I seem to be somewhat obsessed with the weather in Dubai, but as I’ve discovered, seasons do exist here – just not quite as I know them. April is a real mixed bag of weather with the thermometer hovering at the lower end of hot, but ranging between 28 and 42 degrees. No air conditioning necessary quite yet! We also have more rain than usual and one particular night it actually rains quite heavily – not enough for the floods that we have heard about (there is no drainage system for any water to drain away into), but heavy enough that the cushions left outside are sodden.

The last week of term continues to be hectic and on the final day I take the littlest for a walk on the beach after school drop off. This particular morning’s visit results in my most thrilling discovery to date. As we are walking along the shoreline, I notice a small, dark, semi-circle sort of shape bobbing gently just under the surface of the water. It is about 7cm across. I stop and peer at it. Leaving the littlest on the beach, I wade into the sea to get a closer look and to my utter delight and amazement I find that it is a living argonaut octopus propelling itself about in its paper nautilus shell! I can hardly contain my excitement and sweep the littlest up in my arms and return into the water to try and photograph this extraordinary creature. I watch it as it gently moves through the water. A couple of other beach walkers stop to inquire what I’ve found and I take great delight in telling them. I feel rather chuffed with myself for having passed on a little bit of knowledge about this amazing living thing. As I leave the beach I am almost skipping!

The ‘Easter’ holidays begin and they are rather less ‘Eastery’ than in past years, but we do manage an Easter egg hunt on the beach, although in true British tradition the skies turn black and the rain arrives – how bizarre! We miss the service at St Mary’s but we feel more settled and there is a wonderful lamb roast for lunch at home!

The beach is visited most days of the holiday but on one day we watch a small flotilla of dinghies sailing out from the club. Father of the Tribe and I discuss how great it will be when we become members and we are watching the Tribe sailing. The weather is balmy and there is a perfect breeze. Suddenly however, the skies turn black and the wind picks up. The beach empties and we watch the children out at sea being rescued as dinghies are abandoned. Father of the Tribe goes to help as some of the dinghies end up on another beach and some on the rocks. It is quite scary but I’m relieved that the children are all picked up so quickly. With all the sudden excitement over, something very strange happens with the tide. It rapidly recedes by about 20 or more feet and then a few minutes later surges back in. There are no big waves but it continues for 15 minutes or so. Spooky. I wonder if this is what happens before a tsunami, although on a rather bigger scale.

Half way through the holidays my parents return to visit and Father of the Tribe is off traveling, so a week is spent sightseeing as tourists. This time our favourite haunt is around the Creek and to get across to Deira (otherwise known as old Dubai) we decide to take the metro.  The Dubai Metro opened in 2009 – at precisely 9:09pm on the 9th of September – and is the world’s largest driverless metro system. It was built in 4 years (building started on the 5th of May 2005) by Mitsubishi and partners.

The tracks are primarily above the road network of Dubai and give a totally different perspective of the city. From the outside, the stations look futuristic and very sleek – the design of the roofs represent a shell shape showing the close relationship of the people of Dubai with the sea and the pearl fishing heritage. Inside, the stations are just as awesome. Lasvit chandeliers hang from the ceilings and the designs replicate the 4 elements of nature – fire, water, land and air. In one of the stations the stunning chandeliers look like giant blue jellyfish! It is like walking through the lobby of a luxury hotel. Despite all this extravagance, the fares are ridiculously cheap and all manner of people ride on it, although there is of course, the gold class carriage, where the seats are leather … !

Leaving the serenity and cool of the station we join the throngs and bustle of Deira. It is in complete contrast, but the souks are wonderful and transport you back to a different age. The spice souk is a must to visit – everything that you can possibly imagine is sold, including frankincense and myrrh. A return visit will have to be made around Christmas! My mother is completely brilliant at bargaining in these situations and buys a quantity of top quality vanilla pods (there are three standards) and a huge amount of saffron that would cost a small fortune back home.

The souks are narrow and packed with sacks of herbs and spices. I find the smells quite evocative but the Tribe crinkle their noses in disgust! The littlest is just getting a huge amount of attention from all the sellers. Breaking away from the maze of alleyways, we find ourselves alongside the Creek.

Huge dhows are being loaded up with goods, from air conditioning units and freezers to cars and trucks. Most of these vessels are taking goods to Iran and Somalia. I have no doubt that the captains have many stories of these busy and sometimes dangerous high seas. Two large and impressive Iranian banks stand just opposite this activity – not just a coincidence, I’m sure.

From here, we take an abra ride across the Creek to Bur Dubai (new Dubai). It is short but fabulous. Abras are small, open, wooden boats that ferry people back and forth across the bustling Creek. With my parents we have three children, a toddler and a buggy to get on board – no problem.

When school starts again the Tribe are exhausted by their week as tourists, but it’s been a great opportunity to see such a different side to the city. As Father of the Tribe returns, we go for a walk along the beach after school drop off. It is, as always, beautiful. However, at the far end we see a small area of water close to the sand where it looks as though orange paint has been spilled into the water.

Could this be the return of the catastrophic red tide? We hope not. Red tide is a marine phenomenon occurring when algae multiply rapidly in the water and can produce natural toxins in water or deplete oxygen levels. It is known as algal bloom and has been happening in different areas of the world for thousands of years. In 2009 there was a red tide in Dubai that caused immense problems for the tourism and fishing industries as well as leaving the marine environment devastated. Although a naturally occurring process, there is increased speculation that man’s pollution in the sea can increase the incidence of red tides. At home I scour the internet and local newspapers for any mention of beaches being closed. There is no mention and when we return to the beach at the weekend the sea has returned to its usual clarity. Relief all round.

Mother of the Tribe