Hosting weary travelers in Dubai

It's my esteemed pleasure to introduce you to John Townsend and Matt Cerny.

These two crazy bastards are old friends from my St. Thomas days and they are on a fantastic journey. An adventure that is the Mongol Rally 2014, an annual 10,000-mile race across Europe and Asia in a crappy car. All for charity. 

Survival of the fittest in its rarest form. Crazy terrain, different cultures and non-stop fun. They sleep in their car. They munch on coffee beans purely for caffeine assistance. And they are doing the whole thing with a big, fat smile on their faces. 

Click here to see their web site and follow their progress

The guys took a quick detour during the grand trip to go to a friend's wedding in Jordan and had a seven-hour layover in Dubai. Only six hours to see Dubai? Not a problem.

Miranda and I figured they would enjoy some cold beverages -- that was a given -- so we picked them up at the airport and we went straight to Mango Tree, an Asian-fusion restaurant at the base of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

The thermometer was over 100 degrees but the beers were cold and the fountain show blessed us with a slight desert breeze every half hour. 

They sweated through their shirts but the scenery was definitely worth the price of admission.

Now I've brought visitors to the top of the Burj Khalifa before with lots of success. But I swear I suffered from some form of vertigo the days afterward so I didn't want that to happen again. Maybe it was camel burger I had for lunch that day? Who knows??

After we returned to the sweetness of air conditioning, we walked through the gaudy Dubai Mall and ended up at Left Bank for more drinks and some classic rock music. 

Next up was a quick visit to the pharmacy so they could grab some traveling drugs: pain relievers, anti-motion sickness, anti-diarrhea and "anti-anything else you think two idiots driving across Asia would need," which is exactly what Matt said to the Indian pharmacist at the counter. 

Later on, we dropped them off at the airport, said our goodbyes and then just like that, they were gone. They came, caught a buzz, broke a sweat, saw some crazy shit and can now cross "Dubai" off their wish list. Six hours. That's all I need, folks. 

You also have to appreciate other like-minded people who love to get out there and experience life. Racing through all these unknown countries armed only with a shrinking wallet, a camera and plenty of moxie? Sounds pretty badass to me. 

Safe travels, guys. Godspeed.