Dubai. United Arab Emirates

After a long hiatus of three eventful years, which included a global pandemic and creating an offspring, the Captain and his new crew return to the open waters of the world for a new adventure.

The time had come  for the Captain and his lifelong sidekick Admiral, to go on another adventure, this time with the challenges amplified, the introduction of a new crew  member Cadet Recruit Rami. A petite 2 year old male, his height and brain deficits make up in heart, big personality and cuteness. Often a liability, this crew member was going to make some big memories, ones that he personally may not remember but ones that the Captain and Admiral will laugh and cry about for a lifetime ahead. 

This trip was going to be more than just the usual vacation. It was going to be a test of courage, a complete baptism of fire, a rude awakening for the young Cadet as he entered the family of explorers.  This expedition was to be a pilgrimage to the holy lands of sports, the largest sporting event in the world, the most viewed and followed event globally, one that occurs like every leap year, every 4 years. This expedition was to the FIFA Football World Cup in Doha, Qatar. 

After months of planning, coordination and research, the Captain and Admiral felt as ready as they would ever be to set out on this new venture into lands far away. Cadet Rami had no idea what he was in for. The Captain and Admiral were frightened, overwhelmed and worried about how this trip would go, but in the words of Joshua J. Marine “Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”

The first challenge was going to be the flight and the duration in which they were all confined like eggs in a carton. Heading directly from Melbourne to Dubai, a flight time of 14 hours, they were terrified of the ramifications this would have on the Cadet’s  all important schedule and routine. Captain and Admiral had prayed to all the Gods, organised inflatables to convert the plane seats into beds, stocked up on snacks and activities and made sure that they were to set off on their journey at night.  It seemed that the Gods may have listened. The Cadet was able to sleep through about 10 hours of the flight, in a constructed cocoon like structure, waking only to have some inflight meals and enjoy some inflight entertainment. 

With some mental relief and physical exhaustion the crew disembarked in their destination and cleared the immigration checks strolling out to meet their host for their desert stay, Colonel Nathan, who had come to the Airport to surprise them. The reunion felt like he had never left Australia, without a break in conversation they all chatted. As they walked outside their faces instantly shrivelled up like raisins in the heat, so they rushed to the the car and It was not long before they were in Colonel Nathan’s rocket ship zooming past the early morning traffic heading towards the barracks, where they were greeted by partner in crime Jo and the two little kids companions for our Cadet. The arrangements they had made in their lovely home was nothing short of amazing, every little detail had been looked after and it instantly felt like home. The residence was extremely well furnished with beautiful decor and reminded the Captain of his  time Morocco a few years ago.

The following few hours are a bit of a blur but that could be due to the espresso martinis, beers and Gin and Tonics that were served alongside an Arabic breakfast of Labneh and Zataar. 

The Captain’s brother, General Nuj in older adventures and his fiance were also visiting Dubai at the same time as he was so in amongst the blur of breakfast, cocktails and reliving old memories, they also joined Colonel Nathan’s platoon. 

After some brief introductions they started to think of things to do, it was here that the Captain realised his ticket to the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix included entrance on Saturday for qualifying. He had three tickets and it was decided that Colonel Nathan, General Nuj and the Captain would set off for Abu Dhabi to enjoy the race, meanwhile the Admiral and Cadet would stay back and visit the local Markets.

With that the party split up, the Captain and his entourage headed to Yas Marina Circuit for the final race of the F1 calendar, whilst Jo, Rani and the Admiral tackled three young spawn in the desert heat at the Markets. Both forks come with fun times as well as tough ones. 

The drive to Abu Dhabi was intense, the Colonel hitting speeds of up to 190 kmph on a vast spanning highway, the General and Captain fearing for their lives and saying their hail marys several times during the journey. They were able to live more of the F1 speed on the journey up to the F1 as they watched it, dodging traffic and other drivers. Only to be slowed down at the end in which it was very hard to find parking and the whole area around the circuit being closed or congested.  It took a good 20 minutes to eventually find parking at the nearest Mall and they took an uber to the race, arriving 30 minutes into qualifying.

