20th July (Burj Al Arab)

The heat was extremely warm (up to 44 degrees Celsius in the shade) and oppressive, I could feel energy drained out of me. Getting used to the heat as we went in and out of air-conditioned areas was also a challenge. We woke up early in the morning and went hunting for breakfast as well as a swimming costume for me. We walked 20 minutes to a shopping mall, that the receptionist said was "pretty near". It really didn't seem that near walking in the heat but the good thing was that we spotted a Haagen Daaz that we made a mental note to come back. We had breakfast at Cinnabon, attracted by the smells of fresh rolls of bread on cinnamon. I bought my swimming costume after trying out a few places, an ordinary swimming costume doesn't come cheap.

We walked back, walking past buildings and roads in construction. Sighted lots of Arabs, men in white, the women in black. I have to admit that I find it bizarre that the women are totally covered, especially when a full black veil covers their face too. When I'm physically near to one of these women, it seems like they are conveying a message "You can't see me, I'm not here."

We have 4 nights here. The first and the last, we stayed at Holiday Inn Downtown. We are going to stay 2 nights at Burj Al Arab.

There are several nice cabs in Dubai, most of the drivers we have met are Indian or Pakistani and most very friendly.

At mid-noon, we arrived at Burj Al Arab in our back packs. We were greeted by nice, warm smiles and 6-star service. After validating our reservation as well as credit card, we were escorted to our floor. The lady gave us a commentary of the place as she led us to our room. The place was awesome, and had 2 huge fountains, but slightly a bit too much of gold decor. You could see lots of tourists around the reception area, just taking pictures of the place.

We were introduced to our Paranomic suite, it was the corner suite. A duplex unit of 225 meters square (twice the size of our HK apartment), it was simply a dream. We had our own butler who showed us around in the suite. The full length windows surrounding the suite extends to both floors, providing us an extensive view of Dubai. We could see The Palm, the private beaches, Jumeirah chain of hotels and pools and the clear blue water that surrounded Burj Al Arab. The suite was designed with a very open concept, very high tech, the most indulgent luxurious and topped up with the best service possible. Hermes toiletries were provided, a set of me and another for Ross. Flip-flops, beach bags and a huge safety deposit box were provided. We also had wireless broadband, a personal fax and printer, complimentary wine and a huge fruit basket. Ross mentioned that we were on our honeymoon. Minutes later, the butler turned up with a chocolate cake and a bunch of red roses. Such a pleasant surprise.

The bell-boys checked with Ross that we "only had 2 bags". We could detect a sense of smirkness as I guess it's not everyday that people appearing in backpacks and casual gear checks into the hotel.

After settling in, we headed for Wild Waldi Water Park (complimentary). We had loads of fun at the water park.

At night, we walked around the Jumeirah area. There was a new shopping mall in the area with lots of restaurants. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant , outdoor since there was a long queue for indoor seating. The food was superb. We took a ferry service right by the restaurant to the buggies that took us back to Burj Al Arab.

Back in to the room, they had a surprise for us. The bed was laid specially, chocolates, roses, bath robes and foot balm.