The Jewell in the Gulf Crown

We have all seen the pictures – of Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab. We have heard the stories – how surreal the place is, how big the difference is between rich and poor. Well, I thought I have to find out if these stories are true and explore Dubai.

So I thought that a week in February might sit well – escape the winter in Sweden and see this wonder of an Arabic country at the Persian Gulf. I have been to Egypt, Morocco and Oman but knew Dubai would be completely different as is all of the United Arab Emirates, I imagine.

So a family holiday, not only with my husband and daughter, but with my father-in-law and sister-in-law. Here you have challenges already! I decided to focus on my experiences in this new and unexplored (for me) country rather than family relations.

First off I have to say I was very pleased traveling with Qatar Airways (and no, they are not paying me to say that). Such an amazing service and comfort! I did not sleep much on the overnight flight but that is for other reasons – my daughter was sleeping on me.

The first day at any long haul destination is a lost day – you are whacked out and sleepy, go to the beach but think it is too hot, go have a siesta and after that feel lost anyways and just go to the nearest restaurant.  In our case that involved going to JBR Walk since we were staying at Sofitel JBR. Well seated for a dinner at Pots, Pans & Boards, watching the sea and the swaying palm trees, we were disappointed that they did not serve any alcohol. Whatsoever. I have read about it, of course. I read that the only way to order alcohol was in the hotels.  But still – you believe in tourist areas they would do it anyways. Well, settled for a mango juice instead.

The second day you are rested and ready to enjoy that lovely breakfast on the balcony, swim in the pool, take & post some selfies on Facebook (to tease everyone freezing to death back home in Sweden), and ask the pool bartender when they start serving beer (at noon). Dubai Marina was on my list, so we took a water taxi at sunset and enjoyed the ride to the Dubai Marina Walk destination. After wowing at the skyscrapers (which reminded me of downtown Chicago) we settled in the Reem Al Bawadi Lebanese restaurant recommended by my friend Martin (now a local Dubai resident). I sampled some grilled shrimps and Lebanese dishes, while the rest of the family picked Angus file. However, I believe that when visiting a country, you should stick to the local cuisine.

Since my father-in-law has troubles with his legs, the family went back to the hotel. I stayed for a nocturnal walk and to meet a friend from AUBG who now resides in Dubai. He came and took me to Al Qasr hotel – a beautiful Arabic castle with golden horses galloping in the garden. Inside, the hotel had huge crystal chandeliers, pillars of flowers, marble floors and walls, gilded ornaments and big wooden fans swooshing on the ceiling of the bar. On the balcony the view offered rustling palm trees, the blue of the sea, the canals and the gliding abras (small wooden boats) of Madinat Jumeira. Plus the blue-purple-yellow lit billowing sail of Burj Al Arab. We browsed through Madinat Jumeira souk, took a buggy to the Burj Al Arab pier, settled for some Italian bubbly at 360 bar with a beautiful view of the bejeweled Dubai night skyline. We reminisced about common friends and enjoyed the warm sea breeze. On the way back we jumped on an abra to Al Qasr and settled for some Watermelon shisha and cocktails on the terrace.

So what do you do in a week in Dubai? How do you plan the perfect vacation? Trust me, I tried.

We went to outside observation deck of the 124^th floor of Burj Khalifa (not the 148^th floor which was terribly expensive!). My sister in law was glued to the walls inside because she is terrified by heights. Everyone has a cross to bear! We met some camels on the beach, and yes – we did ride one for a few minutes. Explored the Gold and Textile souks at the old town Deira and sampled Iraqi cuisine – mussafah (grilled fish), tabouleh, aubergines and beet pickles.

However, one of the most mind-blowing experiences is Atlantis on the Palm island (the island in itself an amazing construction albeit criticized for eroding the sea bottom!). We approached the hotel by taxi from the mainland. The hotel complex looms like a multi-towered castle in pink and at first looks like a Hollywood décor for a movie. Going inside from the tourist entrance, you think that you would love to escape the crowds! I told a guard that we were going to the Leventine bar & terrace (it pays off to have read things in advance) and he did let us in. So we went inside – into the heart of the palace adorned with dolphins, huge sea shells, a tower of Murano glass, water -rolling pearls in huge mussel’s basins, sea horses holding lampshades. The prelude to all this is a glass tunnel – walking among sharks, sting rays and shiny big fish all swimming among sunken ruins. We pressed our noses against the glass to interact better with the underwater dwellers. The child inside you rejoices! My daughter was jumping up and down, pointing here and there, screaming with fear and happiness.

