Blogs from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Middle East

Old Town Dubai: A hideaway from the nearby skyscrapers, and where we have retreated to. I think this is one of the nicest areas of Dubai to live in, especially if you want to be close to things and not have to rely on a car. There is the convenience of being able to access The Dubai Mall, cafes, restaurants, bars, cinema, all our shopping, gym, parks,the nightly fountain shows, by just walking out our door, across the road... Working in my studio all day, it was essential we could live somewhere I could easily access 'life' and coffee breaks! Old Town sits in the middle of Downtown Dubai, across from the Dubai Mall & Burj Khalifa, an area of approx. two major blocks, with comparatively low rise housing. The architecture references the older Arabic style, ... read more

I hit the Fitness Centre at 0600, did 20 mins interval training and 20 mins strength training and feeling good although my left shoulder (a problem before I left home) was really tight. Another delicious buffet breakfast with fresh vegetable juice, omelette and coffee and I was ready to relax by the pool for a few hours. It's been so rushed and busy trying to get away on this holiday that I really haven't had a chance to catch my breath! The pool area is on Level 3 and I made myself at home on a sun lounge and took a dip straight away. It was about 35C and the water temp 23C - perfect! I spent three hours reading 'Santiago - Walking the Pilgrim Path' by Almis Simankevicius who works in Sydney. I met him ... read more

DD's great 2012 adventure has well and truly started but has had some challenges already. I was so busy tying up the loose ends that I didn't start packing till 1410 and finished at 1500. Jan dropped me at Nerang Station, only took five minutes from home, so I made the 1530 train adriving at Brisbane International Airport at 1715 in time for the opening of check-in at 1730. I had enough time to repack my carry-on luggage and then head into the duty free area where I sat and played with my iPad. What did I forget to pack - nothing important....only my pin numbers to my creditcards so can't use them!!!! Not sure how I'll get around that yet! Ah adventure begins! Boarded on time but when I got to my seat I was ... read more

es ist mehr als 9 monate her seit ich den letzten eintrag gemacht habe. ist viel passiert seit damals... weiss gar nicht wo ich anfangen soll. ich war letzten sommer in der schweiz im urlaub und hatte familie und freunde besucht. war wunderbar und habe die zeit total genossen. da war die tauffe von noa peter, einige grillabende mit freunden, habe zeit mit meinem patenkind verbracht und auch mit pap und meinen geschwistern. leider waren es nur 2 wochen und das war definitiv zu kurz... dann kam der sommer hier --> 54 grad celsius war das maximum und das war sogar fuer mich zu warm. habe noch nie in meinem leben so viel geschwitz. 5 sekunden draussen auf gaeste warten und der schweiss kommt aus allen poren. habe sogar aus meinen waden geschwitzt :-) die arbeitstage ... read more

As I often do on my way out to Asia, I stopped by in Dubai to visit my sister and her family. It is a nice and relaxing beginning to my trips. And it breaks up the long flight east. So, once again, I disembarked in Dubai and started a two and a half week sojourn on the Arabian Peninsula. Most of the time I simply stayed at my sister’s home and went wherever she went. That meant, picking up her kids from school, doing grocery shopping, bringing the kids to various other activities like ballet and swimming, visiting her friends, drinking her booze, eating her food and of course lazing on her couch. Doesn't sound too bad, does it? Well, to be honest I have a lot of respect for my sister, for all the ... read more