Jenna van Bentum
- Mar 4, 2017
- 5 min read

Final Clue: Where in the world is the world in one place?

‘Where in the world is the world in one place?’

If that was the last of a string of clues given to you, where would you be going?

It was his birthday morning and I had a surprise trip planned. I was so excited to tell him but instead of blurting it out or handing him the itinerary I decided to spend the day dropping clues ready for the big reveal that night!

‘Where land and water meet.’

A small clue stuck to a remote control quad bike that I zoomed into our room left him perplexed and heading to work a little confused! Surely we were heading to a beach, but which beach? This was going to be fun.

‘A Winter sport all Summer long.’

Found stuck to his toothbrush as he fumbled in the dark getting ready for work. Were we still going to a beach?

‘Where the birds consume the skyline.’

Tucked inside his wallet where he would pull his train ticket from was the next clue. “What is she going on about?” I imagined him saying as I pictured him discovering this little clue.

‘Horse riding on the beach…nah!’

I sent him this text around mid morning. I love horse riding and have always dreamed of riding on the beach. So why would I say no to that?

‘The 4×4.. not only found in Castle Hill!’

Between his sandwiches led him one step closer. A little joke from home is that many mum’s (now including myself) all drive these huge 4 wheel drive cars around the city. There isn’t a 4 wheel drive track in sight!

‘Not to see history but history in the making.’

Another text I sent after lunch.

‘You can get a transfer from the airport to your hotel…by air!’

A text sent from our flat mate, yes she was in on this too! He was starting to ask his work mates their thoughts but they had no idea…

‘It’s like you can see the whole world from up here!’

I gave him a call to see how his day way going? He was still confused. So I left him with the next thought. I thought for sure he might have an idea but I let the day play out, excited to get home that night!

‘There is only one place in the world where the water slides go up!’

The other flat mate sent a text a ‘Happy Birthday’ message with a P.S. at the end.

Finally home time only to arrive to an envelope sitting on his pillow. Written inside his birthday card, and made to read aloud, was the final clue. Our flat mates and I all watching to see if he could work it out?

‘Where in the world is the world in one place?’

Where were we heading?

Matt works in the building industry and was completely fascinated with Dubai and all the amazing buildings being built over there. He had always wanted to go so for his birthday I booked a 4 day trip from London (where we were living at the time) in October 2007. We had the best time during that trip and we would love to get back to Dubai to explore even more.

The clues explained:

‘Where land and water meet.’ Jumeirah Beach is located in the Jumeirah district of Dubai. The white sand and crystal blue water is the frontage to many amazing hotels.

‘A Winter sport all Summer long.’ Ski Dubai is found inside the Mall of the Emirates which is one of the largest shopping centers in the world. Ski Dubai is an indoor ski resort making a skier or snowboarders dream of hitting the slopes all Summer long come true! We had so much fun snowboarding at Ski Dubai and I’ll never forget the tingling feeling my skin had after going back outside into the 45 degree heat.

‘Where the birds consume the skyline.’ Dubai is a city forever under construction, at least it was when we were there. The skyline was full of cranes which of course are a type of bird!

‘Horse riding on the beach…nah!’ Instead of horse riding we went camel riding! They are funny creatures and I think I’ll stick to horses after that.

‘The 4×4.. not only found in Castle Hill!’ A bit of 4×4 action in the desert sand dunes was a fantastic adventure! You can book a Sand Dune Safari through your hotel or online and we recommend it. Our safari included quad bike riding, camel rides and the 4×4 adventure.

‘Not to see history but history in the making.’ Dubai is a city ever evolving with iconic buildings, attractions, islands and culture. Yes Dubai has a rich history but this amazing city is history in the making.

‘You can get a transfer from the airport to your hotel…by air!’ If only my bank account could stretch enough to book a helicopter transfer from the airport to the Burj Al Arab! Alas it did not but that famous photo of Tiger Woods playing golf from the helipad of the Burj Al Arab was doing the rounds and I couldn’t help but refer to it somehow.

‘It’s like you can see the whole world from up here!’ Friday morning brunch at the Burj Al Arab is rather famous now. The Al Muntaha restaurant is on the 27th floor overlooking the spectacular Dubai coastline, Palm Jumeirah and World islands. Brunch is only available on a Friday from 10am until 3:30pm. We had never eaten more amazing food!

‘There is only one place in the world where the water slides go up!’ Wild Wadi Waterpark! Imagine getting in your inflatable tube and not only going downhill on a water slide but going uphill on one too! We felt like little kids again the day we went to Wild Wadi and when people ask us what is fun to do in Dubai? We always say Wild Wadi is a must!

‘Where in the world is the world in one place?’ The World Islands of Dubai have been a project since 2003. The 300 islands are made from sand that has been dredged from the shallow waters of Dubai. Sparking the interest of the rich and famous as well as the concern from those preserving the sea life, The World islands have become an iconic part of Dubai and truly the only place you will find the world!