Desert delight

One of the greatest joys I've discovered in Dubai is the desert. It's a completely unexpected joy too.

When I returned to Australia, people would look at me puzzled and ask: "So, what do you in the desert? It seems a bit boring."

The desert holds a certain magic to it. The vast skies and the equally vast sandy landscape. Climbing up a silky, soft dune to discover an endless vista. It's beautifully quiet, the sky is an amazing blue and the sand is refreshing cool between your toes  – you're forced to use all your senses to soak it up.

For the kids, there is nothing better than tumbling down a steep, untouched dune or pulling out a boogie and surfing down it like a wave. It wears them out like nothing else too, prepare for a peaceful night after a day in the desert.

This week, the weather was finally cool enough (mid-30s) to head out to the desert again in the late afternoon. It was like a tonic for all of us.