night. Richard executed a textbook spot of reversing and then had to dash off to meet family at the airport in  Abu Dabi, leaving Jo, Mandy, Georgie and I alone on Charlie for the night.

We all got settled in and unpacked and had planned to go out for dinner at one of the many marina restaurants but while at the supermarket Georgie had spotted some inspiring ingredients and decided to take on her role as galley wench very seriously and cook us all a wonderful dinner on the boat… And wonderful it was, with a backdrop of one of the shiniest cities in the world we all sat aboard Charlie and ate and drank until it was time for bed…

Up the creek without a paddle… But plenty of Charlie was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Learn how to make money travel round the world with you

Our second morning in Dubai and at Richards house began with a plan, and the plan was to go to the Palm and visit the new hotel at the end called Atlantis, its aquarium and its water park!… Off we went through Dubai traffic, which consists mainly of crazy expensive sports cars and lots of them, down the “golden mile” to the very end of the palm passing all the flashy tower blocks and as usual a who’s who of the sports car world.
Just driving up to the Atlantis is awesome enough with its massive Arabian arch cut right through the middle of it, but once inside it all manages somehow to just get better.
A slow wander past some rather exclusive shops brought us into the lobby and a cross roads of fantastic things to do, on one hand the aquarium and the other the water park… We opted firstly for the aquarium and as aquariums go it was pretty good, we all strolled through the very well decorated “Atlantis lost city” rooms taking in such sights as jelly fish and lion fish but its the very last room that makes the impression… Its an almighty great tank that has maybe 40ft square windows all around it, scuba divers inside keeping it clean and even a whale shark swimming around it! It was just amazing… It was as if we were all stood under the sea which I think is an important feature of any self respecting aquarium.

Next on the list was the wonderful water park, a giant open air complex with all sorts of water slides and rides to loose a few hours at. We found a spot on one of the beach areas and left Jo and Mandy sitting in the sunshine while Georgie and I grabbed a double rubber ring and set off down the lazy river. A gentle bob that turns into some rather fun rapids and works as a sort of bus where you can get in and out wherever you fancy, even stay in your ring and go up some escalators up to the slides.
We went all the way round a few times and done a few of the slides including the shark attack slide which shoots you through yet another aquarium full of sharks and out the other side.

We found Jo and Mandy where we had left them in the sunshine and Georgie persuaded them to have a go around the lazy river so with a little gentle persuasion I had the great pleasure of taking Mandy around in a double rubber ring. I was chosen mainly because of my deep fear of her as a mother in law and ergo her ability to control away from the rapids and down the calmer more dignified waters. We bobbed around for a half hour or so having a nice chat and a relaxing time, we even went as far as some gentle rapids to spice it up a little. On our return Georgie and Jo were sat in the now fading sunshine and Georgie was keen as mustard to get her old man around the river. They set off with what looked like a spill from Jo but were out of sight in no time.

As is often the case with Georgie and Jo things like this can spiral out of control and they tend to bring the worst (or best which ever way you see it) out of each other. A good hour had passed before we saw them again and when we did they were full of it, apparently had been down most of the slides and rapids. Georgie had been trying to get directions from an unusually cheerful member of staff for a good 5 minutes before, satisfied by the directions, heading off on their way and realising that one of her boobs was hanging out as a result of the last slide they went down… Cheerful for a good reason then!

The sun was well on its way down by the time we got showered off and headed down to the marina where Richard kept his boat Charlie which was to be our home for the next few days. Charlie was stunning and we couldn’t wait to be aboard. The marina itself was gorgeous, its fringed by big flashy tower blocks on all sides looking down on row after row of gorgeous white yachts gently swaying in the almost still waters. Surrounding the water before the tower blocks are loads of really nice restaurants with large outside seating areas and people puffing away on shisha pipes. Although its completely surrounded and overlooked the marina feels really peaceful, there’s a lot going on in the way of busy restaurants with full tables and the hustle and bustle that goes with it but that’s what makes the place feel so inviting… Its one of the few places in Dubai that doesn’t feel too flashy, too posh or too much.

