Dubai isn't top of my list of destinations but with a multi-segmented lengthy journey ahead of us we decided to break it there.  It's always interesting to go somewhere new. 

For many, with extensive funds at their disposal, Dubai's top-class beach hotels and the desert sun would be the focus, but if you go in the summer (July to September) you may see little more than your air-conditioned room as temperatures can soar to almost 50 degrees centigrade (120 degrees fahranheit).  During other months you can enjoy the pale sand and clear water of Dubai's coast with impressive diving and fishing as well as water theme parks.

The world's most luxurious hotel is here. Shaped like a giant billowing sail and standing at 321 metres it dominates the coastal skyline. View details 

A summary of my discoveries along the Sri Lankan South Coast from Hikkaduwa to Tangalle.

Hikkaduwa

This busy but laid-back surf beach has been critisized as having seen better days, and although I would agree with that regarding the reef end, Hikkaduwa beach stretches far beyond that. We really enjoyed a few days relaxing here and boogie-boarding into shore. 

The trick is to look for accommodation with numbers higher than 580 on Galle Road.  Anything below that is at the tired end where it all looks a bit shabby and the sand is very narrow and bolstered by sandbags in places. 

A few photos that should encourage an interest in Sri Lanka...

Missed by many who only make it to the more crowded coastal resorts, the centre of Sri Lanka is a gem, in fact an emerald. Lush rice paddies, lofty palms and forested expanses that undulate as far as the horizon, occasionally studded with a towering Buddha statue glinting in the sun.

The Cultural Triangle awaited us.  On my previous visit, 20 years before there were places I couldn't get to - due to a meagre budget and their remote locations and a thing called 'war'.  Now, accompanied by our trusty driver, Asanka, some of the treasures were within my reach.  We visited the impressive Sigiriya rock fortress, a former plug of a long-since eroded volcano, with its beautiful cave paintings, and the large buddhist decorated caves at Dambulla. Also in the area are the National Parks of Minneriya and Kaudulla where elephants and other wildlife can, at times (depending on the amount of recent rainfall), be seen in large numbers, and the important ancient sites of Polonnuruwa and Anaradhapuru.