The track was huge, and very different to the Grand Prix the Captain had been to before, it could have been the twilight, or the restriction of alcohol or the lack of picnic spaces, it just felt like a completely different race. The Vibe however felt electrifying, the hustle and bustle felt like a music festival. The hard part however was… actually finding the track and where the race was happening,  it was very hard to find a good vantage point to watch the race at. The track being so far away from the viewing points, it was not as exhilarating as the Melbourne Grand Prix.

 Once the qualifying was over, getting up to the car was much more difficult than getting in,  we had to cross mulch, a field and dodge thousands of people leaving the circuit, and so the trio trekked all the way back to the car.

Once there they headed into the mall to freshen up, besides it being a twilight race the mercury was still soaring at 30 degrees celsius even at 7 pm at night. Here they decided to grab a meal at the infamous Shake Shack (which was and still is amazing) and headed home, once again zig zagging through hundreds of cars, as the General passed out in the back seat. 

The parallel mission with Admiral and the ladies  was not as successful, being outnumbered by children, they faced intense heat and crowds only to return promptly from the markets, cars covered in ice cream remnants  and their spirits broken. The mission report did not read too well. 

The next day started off with a visit to a very unusual Cafe, the ambience was amazing, the place was immaculate and looked extremely fancy and the menu was very appropriate, however what made it quite unique was the display of Amazonian birds right in the centre of the restaurant. Besides the wildlife in the middle of the cafe, it was also unusual that there was a large play area with toys for children and the Admiral made haste  to drop Rami off there. Soon a fairly large platter and several breakfast items arrived and the Captain and Admiral stuffed their faces as the extremely large parrots watched on. Following the oversized and overindulgent meal, they headed to the central enclosure where the large parrots were caged, where a bird handler brought out the birds for brave patrons to hold.  One of the winged creatures had formed a disliking towards the Captain, probably because he had stared at it earlier whilst slowly devouring halloumi and other cheeses. As the bird came out it started glaring and cawing at the Captain, finally thrusting its head towards the Captain to bite him. He barely escaped by the tip of his beak. Cadet Rami found this interesting and continued to laugh, as the bird piqued his curiosity and wonder. 

Finishing up at breakfast, a private vehicle arrived to take the Captain, Admiral and Cadet to the F1 race in Abu Dhabi, the final race of the year, the one in which destiny was made just 12 months prior with the crowning of Max Vestappan as the F1 champion. This was going to be a ‘childhood dream comes reality moment’ for the Captain as he braced himself for an electrifying race. That was not the only thing he was bracing for, he was ready for tears, tantrums and general child mayhem as he anticipated the needs of the Cadet. 

The journey up to Abu Dhabi this time around was far calmer than the one the Captain had taken the day before, the driver maxing out his speed at 120 kmph. The fact that this was a 4×4 rather than a hatch may have also had a lot to do with the absence of life ending fear. 

The Captain sat and watched the nothingness pass him, sand dunes as far as the eye could see and the windows radiating heat from the outside sun.  

They soon arrived and were dropped off at Ferrari world at Yas Mall, the Admiral and Captain had always been suckers for thrill rides and fought the temptation to jump on the fastest roller coaster in the world, and despite all the contemplation without a guardian for the Cadet, they could not find a means to ride it. They stared at the ride and watched part of their soul die. To make up for it they visited the gift shop and took photos in an old F1 car and a Ferrari. After the modelling shoot and dream of driving an F1 car was over the team was feeling peckish and wanting the Cadet to eat before the next adventure, the Captain took the Admiral to the same Shake Shack that he had smashed the day before. She had never tasted it before and was as impressed as the Cap, the highlight however was watching the Cadet finish up a big serving of Fries and a whole Ice Cream. 

There was still ample time before the race and with their stomachs full of food and their hearts clogged with the grease, the Captain had a brilliant idea to burn off some of those delicious calories. Right next door to the mall and the F1 circuit, there was Warner Brothers Movie world theme park. Although they only had 2 hours to spend, it would have been silly not to go. The Captain could hardly contain his excitement. 

