Today we were all spoilt rotten by the wonderful Dubai hospitality from the expat South Africans and Zimbabweans.
We were invited by Hugh Born for a ride on his boat. We arrived at the home of Hugh and Lynn Born who live on the Palms in Dubai and half the group went on the boat ride to the Burj al Arab which is the only 7 star hotel in the world. The other half of the crew were able to take kayaks and row out on the water in front of their lovely home.
We were invited by Hugh Born for a ride on his boat. We arrived at the home of Hugh and Lynn Born who live on the Palms in Dubai and half the group went on the boat ride to the Burj al Arab which is the only 7 star hotel in the world. The other half of the crew were able to take kayaks and row out on the water in front of their lovely home.
After an exhilarating morning on the water another very special person in Dubai invited us to lunch at her home. Sue Fletcher is from Zimbabwe and open her home to a hungry group of children and spoilt us all rotten. They swam and washed off the salty sea water from the Arabial Gulf.
It was now time to prepare for our evening concert at the Fridge. It was still beastly hot and we made the mistake of packing the instruments into the transport a couple of hours before the show which resulted in the drum skin going soft and some of the notes going flat. I don't think the audience noticed a thing though. Robyn had done an amazing job of securing us this venue and gathering so many people to come and enjoy the show. There was even a lady who had been in Dubai for 12 years, but had attended school in Wolseley. The band once again gave a sterling performance and got their first standing ovation. There were people in the audience who came and said how the band had made them homesick for South Africa. We were once again very proud of them.
We still had another treat lined up for the day and that was a delicious meal at Nando's. This was arranged by Michelle, a friend of Robyn's who is marketing manager for Nando's. This is like no Nandos I have ever experienced. It was out on the terrace near the Dubai Mall and whilst we were served the most delicious treats, from starters to mains and deserts, we had a view of the beautiful musical fountains. We had been spoilt with the most amazing Dubai hospitality and kindness from start to finish and our trip was about to end. It was now time to go home and once again wrap our instruments for travel. This process takes quite a while and it was after midnight before we went to bed, but some of the youngsters never slept at all. We had to get up at 4.30 am in order to get everyone up, packed and off to the airport for our flight home. The children were now quite hyped up about being reunited with family and friends. We have been exceptionally blessed by everyone in Dubai - extremely grateful.
RSS Feed
