Our old friends, Kevin and Maureen from Dubai and Nova Scotia, came to visit one afternoon and evening. They lived in Al Ain back in the 1990s and in Dubai until just two years ago. We spent lots of great times with them over the years.

As we become more familiar with Al Ain, we are finding great spots to go to … for a great meal and cold beverages, all for one great price!

… or for a vigorous walk amongst the palm trees.

The palm trees in the UAE are all date palms. There are lots of different types of dates, and some of the local dates, such as those grown by one of my colleagues, are like eating a caramel – silky smooth and sweet.

Dates are a super food and so one tree could sustain a person for several months – I think!

We also privileged to be able to go to Dubai regularly and stay with our good friends The Tulls, from New Zealand, whom we met just after we first arrived in 2001. From their home base, we are able to visit some of the great beaches like Kite Beach. This beach is lined with walkways, restaurants and lots of open sand and beach for great swimming.

Dubai has become quite conscious of it’s lifestyle and so is starting to implement a Happiness Agenda. You can see concrete evidence on the beach, which is already a pretty happy place.

What is on a happiness platform?

The platform also has lots of room for activities – beach yoga perhaps?

If you drive down the coast just a few kilometers, you will come to the Dubai Marina. In very close proximity, you will find the Palm Jumeirah Island, and then a bit further on you will see the Cruise Ship Terminal, Marina, JBR Residence and Beach, and at the end of this zone, the Ain Dubai.

Once you have worn yourself out at the beaches, it is great fun to go to the Barasti Bar, which is an old favourite of ours from way back. This bar used to be considered way out on the edge of town. But with the phenomenal growth of JBR and the palm, all started after we arrived in 2001, it is now a hub for the area.

Another great spot for a meal is the Mina Al Salam, in the Jumeirah Madinat, which is a huge hotel and restaurant complex between Kite Beach and the Marina. If you get the right seat in the right restaurant, you can have a lovely view of the Burj Al Arab.

Another area that we used to frequent back in the day is the Dubai Creek area. Before the JBR and that whole zone was built, the creek was a very happening spot. Nowadays, it is still quite busy, and – perhaps busier than before, but since Dubai has grown so much, the creek is now a more of a museum piece.

However, there are still lots of things to see like the abras, or ferries, that cross the creek every few minutes.

There are still a significant number of dhows plowing the shipping lanes of yore.

Another favourite and ‘only in Dubai’ event is the Global Village and Dubai Shopping Festival. I have heard people mock the notion of a ‘Shopping festival’, but really – you will love it. Who does not like shopping, even if only for a minute? We all shop! The festival activities generally occur at the Global Village such as the nightly fireworks, but also includes great sales in shops across Dubai. We first went to the Global Village in 2001, and have been many times since and at different locations. Now, it has a permanent location.

After buying some pistachios, a leather jacket and viewing Iranian hand-crafted backgammon boards, we went to eat.

One last place to share with you is the Louvre Abu Dhabi. It is an excellent museum of civilization. The museum itself is an architectural marvel.