The flight there took a bit longer than planned, as fog had closed Dubai Airport for a number of hours. We ended up flying to Dammam, Saudi Arabia for five glorious hours sitting on the ground, unable to leave the plane. One of my fellow passengers was excited to be so close to Mecca and I suggested that if we were stuck there for another five weeks or so, we could do the Hajj (the Muslim pilgrimage) together. He thought that was rather funny; too bad the other three hundred or so passengers couldn’t see the humour of the situation. We did finally arrive at our destination, around seven hours late! I’m sure you readers can understand the chaos that ensued as officials tried to clear the airport of so many people arriving at the same time.

All of the landmarks I used to help me get around Dubai years ago were either completely hidden by new buildings or had been knocked down and replaced. It made finding my hotel nearly impossible; a lot of expensive calls were made on my cellphone before I actually found the place, hidden away up a side street (‘just across from the Hyatt’, indeed…).

The San Marco Hotel in the central district of Deira offers budget accommodation in a city famous for its overpriced five-and-six-star hotels. The staff are very friendly and helpful, and the place is handy for those wanting to practice their Russian, as the place is apparently always full of tourists from the former Soviet Union. A number of non-Russian-speaking guests were relieved to be able to converse English with me.

One such person was John, an expat UK-born Kiwi, who had just arrived in Dubai from a number of years working in Sri Lanka. He’s taken on a new job working on a major development project in the UAE, and we spent a day at the weekend touring around Dubai and Abu Dhabi so that he could get a feel for the place. After his time in Colombo, I think he was having some serious culture shock, especially finding out that hiring a car does not include a driver, which he’s had in Thailand and Sri Lanka. Hopefully the poor guy will settle in without too many dramas.

It’s just as well I rented a car, as it’s now become just about impossible to hail a taxi. Years ago, one could take one’s pick of any number of cheap, reliable taxis at any time of the day or night, but it’s actually cheaper and more convenient to rent a car, even with having to pay for parking, fuel, etc.

The traffic has become hellacious, exacerbated by the construction of Dubai’s metro system, which is helping to clog up place’s main streets, as well as altering routes in often times a most inconvenient manner. It’s more like Beijing or Bangkok than the Dubai of my memory. Still, I was able to get to where I was going, even if it seemed a bit stressful at times.

A couple of highlights of this leg of the trip were seeing my old friend, Dr Ahmed, who now heads up the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture, an organization that focuses on the production of salt-resistant plant varieties and techniques for effectively doing so. My Bedui pal treated me like a long lost relation, and my visit to the Centre was all too short.

The other was seeing my Jordanian little brother, Bassem (which means ‘Smiling’, in Arabic), his wife, Agnes (who used to be my secretary when I lived in the UAE), and their three children, Jusuf, Ahmed and Ibrihim. The kids were excited to finally meet their Ammo Butros (Uncle Peter), and I was so pleased to send time with them all; a real highlight of my trip.

All are doing well and the kids are learning to speak Arabic, Tagalog and English. While the oldest is definitely his father’s son, i.e. v. responsible and somewhat serious, the other two take after their cheeky, exceptionally smart mum.As far as business, there are a lot of opportunities for me there, even with a crowded, competitive market. I have found some gaps that could be filled by my colleagues and me, but I think it’s going to take a few more trips, and v. likely having to relocate to Dubai for a time, before things happen.