We perched at a Leboneese restaurant for some dinner and the food was just awesome, stuffed and exited about the new digs… On a yacht we headed back to Richards house, had a few nightcaps and all slipped off to bed.

The Atlantis hotel, Dubai was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Learn how to make money travel round the world with you

Bleary eyed and probably still pissed we arrived in Bangkok on our 10 hour night bus which followed a 3 hour ferry ride, got a room down the Khao San road to at least try and get our sleep patterns back on track. We had a few things to do before we caught our flight that evening and of course those things mainly included Georgie and shopping. After sleeping on a bus and a boat I was almost a cripple so we also had to squeeze in an hour massage and packing, by a lovely coincidence our friend Jo was also in Bangkok so while we waited for the time to leave our beloved Bangkok we chatted away and said our goodbyes again.

We had checked in on-line… luckily because although we had left more than enough time to get to the airport and faff about there Bangkok’s traffic was jammed solid and what should have taken 40 minutes took 2 hours. Knowing full well if we missed the flight Jo and Mandy would have held me personally responsible and probably removed parts of my body in the most painful way possible I was shitting myself, the taxi driver could sense the tension in the back of his cab and put his foot down but it really did seem too late. We arrived at departures with 10 minutes to spare and if I hadn’t checked in on-line earlier we would have been an hour late! We rushed through the gates and made it onto the plane with literally seconds to spare.

A lovely flight, if a little long after the last few days on buses and boats but soon enough we were on the ground in Dubai only an hour away from seeing Jo and Mandy with only Dubai’s infamous customs and immigration to deal with… Of course I was singled out and taken into a little room, relieved of my jeans and searched a good’un, nothing intrusive but still very thorough! I put it down to being to cool and attracting jobs-worth’s to flex their muscles… Once I got my trousers back we boarded the shuttle bus to Terminal 3 to meet Jo and Mandy and only waited for maybe 10 minutes before Georgie let off a whopping scream and ran off in their direction.

It was so good to see them again and with hugs and squeezes out of the way it was like they never left the last time we saw them. A short taxi ride later and we were at Richards house, our crash pad for the next few days and our good friends home. He naturally welcomed us with open arms and open bottles and we all sat out in his gorgeous garden catching up and getting squiffy, everyone was getting tired from traveling and for Richard it was getting late so before things got too serious we all headed off to bed happy, excited and very tired.

The next morning was a glorious sunny one as ever in Dubai, Richard was up and so were his boys Fergal and Keiron. We hadn’t seen them for as just long as Richard and it was really good to see them too, there were no plans what so ever for the day so all we did was sit around the pool in Richard’s garden enjoying the sun and playing with the boys in the pool. Georgie was teaching them how to play poi, Mandy was handing out cuddles as if they were going out of fashion, |was in charge of the play station and Jo went off with Richard to a party for someone.

Come the evening the boys were tucked up in bead and Richard took us out for dinner at a steak restaurant called the Steakhouse in the Madenet hotel, having a few drinks at the bar beforehand I was asked for my I.D which made my day! The meal was nothing short of awesome, it has been an age since I had a steak and the steak I had was in fact the finest steak I have ever had, I will dream of that steak forever! We ate, we chatted and we drank, as is the pattern when around those lot. By the time we were in the car park staring at all the Ferrari’s and Bentley’s Georgie was ready to fall asleep on her feet so by the time we were back at Richards it was time to turn in.

It was a real culture shock not just returning to a western world but to Dubai, the flashiest and most glitzy city we’ve ever seen. It was really nice to be back in a house with friends and family but it really did take some getting used to and Dubai isn’t exactly famous for being a halfway house kind of city, its all about more is more and the best Georgie and I could manage was an open mouthed gorp at all the finery of it all…

Goodbye Bangkok… Hello Dubai was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Learn how to make money travel round the world with you