The theme park did not fail to impress, the largest indoor theme park in the world was able to play out a kaleidoscope of memories for the Captain, from the old school classics like Bugs, Tom and Jerry, Flintstones etc to the much more recent touches, like Batman and Justice league. They were able to meet and greet some childhood icons and even pitch the Cadet as a contender to join the Joker – who complimented him on his grip.  It was not all good news for the Cadet who fell short to go on most rides by a few centimetres (stuffing tissues in his shoes did not help). This bad run of events was amplified when the little recruit got stuck in a slide and had to be rescued by the staff member, who climbed up trying to calm the crying little man down. Time ran out much faster than the crew had expected, but they also managed to get a glimpse of a spectacular theatrical show as they rushed out of the park. Finally they called the driver for a swift pick up – it was Race Time!

They scurried to the track, entering just on time and like fish swimming upstream, hurried to the track position that the Captain had scoped out the day earlier. 

Race day felt electrifying, the atmosphere from the previous day had been turned up a few notches – the buzz going on was thrilling. Weaving in and out, and hoping to find a prime position to watch the race they dodged people and piloted the stroller like war plane pilots, finally reaching a place they could watch the race. Just as they sat down – it was Lights out at Abu Dhabi for the Final race of the season. Also the final race for D-Ric, Latifi, Vettel and Mick Schumacher!  There was not any more iconic race to be at this year than this final one. 

The Captain had to be sent on a sustenance mission to deliver some food for a hungry Cadet. He left at lap 3 and with lines etc only could return by lap 28 missing half of the race – but on the way he had made some friends and had no regrets, he still was able to watch some exciting overtakes and finish the race.

As the cars lined up for the final few laps the squadron rushed back to miss the thousands of people leaving, reaching the entry gates just as the epic fireworks display was let off, with a backdrop of smoke from the burnouts happening on the track, the Captain took a moment to soak it all in before jumping in the car and heading back towards Dubai. 

The following day the Captain and Admiral awoke exhausted from the previous day’s activities, it was hard to believe that they accomplished so much on the first few days in Dubai. It was now however time to hit the tourist landmarks and to explore some of the iconic buildings and places that Dubai had to offer.

They jumped in the car and faced the blaring sun, and headed towards the Dubai frame, an iconic structure that ‘frames’ old Dubai and new Dubai. The Frame is a building which allows you to go up to the top where you can have panoramic views of both sides of the city.  The frame also has a glass floor so you can see below from 150 metres. 

The views were amazing. The Cadet was hesitant as he walked along the glass floor fearing imminent death. It was quite humorous to watch. 

They then headed to the newest landmark in Dubai, the Museum of the Future. Housed in a beautiful and iconic building, the museum showcases technological developments and innovations, especially in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). Heavily impressed by the exterior, as they entered they marvelled at the inside lobby of the building. It was something straight out of the future, including a hovering mechanical seal that drifted around the lobby.  They lined up to get tickets only to find that the entrance has been booked out and the earliest date to visit is two weeks in the future. The Captain explained how they were only in town for a few more days and was able to convince the attendant to allow them entry. She asked them to wait and 20 minutes later were able to source a ticket to go in. 

The Museum was impressive. It was structurally very well built and the exhibits were interactive and very cool. The elevator ride up was like a rocket ship to a space station and then as you went through each floor the displays were all themed towards one common idea. One of the exhibits did invoke a reaction  in the captain,  and this was the exhibit on sustainability and environmental impacts that are contributing to the destruction of the planet,  considering the UAE are a major contributor to the environmental impact this felt like a bit of hypocrisy and propaganda. The Captain walked over to the attendant who was preaching about the destruction of the Amazon and asked them about the carbon neutrality of the building itself,  he mentioned that the building was 60% carbon neutral with the intention to 100% by the end of the year.  The other part that really invoked emotion was the display of the creatures that will be extinct in the coming years. It really hit home that the species that we saw today would not exist by the time the Cadet was older. The last floor displayed some technological advancements that were coming into production over the next few years and they were pretty impressive things like sustainable farming and medical advancements. It was impressive but the deep feeling of hypocrisy was quite evident; it felt like a little bit of a propaganda machine. 

