Both of us were awake early, and this morning it was Narms off the starting block first. She was down at breakfast by about 7.30am, and I followed on about an hour later. Once again sat with the chap from Franz Josef Sky Dive Club. He had injured himself yesterday - apparently came down heavily on his heels and he was limping pretty badly this morning. He didn’t think he was going to be able to jump today and was pretty disappointed as the conditions have been perfect. After breakfast Narms headed off and I went over to the Mall of Emirates to buy a cabin bag to carry my goodies home. Everything is fitting in at the moment, but I want to be able to separate out the declarable stuff to make it easy at the airport. And the bag will come in handy for my next trip!!!! Oh where to next – I see on the Vuda website that the Croatia trip is listed for 2013, so I may have an extra 12 months to save for that. That will be a good idea. And so, as I sit here charging my laptop - I reflect on what the highlights of this trip have been – but like my Vietnam trip every day has been a highlight.

So what have I done • I’ve ticked hot air ballooning and a trip to the desert off my bucket list. • I have bartered for pashmina in the textile souk and • have smoked sheesha with an Arab, and

• gotten a henna tattoo (although it is starting to fade already).

• I have ridden a camel, been dune bashing in a four wheel drive , and • I have shopped and shopped, and then shopped some more, and

• I have been introduced to the Muslim faith, at the Sheik Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, shared a meal and learnt how to wear the abaya and sheila and walked home from the Mall wearing the abaya and • I have spoken to Muslim women from Bahrain and had lunch with a Muslim lady from Jordan and • I have chatted to Pakistanis, Indians, Sri Lankans, Iranians, and Malaysians, bartered with a Syrian and shared the Creek cruise on a dhow with a Venezuean Italian, and an Argentinian and • I got chatted up by a local in Abu Dhabi and had my photo taken with him • I have eaten Lebanese food, African food, Emirati food, Turkish food, Italian food and had a Starbucks Christmas Gingerbread Latte and eaten the most delicious fresh dates and

• I have been to the Rugby Sevens and had my photo taken with a couple of rugby players

• I’ve had a drink with a Welshman, a South African and two poms while watching the finals of the Sevens on TV at the hottest bar in Dubai (The Barasti where all the ex-pats hang out) and • I’ve lost my phone case containing all my credit cards and money card and drivers licence at the Sevens and made a panic phone call to NZ to cancel the card, only to find it again at the Lost and Found Tent on the way out and

• I’ve seen the largest dancing water fountain in the world, , taken photos of the tallest building in the world, visited the world’s 3rd largest mosque in Abu Dhabi, been to the world’s newest and most technological sound and light show, and I’ve paddled in the water alongside the Burj Al Arab and

• managed to negotiate the metro, the bus system and chatted my way out of paying the fare on a bus because my metro card had run out of money and ridden on the abra and • been trapped in a shoe shop by an Indian who wasn’t going to let us out until we bought the shoes and • seen the most gold I have ever seen and the most beautiful snake bracelets and rings and necklaces • and just when I thought I had done all the shopping I needed to I discovered the Dubai Mall and so then I’ve shopped some more. Well I had to didn’t I, there were 1200 shops there. Wow, what an amazing holiday, and the grand finale’ is yet to come. We have one night left here at Ibis Mall of the Emirates and then we go to Atlantis the Palm tomorrow morning. We plan to check in very early and make the most of our twenty four hours there. I am hoping to be able to swim with the dolphins – another of my bucket list items. The guy from Franz Josef said I just have to do the water slide ride, but I am not sure if I am brave enough to that. He said just get out of your comfort zone – alright for someone who jumps out of a perfectly good plane just for the hell of it, I said to him. He said you have got to do that someday too, and assured me that Franz Josef Sky Dive is the safest operation in NZ and if I decide to jump, then to go see him. Let’s see how I feel about that when I get home – maybe my birthday present to me!! So time to hit the road again – I’m meeting Narms at the Dubai Mall at 2pm. I’ve go till 1.30pm to use the last of my Big Bus pass, so I had better get a move on. I need to find the bus stop, somewhere over at that huge MOE. Dubai Mall – over 1200 shops. OMG.