I lived in the UAE for just a few months, and my time there was almost exclusively dedicated to working on a science festival project. There was little time for sightseeing and exploring the city. However, I did get a few hours here and there to explore the city and take some photos. WARNING: there are a lot of photos…
Leave a CommentI’d left the best until last for the final leg of my Far East tour – celebrating the New Year on the island paradise of Bali. I was flying in from Jakarta. While they’re technically part of the same country, the contrast between them couldn’t be greater. The island didn’t give me the best first impression, however. On exiting the…
Leave a CommentAfter spending Christmas in Singapore, the next leg of my Far East tour was a visit to Indonesian capital, Jakarta…. I honestly couldn’t wait to leave. The air smells foul, there are flying insects all over the place and trying to get anywhere by road is a nightmare. I pre-paid for my taxi from the airport to the hotel. Which…
Leave a CommentA few days before Christmas 2010, I took a flight from Kuala Lumpur airport – which may not look like much, but is now one of my favourites – over to Changi airport in Singapore – which is definitely the world’s number one! Tripadviser had confidently confirmed to me that the “Pan Pacific” was the best hotel in Singapore and,…
Leave a CommentAs far as my parents are concerned, there’s only one acceptable holiday destination on the planet: Pakistan. That’s why, every few years, our whole family would pack several massive suitcases full of presents for faraway relatives and board a PIA flight to Islamabad, and we’d be there for at least a month. All other countries and cultures were inferior in…
Leave a CommentSo I spent more than six months in 2010 living and working in Istanbul. Click here for more on that story. I used what little free time I had to enjoy as much of the city as I could. However, I rarely took photos as I was too busy working or enjoying myself! Formerly known as Byzantium, and then Constantinople,…
1 CommentIt’s summer 2007 and into my inbox popped a (relatively) cheap lastminute all-inclusive deal to The Maldives. I couldn’t say no to that and booked it without hesitation. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life as a world traveller. I’d heard so many people mention that The Maldives was the luxury paradise holiday destination…
Leave a CommentNext destination on my impromptu tour of Southern Spain was the historic Andalusian capital of Seville – a place I’d visited previously, but this time I was holidaying with a lot more autonomy and making the decisions about the itinerary. As a result I got to see a lot more of the “tourist” sites. I know some travellers can be…
Leave a CommentSeeing as I was already in Southern Spain, visiting Granada, it seemed sensible to stay in the region a little longer and head back to see a few more cities and sites I’d enjoyed on previous trips. First stop: Córdoba. I was lucky enough to once again explore the beautiful Mezquita during the day and at night managed to catch…
Leave a CommentHaving seen a cheap deal online for direct flights to Granada, I decided it was time to revisit Andalusia, and in September headed back to Spain to once again explore The Alhambra. This time around, however, I also discovered a surprising and very welcome recent addition to the city of Granada. The Mezquita Mayor is a small but beautiful mosque…
Leave a Comment