With mixed emotions Squadron headed to Burger King for a quick snack which ended up being an order of almost every item that did not contain beef on the menu. #eatingouremotions. 

They headed home to meet the Colonel’s brother who had just joined them all the way from Sydney. Brigadier Stephan had flown to Dubai and was joining the crew on their adventures for the next few days. The platoon had grown and it was now Colonel Nathan, Jo, the two kids, Brigadier Stephan, the Captain, Admiral and Cadet. To celebrate reunions they all went out to the Dubai Mall for dinner at the Time Out Market Dubai. 

Time Out Market Dubai was a pop up food court featuring food pop ups from the best around Dubai. Here you could trial select iconic dishes from all the best places around town, without paying an arm and a leg. The crew was able to down a few drinks and try a few dishes. Still stuffed from a binge at Burger King earlier in the day, the Captain ordered Banh Mi (which was amazing) and Ceviche Pani Puri (also a stand out). Filled and slightly drunk they headed back to the base. It was somewhere between leaving and the drive home that Colonel Nathan had reached out to another crazy friend Major Tony and organised some drinks with the Lads. 

Dropping off the Children and the Ladies, the Captain joined by Colonel and Brigadier headed out to the Jumeirah Palms area for some drinks. Heading first to an upmarket restaurant and bar that makes the best caipirinhas in the city – Tamoka Dubai. Here they had their first rendezvous with Major Tony. They did not know what they were getting into. 

Major Tony and Colonel Nathan were friends and worked together, he had been pretty much a local in Dubai, having been born there but of English descent. Arriving at the Bar, without any questions asked, two drinks had already been ordered. We started to get to know each other, sitting and chatting, the Captain assumed that this would be the night, chilling and chatting. Little did he know they had other plans unfolding. They decided to pay the bill and head off to the next location, which was a beach bar called Barasti Beach which was about 3 km away from where they were at. So along with other friends they decided to grab some scooters. Since there were a few of them they found two at first which fit the first four people and then the others, then they went and found more until all 6 people had a scooter each. 

From here they acted like hoons, riding all the way down. 

The Captain somehow found his way to the front of the pack, and as a result almost had a collision en route because he moved the wrong way (as he was used to back home) to the right, he almost hit another oncoming scooter and caused an accident. Front runner privileges were at that point taken away from the Captain. 

They arrived at Barasti bar and quickly things escalated with Jagerbombs, vodka shots and drinks as they started flowing. Here they sat amongst the hundreds at the beach and watched the soccer world cup on the big screen. Before deciding to head off on another scooting adventure. 

This time more intoxicated than before they mounted their steeds which awaited outside. They headed towards a bar called Lock, Stock & Barrel JBR. Some scooting burnouts and jumps later they once again parked the scooters outside and headed to the bar, where it was unusually filled with a soccer contingent. Major Tony was confused, a usually happening bar had been taken over by soccer fans and the vibe was completely off. No issues we had more to drink and the night had to go on, they grabbed another round and continued their shenanigans. After a few strong drinks as they started to leave, the Brigadier saw a place they could take a photo, as the Captain and Brigadier posed an incoming projectile just flew past their faces with great speed. They felt a gush of wind as a ginormous inflatable soccer ball that Major tony had kicked whizzed past their heads. The projectile missed them and landed on a table. What ensued was manic, just as soon as they had realised what had happened the manager came yelling with security guards, grabbing Tony and kicking him out requesting that he “Quietly F(*k off!” saying that it could have hit someone, landed on table with drinks etc.. They all made our exit and got back on the scooters for another joy ride. 

