India, March 16 -- Every time I go to the sand- coloured Al Fahidi Historical District, one of Dubai's oldest neighbourhoods, I enter the heritage cluster from a different route. How I enter determines what I experience and that's part of the fun.

The walls of Al Fahidi showcase traditional and contemporary art

The usual places are hidden within the tangle of alleyways, and eventually, I stumble upon them-the eclectic XVA Art Hotel & Cafe, the well-curated coffee museum, and the ever-popular Arabian Tea House I have come to realise that I take comfort in predictability and constants. Maybe that's why in a city where one can experience the best that the world has to offer, I find myself drawn to a heritage precinct that lay in ruins and ...