If you feel for it, you can spend more time shopping at the Rolex, Cartier and other luxury shops at Atlantis.  Since my wallet does not have such a thick lining, we settled for a dinner in the garden of the Italian restaurant. I enjoyed a sea bass (that did cost an arm and a leg, but hey, you live only once!) and shared some white wine. The night vision of Atlantis from the beach was even more regal than the day one.

What else is worth mentioning? Well, the Dubai Miracle Garden of course – a huge garden made of 45 million flowers woven around in the shape of big houses, peacocks, hearts, Burj Khalifa, wind mill, Eiffel tour – you name it! We went there in the middle of the day and it was quite hot but I could imagine how romantic it would be at sunset with couples holding hands (although they might not be allowed to show too much affection). The Dubai fountain show is definitely worth seeing from the right vantage point – the bridge or one of the restaurants at the souk. All these jets of water dancing and singing, circling and hugging like light swans! Millions of dollars invested in big and tall, shiny and beautiful!

Did I see the big gap between rich and poor? No, I did not. To me it seemed that everyone could get a job in Dubai and get paid decently. The Indian/ Philippine chamber maids working at our hotel seemed happy. I heard about some high salaries offered to experts in Dubai and could not believe my ears!

As for whether a week’s stay was enough – no, it was not. I wanted to go to Abu Dhabi, to see camel races, do a nice brunch on a Friday as the locals/ expats do. But – no time. May be 10 days would have been perfect. And like with any destination – do travel with an open mind and an open heart. The rest will come.

To Be or Not To Be AirBnB?

So what is AirBnB? How does one use it? Is it scary? Can the owner turn out to be a psycho? Well, as an explorer and a curious writer I had to find out for myself. I travel a lot with my family or with friends. I have stayed in luxury hotels on the beach, in tents in the woods, in small cabins on a boat. But the allure of AirBnB was exactly the more personal relationship with the owners of the house/ apartment, and the feeling that you are just visiting this lovely local person.

So on our next family trip, which was Sorrento, Italy, at the end of October, I decided to book an AirBnB. After some research I found a house on the outskirts of Sorrento, near Santa Agata. It had lovely reviews and a lovely view overlooking the bay and Vesuvius, so I downloaded the app and booked it with the owner Mariachiara.

We landed in Naples, rented a car and after some winding roads along the Amalfi coast reached the house. Mariachiara’s son Chris met us, explained that his mother had some pain in the hip and was resting on the sofa. Mariachiara greeted us and seemed quite the elderly lady in pain – all bundled up in clothes, blankets and a hot water bottle on her head. We trooped into our room, loved the view from the balcony, found it a bit chilly but Chris promised that the heat from the AC will kick in at 5 pm. The decision was taken to get a nap first and then may be go out and explore the town. At 5 pm though I was freezing, and decided to take a shower. Hmmm, it came out it was just a cold shower – no hot water! I talked to Chris, of course – I do not mind roughing it up a bit, but not with my 4-year-old daughter.

After jumping up and down to warm myself, I woke up the rest of the family and we went to the village of Santa Agata, raided the local grocery shop for local Italian wine and cheese, and got a lovely dinner at Lo Stuzzichino. We left the exploration of Sorrento for the next day.

So putting aside the fact that it was rather chilly in the house in the evenings, and Sorrento in general (I had misjudged Southern Italy at the end of autumn and brought rather light summery clothes), it was a beautiful stay. We explored Sorrento, walked through orange and lemon groves, ate on the beach feasting on spaghetti and seafood, drove the scenic Amalfi coast ride, stopped at Marina Di Praya, Prayano, Atrani, were wooed by the Renaissance buildings and garden splendor of Ravello, got rained on in romantic Positano; went off the beaten tourist path and visited some fishing villages by the sea, where Dana could explore alive crabs on the shore with a small Italian boy; we sampled olive oil and limoncello in a farm.

As for the house, Mariachiara and Chris served warm croissants for breakfast each morning on the balcony. As Mariachiara’s pain subsided she revealed herself to be a rather youngish 40 something year old, joked and laughed with us. I even practiced some of my fledgling Italian with her “Buongiorno Mariachiara, come stai?” “Grazie, ci vediamo doppo!” and tried to learn more. The house had a nice garden where they were growing flowers, herbs and fruit, saw Mariachiara soaking in some olives and collecting chestnuts. I tried a chestnut marmalade from her stock and really liked it.