This time they did not have a destination and were just hooning around when they decided to cross the major freeway. In dubai the only way you could do so is by crossing over using large air conditioned, tiled overpasses. They decided to take the scooters up the lift and what appeared before them as the door opened was a white heaven for riding a motorised scooter. Smooth white tiles, the air conditioned wind blowing in their faces, they rode fast until…. They saw a security guard walking their way indicating to them to get off and that he had seen them. They slowed down and the opening sentence by the guard was that he was going to call the cops on them. Finding out that it was a local they were speaking to, the Colonel spoke some Arabic (note the colonel does not speak Arabic but rather only knows a few words) to which he got an Arabic response, which he had no idea what it meant. The Colonel, despite not knowing what the other guy was saying, continued to pacify the situation. The Major on the other hand gets more agitated and shows aggression toward the guard. Ultimately the guard calmed down and they were able to pacify the Major escaping the full wrath of the Dubai police force and walked the scooters out and called it a night. Hooning around the street, heading to 3 bars, getting kicked out and almost arrested – The Captain believes it was a decent night out. 

Extremely hungover the next day started off a bit slow. Jo had organised a visit to the infamous Gold Souk all the way across the other side of town in Old Town Dubai. 

As they arrived the Captain and Admiral alongside Cadet Rami were gold struck with the copious amount of shiny things they saw before them. It was as if they had entered the cave where the genie was kept in the deserts of Agrabah. Precious stones and gold as far as the eye can see, with each shopfront displaying expensive and often impractical pieces of gold. Often reverting to sunglasses the Captain looked away at times from the shiny metals that surrounded him. Once again the Cadet did not have any idea what was going on. 

Wanting to escape after feeling overwhelmed they moved out of the maze like souk and headed to some open ground, walking towards a traditional emirates restaurant that was constructed on the site of the first school in Dubai. They feasted once again on all the amazing local cuisine. The Captain felt like he had died and went to heaven, this was his favourite food group and he had ordered food that he believed he could eat every day for the rest of his life. Just as they ate they started to hear the pitter patter on the tin roof above them. Within seconds that pitter patter metamorphosed into a torrential rain storm! It started raining so hard that the restaurant started filling up with water, and it was at this point that the staff members asked us to move to some higher seating on the other side of the venue. 

As they got up to move, they noticed water seeping down the walls like a waterfall, and then a few men rushed past with ladders. It was at that moment that the Captain realised that the roof of the establishment had started to bow and the water was filling up on the roof. 

One staff member exclaimed that it may collapse. The options were limited to them as the rain poured down outside and they waited for a break before making an escape to the flooded streets of the souk. 

With the option to stay behind and explore ruled out – they headed home, there was no way that they could risk being out in a place where rain management was next to non-existent, it was not going to be the day the Cadet learnt to swim. Instead since the Cadet had been accommodating at the souk they decided to treat him to a play centre visit where he was able to use his energy and enjoy his time surrounded by walls that were well padded. 

The night concluded with some drinks and a lovely dinner at the bunker as the squadron shared stories of the day’s adventures with the Brigadier and the Colonel. 

The next day started off slightly slower, with a swim in the pool and some relaxed lounging. Extremely happy with their little adventures with the Cadet the night earlier they decided to visit another play centre and to grab a coffee. This time they headed to a playcentre close by that had several Ball Pits. At this moment Captain and Admiral realised the strengths that the Cadet had bought with him on this adventure – His ability to dive into confined areas filled with balls. He was able to jump without fear multiple times, diving head first at times into pits of balls. It was remarkable the speed and agility he did this at – often going for 15/20 minutes without fail. Remarkable. Whilst continually entertained by the Cadets Kamikaze like behaviour which was stuck on repeat, the Captain started conversing with a local who was visiting with his Son and several Filipino maids. As they talked the Captain found out that the local was heading to the world cup in the following week and had been to the F1 several times. He also learnt that he was a boxing fan and had often hung out with Conor Mcgregor and other UFC champions, he even had their phone numbers stored on his phone. The Captain slowly backed away and back to the Feral Cadet who had found an undisturbed pocket of balls in the pit. 

They returned home with an exhausted and bruised Cadet,  planned for the night’s festivities which were to be an adult dinner & drinks with the crew as the maid was there to babysit the younger generation. Putting on trousers and doing his hair after what felt like a really long time the Captain got ready for the night on the town. 

The crew headed out all loaded in the car to a modern fusion thai place called Miss Tess, the location was the Taj hotel and the venue had a fun vibe, and an even better cocktail menu. The cocktails were amazing and the food was pretty decent. There were performers often jumping out dressed up in squid games outfits, or old heroes from Chinese films singing happy birthday and delivering food.  

