Blogs from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Middle East

We take two days to sail to Abu Dhabi. We use the gym and I do chairasize to attempt to keep off the pounds from the lovely food we gorge on..The entertainment is very good. As we sail into Abu Dhabi we get the news that the rate of Covid infection in the ship is higher than the medical crew are happy with. So we are all “asked” to wear masks in public areas, wash hands etc and the crew will deep clean the vessel. Good luck with that, it is huge and with a myriad of surfaces. As long as we don’t become a plague ship refused entry to port after port we’ll manage. Anyway, next stop Abu Dhabi. It is the capital and second largest city in the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies ... read more

The one who knocks at the door gets the answer… ~ Emirati Proverb HE SAID... We touched down at Dubai International Airport around 5:30am and trundled into Terminal 3. I couldn’t believe how vast, clean, spacious and quiet the terminal was. It was almost unnaturally quiet. It was only after a few minutes that I noticed the signs that said it was a ‘Silent Terminal’, with no flight or passenger announcements. It was so incredibly peaceful. We literally breezed through customs. As we walked to the baggage carousel, we couldn’t believe what greeted us. Our packs were side-by-side, slowly making their way towards us. With all the hype about lost luggage over the past few months – especially on Qantas flights – we were expecting something to go wrong. We shouldn’t have worried. It was if ... read more

I know, when it comes to blogging, I'm only around two months late for the moment. But slowly we are getting there. After 5 weeks in Europe, and 5 other weeks in Russia, we board the direct plane from St Petersburg to Dubai. I've been fortunate enough to visit the Expo 1992 in Seville as well as multiple stops in 2010 for the Expo in Shanghai. These were so fun to visit that I couldn't not bring Tanya to Dubai. So this one is easy, it's just a 5 nights stop on our way back home in early March. Tanya has lived in Dubai and I've stopped to count how many time we visited, so the aim was solely about the Expo and having dinner with few friends. Ideal time to visit an Expo should be ... read more

I was up early on Monday to explore the city. I started in the historic district with breakfast at a picturesque cafe and then wandered the streets and souks. Walking down the narrow streets that lead to mosques as well a small markets was lovely to explore. It was a short time that you didn't feel you were in a huge city. I was able to find the metro to head to the worlds biggest mall. I quickly explored the gigantic mall complete with 1200 stores and an aquarium that you can scuba dive in. It is something to be seen, but talk about over the top compared to Uganda. Just outside is the world’s tallest building; It’s so tall that it gets hazy at the top. I opted to not go to the top as ... read more

Dubai Expo 2020 opened in October.... 2021. So, a year later, we were finally able to enjoy what has been advertised since I returned to Dubai in 2018. My friend does a lot of work there and in the months leading up to it, she was extremely busy and had canceled a lot of our usual meet ups - cycling, drinks, hikes, etc. So, to make up for it, she got me a season pass! Yay! I told her I would get her a spa day for when she finally had the time... Anyway, my friend and I made a few trips early on after the opening before he took his sabbatical to Central America and took delight in "judging" the pavilions. I think we went twice together and I went twice on my own. So, ... read more