Leaving the heat behind, we flew off to France, arriving in Paris to rain and 15 degree weather – just like Melbourne. Some key facts about France Not happy about leaving the beautiful 38 degree days of UAE for the drizzle of Paris, I stayed in the hotel and let Mamfa go wandering in the…

After an early morning bus transfer from Dubai, it was a day of Arabic culture in Abu Dhabi. Because they were culturally significant sites, I had to spend the day hiding in the backpack as I didn’t meet the clothing attire requirements. Even hidden away, I could hear Mamfa exclaiming “Wow” as he walked into…

Given this is supposed to be a Sporting Odyssey and there hasn’t yet been any sport, Mamfa took off for a run at 6am to beat the heat and saw the first wildlife in Dubai at the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary where there were surprisingly dozens of flamingoes. After seeing the pristine new buildings,…

Burj Khalifa was the feature of the day viewed early morning, sunset and night. It is 828m high! For context, the tallest building in Melbourne is 317m high. Having done his final year University project on the structural stability of tall buildings, Mamfa was marvelling over the engineering that went into the project. They were…

And we’re off!! Flying to my dream destination of sand, sand and more sand and hot, hot, hot. Thorny Devil heaven. Mamfa is looking forward to the engineering marvels of Dubai and Abu Dhabi in an area of world he hasn’t been before. Some key facts about UAE Arriving at nearly midnight, after 14hr flight,…