The Colonel and Captain devised a plan and called the waiter over to tell them it’s the Admiral’s Birthday, out came more performers singing and dancing as a very intoxicated Admiral had no idea of what was going on. As they approached her she had a look of terror mixed with heavy confusion, this soon turned into laughter and giggles. She was a top sport and went along with it. The alcohol definitely helped. 

Time had gotten the better of them and without realising it, they had to rush home to relieve the maid of her child minding duties. The night had been fun and it would go down in the book of memories as great times. 

Waking up extremely hungover from the previous night’s escapades, they decided to make the most of the day and head to the Dubai Mall, which is the second largest mall in the world after the Iran Mall by total land area. The Captain intended to spend a day there with full understanding that he would not be able to cover everything off in the enormous shopping mecca. 

As they walked in the royalty of the mall was clearly evident, with lavish high ceilings and everything pristine, the concierge brought them Arabic Coffee and toffee. As they continued to walk through the brand names started rolling on like pokemon in a pokedex. 

The Captain stopped at a tent-like structure in the middle of the mall to investigate. It was a place to dress up like locals, there was no way the Captain was passing up on this, and with much pushback from the Admiral he finally convinced her to adorn the traditional attire. The results were fabulous. They looked like royalty, they fit right in, it was uncanny.  It was very hard to pry away and change back into normal clothes, even the Cadet was having fun parading like he owned the joint, although this is no different to his usual behaviour. 

The Captain and Admiral walked along and were confronted with a huge waterfall running three stories down and about 20 metres across, it had statues of people diving going across the face and was remarkable. Still in awe they continue to walk, only to come across a huge Ice Skating Rink in the middle of the mall. It was extremely hard to believe that outside the temperatures were reaching 35 degrees celsius and inside there was an ice skating rink in the middle of an air conditioned mall. The Admiral and Captain considered taking the Cadet on an Ice mission, but the fear of injury prevented them from pursuing the adventure.

The squad walked along and were confronted with a HUGE fish tank. This had to be the largest underwater display the captain had ever seen. A face that was going up three stories and running at least 30 metres in length, once again right in the middle of a Shopping centre. It had stingrays, Sharks, and several different fish. It was baffling. They had still not come to terms with it. They later found out that it was more than just a fish tank, it was a full fledged aquarium. The Captain and Admiral needed to see what was inside, if this was the outside facade they could only imagine.

They bought tickets and proceeded to enter the mega structure, inside they were instantly amazed by the huge, transparent water tunnel they had to walk through, it was the fish tank they had seen from the outside. As they walked their jaws continued to drag behind them, each display more brilliant than the last. Finally they approached a section that had wild parrots flying above, reptiles and lizards in a night display and all this surrounded by hundreds of unique marine wildlife. It was like nothing they had seen before, let alone in a shopping complex. They then went to the ice section in which they had penguins and they learnt that the tank contains 10 million litres of sea water that is brought in every day by large trucks. It was remarkable the extent of human intervention to keep this place alive. 

The Cadet who had dozed off prior to entering this magnificent place awakened and was instantly transfixed by his surroundings. He had entered a place of mystical creatures that he had only seen in books and 2 dimensional images. His eyes glowing, and the curiosity in his heart all absorbing. He was fascinated and excited by all he saw. The exhibits themselves were astonishing, The Captain and the crew ended up spending far more time than they had intended. 

Dredging themselves away, they fed the little Cadet some Panda Express and went to the massive play centre, this Mall did not fail to impress. The Cadet chose to continue his favourite pastime of jumping in the ball pit repeatedly until he went limp from exhaustion. It was then time to head home and let the little recruit rest up. 

Once the little guy had gone to sleep the Captain and Admiral were able to recruit the services of the Colonel and Jo to mind him as he slept. He needed to be guarded as we did not know what enemies he had made and which mercenaries were looking for him.

With the cargo carefully protected – the Captain and Admiral were free and instantly needed to go out and get their drink on. 

