The United Arab Emirates as a country was founded today, 2 December, exactly 50 years ago, when Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah, Ajman, and Umm-al-Quwain joined forces. Ras-al-Khaimah, the 7th emirate making up… Continue reading
“Adventures will change you. They’ll saturate you with a fresh view of life. They’ll take every foundation you ever stood on and shake them until they crack. Adventures will tear away layer after… Continue reading
The night air is laced with an uncomfortable chill. Gone are the daylight hours of suffocating heat. The longed for growing season has finally arrived. In my postage stamp size garden clusters of… Continue reading
The coastal landscape that stretches south of Abu Dhabi city along the coast is bleak and desolate. Sabkha flats, or salt plains, extend like ghostly fingers towards the Arabian Gulf. The water that seeps through the… Continue reading
The gentle snoring of my husband creates little eddies of sound in the otherwise motionless air. There are no other sounds. The sultry night air feels heavy on my skin. Like a warm embrace from a lover. I… Continue reading
A different rhythm shapes the seasons in the UAE. Kharif (autumn), shitta (winter), saif (early summer), and gaith (high summer) all sound, smell, feel, and look different from the seasons that used to structure… Continue reading
While Dubai was busy with a record breaking firework show on New Year’s Eve, I found myself under a canopy of stars that could rival any ostentatious spectacle with its simplicity and sparkle. I must admit… Continue reading
In the north eastern corner of the Rub Al Khali, or Al Rimal as it is locally known, that covers an expanse of 650,000 square kilometres, mostly in Saudi Arabia, but also stretching into… Continue reading
On the outskirts of Al Ain, next to the truck road to Abu Dhabi, lies a freshwater lake in the soft embrace of sand dunes. It is an unexpected sight to see so… Continue reading
Gene Fowler’s words “writing is easy; all you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead“, felt particularly true for me over… Continue reading
