Dubai Airport is hot and steamy and crowded. I’m stuck here for five hours for my next flight. A coffee costs 9USD. The battery on my phone is running out so I can’t use the free WiFi and the computers at the Internet lounge make me wait a minute for every page to load.

The plane from Melbourne was deceptively uncomfortable. After two hours in the seat the back spasms started. After three hours I was dmeanding another seat. I managed to get one with a little more leg room but it was right next to the toilet, so bright lights were flashing in my face every five minutes accomanied by the sound of the airplane opening up at 4kms. I hadn’t slept for over 36 hours, so eventually I succumbed to unconsciousness for about an hour or so, of a fifteen hour flight.

This journey is going off to a great start.

I sent a text to Kate to tell her I bought her a present at Dubai Airport. She replied asking if it was a “burqa”. I must say I was quite unimpressed. She’s university educated and she can’t even spell burger correctly.