With the countdown timer running they grabbed an uber and bolted to the Madinat Jumeirah area for some shisha and drinks. Madinat Jumeirah is structured like an Arabian citadel, it is  a mini-city in Dubai, comprising five-star hotels, ornate souks and beachfront bars and restaurants.  Exploring the maze like souk they were blinded by a perfume salesman with some intense peppermint that he burnt on some coal, the intense vapor making the Admiral and Captain’s eyes water and shut. It was almost like witchcraft, which resulted in the Captain and Admiral buying some of the mysterious substance. 

They continued to walk around taking a wrong turn and ending up in a 5 star hotel, instantly knowing they were in the wrong area, easily identifiable by the number of lamborghinis and ferraris that were parked around them. They backed away slowly into the bushes and headed back to the souk area. 

After exploring for a while they found a nice bar which offered Shisha and headed in ordering a sangria and several vodka shots (which they poured into the Sangria), this paired with a Blueberry, Mint, Watermelon Shisha went down a treat. With the soccer playing in the background, they reminisced on the adventure so far and watched videos of the Cadet, surrounded by the beauty of the structures around them.  

It was not long before they felt drunk and they were extremely happy to spend time together after a long time, so much so that they did not realise how late it had gotten, worried about the safety of the little Cadet they rushed back to the residence. 

The next day was to be the last full day for the Captain and Admiral in Dubai, and once again with heads slightly pounding from the night before the day started off slower than usual. The first realisation was that the Brigadier had left the night before on to his next adventure to Norway, where the Colonel and Jo would follow the next day. 

Disappointed that they would not get a chance to say goodbye, the Captain and Admiral had a small side mission for a comrade in Melbourne, and that was to buy some of the rare precious metal they had seen before “Gold”. This time opting not to go to the overwhelming Old Gold Souk, they were able to find a new Gold Souk which was much closer to home. Hours later and with a much lighter wallet as well as blurred vision they escaped, wondering what happened. They had ended up getting a fair bit of Gold, something they had no idea about. 

The Cadet was not impressed by the confines of his pram in the Gold souk, he had become exhausted and cranky, we also presume a little blinded after being exposed to the metal for such a prolonged period. As a treat they got him a Cold Cake (Ice-Cream) and took him to the Dubai Green Planet. 

The Green Planet is a “bio-dome” i.e indoor zoo and garden in the City Walk area of Dubai, It has over 3,000 plants and animals in an artificial tropical rainforest including birds, reptiles, and fish. They are kept in open environments, but may not be touched.  Animals include toucans, sloths, lemurs etc. Yet another marvel constructed in the middle of the Desert. Species that would have never in their existence been able to survive in such desolate lands yet here they were, flying, crawling and walking around in an artificial playground. Here as tourists the Captain, Admiral and Cadet were able to gaze into the eyes of such animals, ones that would rarely be seen without making huge journeys across multiple lands. 

Pretty Ironic the Captain perplexed as structures and biodome such as this indirectly caused the demise of the species through means such as global warming and the carbon emissions used to power such an environment in the part of the world it existed. Bleak but true.   Destructive but a human feat none the less. 

Finishing up the exhibition and with some time to kill they believed the Cadet had not exerted enough of his copious amount of energy, they once again headed to a Play centre to watch him crawl, jump and run through intense obstacle courses. Post the obstacle course the Captain and Admiral braced the heat and decided to challenge the 15 minute journey on foot, struggling with the lack of footpaths and speeding traffic they made it home unscathed, albeit drenched from head to toe in sweat. 

Blessed again by the presence of comrades that could guard the Cadet, the Captain and Admiral once again made an escape, this time to return to Dubai Mall to watch the majestic and infamous dancing Dubai fountains. Dancing away under the long toothpick like shadow of the Burj Khalifa. Littered with people all enticed by the beautiful display, the arabic music pounding paired perfectly with the aquatic swaying. Impressed for the nth time this trip the Captain and Admiral got lost once again amongst the lights and the brands, shopping in black friday sales as they took one last spin in its artificial aura and headed home for the last time. 

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Heading to Qatar