In desperate search for a cultural experience and to learn something more about the UAE, Ben and I headed to the Cultural Center for Open Minds (funded by Sheikh Mohammed) for breakfast and talks with our host Nasif. The center is located in the oldest section of Dubai, the heart of the historic Al Fahidi District in Bur Dubai The traditional Emirati breakfast took place in the ambience of a wind tower house and no question was off limits with Nasif as our grou...

We spent the morning by the pool enjoying the resort and had a couple of lemon mint mocktails (very refreshing). Temperature was a dry 42 degrees centigrade. Our taxi driver to Dubai thankfully knew where he was going and after a 45 min drive through the desert, where we went past a hotel called "Endurance Village" and saw some people cycling in the desert #crazy, we arrived at Fairmount the Palm where we had sneakily booked in with travel agent rates (great de...