Bl**dy HOT in the sandpit!!! The convicts (sorry...) and Kiwis seem to like the heat - not so good for a blue-skinned northern European. When you started dreaming in Afrikaans even though you've never learned a word of it, you know you've been in the UAE too long!
On the plus side, it's perfectly feasable to drive like a lunatic at all times. Not sure where else in the world you can be in 120kph limit, and pass a police car at 160kph while it has its lights and music on....