inside the Great Hall of Qasr al Watan
Middle East, United Arab Emirates

How to Spend One Day in Abu Dhabi • Camels, coffee, and a whole lot of marble

The United Arab Emirates is an otherworldly kind of a place: dazzling, excessive, glamorous, and containing a whole lot of sand. (It is mostly desert, after all.) Its capital is a beautiful city, with a distinctly classier vibe than its more-visited neighbour, Dubai. Maybe you're considering a day trip from Dubai, or perhaps you're visiting… Continue reading How to Spend One Day in Abu Dhabi • Camels, coffee, and a whole lot of marble

Alex in a black and white dress in Emirates Palace Hotel
Middle East, United Arab Emirates

Gold Cappuccino in Abu Dhabi? Don’t mind if I do.

With limited time to explore Abu Dhabi, I put it to my instagram followers to let me know what were the must-see activities in this glamorous city. The one thing which I wasn't expecting (but really shouldn't have been shocked by; Abu Dhabi is quite frankly dripping with wealth), was to try a gold cappuccino… Continue reading Gold Cappuccino in Abu Dhabi? Don’t mind if I do.

Salalah tug boat in the port of muscat
Middle East, Oman

Muscat Cruise Port • Docking in Oman’s Capital

Muscat cruise port is one seriously pretty place to dock, with craggy mountains surrounding the white buildings of the city, turquoise and green minarets and domed mosques, all combining to make a breathtaking view. There's plenty to do within walking distance, there are some brilliant excursions into the city and the surrounding desert, and a… Continue reading Muscat Cruise Port • Docking in Oman’s Capital

giant incense burner in Oman
Middle East, Oman

Muscat Port Sail Away • Photos from the Gulf of Oman

The first time I saw Muscat Port, it wasn't the most exciting-looking of places. Grey clouds poured torrential rain onto the city, framed with dark craggy hills, and at first glance the only splashes of colour were the dark green splodges of palm trees soaking up the rainwater. But that rain was highly uncharacteristic of… Continue reading Muscat Port Sail Away • Photos from the Gulf of Oman

patterns in the sand on an Abu Dhabi desert safari
Middle East, United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi Desert Safari at Sunrise

An Abu Dhabi desert safari was definitely one of the more exciting ways to start the day in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. *This site contains affiliate links, where I earn a small commission from purchases you make, at no cost to you. “I think this driver is really trying to push… Continue reading Abu Dhabi Desert Safari at Sunrise

reflection of Olympus PEN camera in Burj Khalifa window
Middle East, United Arab Emirates

Visiting the Burj Khalifa in 2022

Dubai is a city of extremes. Extreme wealth, extreme heat, extremely mind-blowing. The dazzling city skyline in the middle of the desert closely resembles a scene out of a sci-fi movie, in fact I truly wouldn’t be surprised to see cars hovering around overhead within five to ten years of me writing this post; that’s… Continue reading Visiting the Burj Khalifa in 2022

blue and gold reflections in the mosque courtyard
Middle East, United Arab Emirates

Sheikh Zayed Mosque • Facts and Feelings from a Night-time Visit

No visit to Abu Dhabi would be complete without seeing the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in all its glossy glory; we knew that much for certain. But a visit to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque at night was more spectacular than I could've imagined. Like pretty much everywhere I’ve visited so far in the United Arab Emirates,… Continue reading Sheikh Zayed Mosque • Facts and Feelings from a Night-time Visit

pistachio-covered baklava
Israel, Middle East

One Day in Haifa, Israel

I was intrigued about spending one day in Haifa, a port city on the Mediterranean coast of Israel, mainly because Israel is a country I’d never visited. Prior to 2019, I’d only heard or read about Israel, either in the bible or on the news. (And to be frank, the news that’s come on over… Continue reading One Day in Haifa, Israel

sundown on a jeep tour in Wadi Rum
Jordan, Middle East

A Wadi Rum Jeep Tour • Sunset in the Desert

The silent sky was flooded with pinks, oranges, purples and reds, bleeding in and out of each other like a watercolour kaleidoscope. In the distance a jeep buzzed a route across the dunes, kicking up a cloud of sand in its wake like a pebble skimming the sea. Years ago I never would have imagined… Continue reading A Wadi Rum Jeep Tour • Sunset in the Desert