Touring the sandpit

Sometimes, the world feels like an enormous place, full of potential, light, laughter and promise. These past few weeks, it has felt rather like a 4ft x4ft square box, with me in the center, and no room for anything other than darkness, discomfort, stagnant air and murky shadows.

Then my cousin and her boyfriend came to stay.

Taking visitors around Dubai is an interesting phenomenon. "Brand Dubai" has become something on the outskirts of reality tv land, a topic for Piers Morgon (of America's Got Talent.. don't you know he used to be a journalist? No? Oh, no worries, it's not important, he's a celebrity now don't you know) and record breaking buildings, islands, foodstuffs... and any thing else that can break a record. It has to be the first, biggest or best in this town. That said, I still have a special fondness for my Dubai, the places where I live, eat, work and relax... and I'd hope it goes without saying that these aren't necessarily on the tourist trail.

So it was with a rather bittersweet happiness that I took Soph & Rob round all the secret corners of my town. I didn't know then how the case was going to go, so much of the tour was me touching base with the places I love to go, as well as giving them a glimpse of all the different sides to Dubai.

We hit the sailing club on the first day, and drank beer on a boat. Day two started at stupid o'clock, and I whisked Rob off to the Mussendam for some diving off Lima rock and Ras al Lima. Saw a shark's egg, which incidentially looks rather like a giant purple ravioli. Stat.

We swung by Mall of the Emirates, to gawk at Ski Dubai, then dipped in to the Third Line - a London style gallery in a very run down arabic warehouse district covered in sand. Our tour of Dubai central took in the Bastakiya district, a little maze of old buildings with galleries and open spaces, home to Art Dubai, but quiet out of season. By this point we were starving, so we ate ginormous salads in the cool shade of the Bastakiya Cafe.

Then we pootled down the creek towards the old part of town. I love the creek. It is still such an artery for trade, with the screams of deck hands and seagulls indistinguishable from one another, and the clatter of boats mingling with the sounds of the city. The buildings on the Deira side seem to be crowding over one another towards the water, higgledy piggledy and coated in long outdated neon signs, somewhat dusty in the midday sun. Sophs had worn trousers, as the short skirts that are acceptable in the tourist hotspots don't go down too well in old Dubai. You forget though, that you have to get used to wearing trousers when its hot, and skinny jeans have zero ventilation...

I took them across the creek on an abra, zero frills, a commuter boat with no rails or safety features, costing about 17p. We strolled through the gold souk, trying on diamonds the size of pebbles - at one point I had a 25k sterling rock on my finger. Within 30 seconds he'd started the negotiation, and knocked 11k sterling off the rock. It was 9k when I walked out... still a little bit out of my price range!

They were fabulous company, and it was actually perfect that I was free to show them round, and spend my days with them. Now, if I do leave, I have reminded myself of the parts of this town that are truly, honestly real, and the glimpses of breathtaking beauty on my doorstep. Plus, I got out of my 4x4 box... which was a real bonus!