At some point I felt like the hostess of the house myself – chatted with an Italian couple the first morning, sat down for a glass of red wine with a couple from Florida, and then we had breakfast and gave rides to an elderly American couple. Even shared my lunch with the gentlemen when the couple found us at the Due Sorelli ristorante at the Marina di Sorrento. Not that they could not afford their own lunch but I felt sorry for the chap as he was devouring my fish dish with his eyes. Broke some Italian bread with an Israeli guy as well who had signed up for a cooking course in Florence but decided to quit it and travel around Italy instead. He was very secretive about what he does though, hmmm…..

As we were leaving a middle-aged American gay couple were moving in. They were busy that first evening uploading pictures of their travel onto a website so that their friends could follow the adventures. One of them was reminiscing about the time he did the Amalfi coast drive when he was 20 years old, and how it was all very different at the time. Must have been 1985 and I tried to imagine Southern Italy in those more innocent times.

So was the AirBnB experience different from staying at a hotel? Definitely. I would not have gotten to talk to all the people staying at the same hotel as us. Not for lack of desire, but because a big hotel just seems much more anonymous and then people staying there seem to not want to make friends. Or it depends on their nationality really but still. At Mariachiara’s everyone was open and curious, and wanted to meet other people. I made a conscious effort to talk to everyone – we were staying there the longest and I felt rather like a veteran lodger.

So my first AirBnB experience was lovely and I hope to do many more. Hoping they have a better heating system though.;)

Paradise on Earth

 I am jet lagged so up at 3 am. Cocolicooo!

We just got back from Thailand, Koh Lanta Yai to be precise. We stayed at a beautiful hotel – Rawi Warin, with a frangipani garden, lily ponds with fish and our very own water monitor lizard. But the fun part was a tuk-tuk ride down to Klong Nin – a beautiful beach, where everything was happening…..on the beach. Young people lived on the beach in bungalows, rolled out, had breakfast on the beach, suntanning, swimming, eating lunch, more suntanning and swimming, free yoga at sunset, beer at sunset on the beach, and then the chill out continued on the beach, reggae bars, rasta people, cocktail bars, restaurants had cushions, tables and candles out on the sand. Smashing!

My daughter was running on the shore day and evening, happily jumping in the sea with her best dresses on, and then running around naked when they got dirty. Was not even bothered by the mosquitoes too much. She kicked around balls and sand castles, was unafraid and free.

The food was delicious, I could not get enough of prawns, tiger prawns, giant prawns, tuna, red snapper, veggies in oyster or garlic and pepper sauce, curries (I liked massaman curry best), pineapple, mango, papaya, red apple, lots of watermelon juice. The Thai people – smiling and service minded, joking a lot. We talked to other travelers as well, Dana was running and talking to people or wanted to play with them if they were playing something fun. So I chatted with an American girl who has been traveling alone for one month in Vietnam, a black voodoo woman who sprayed Dana’s foot with some liquid when she tripped on the stairs, a Danish couple with a baby girl, which Dana cooed over plenty.

We went snorkeling to Koh Haa and then Koh Mok and the Emerald cave. We saw parrot fish (long nosed one and surf one), angel fish, banner fish, butterfly fish, beaked coral fish, java rabbitfish, golden rabbitfish, moon wrasse, box fish, dragon fish, gobies, surgeon fish, trumpet fish (yellow and brown), trigger fish, porcupine fish, sergeant majors, anemone fish, snapper, eels, blue stars, cuttle fish, seal puffer fish ( the cutest!:), huge mussels with purple flesh, corals, crabs, you name it. Such a rich sea life, and though exhausting to swim around for hours, it was marvellous!

The Emerald cave (Morakot cave) itself was a tunnel of 80 meters, where you swim to get out into a lagoon and see the cliffs towering above you, with a patch of blue sky in a perfect circle – it was like standing at the bottom of a vulcano. Pirates hid their treasures there, swallows are nesting on the cliffs, and are unfortunately being robbed of their nests because of a precious delicacy market. We passed with the boat by a cliff with dog bats asleep in the sunshine, fluttering their bat wings with the wind. Looking at those huge limestone rocky islands, I imagined how thousands of years ago they were coral reefs at the bottom of the Andaman sea.

We are back now, Stockholm is cold and snowy, but not too bad – it is a our home and I love it. Occasionally, in my dreams though, I sit in the sun and watch the palm trees sway by the beach, swim with my goggles on and the waves push at my back gently.

Sailing

 Sailing. Romantic sunsets, the boat gliding gracefully on the endless sea horizon, lights springing up to life on the islands around…..

Yes, there is that part of sailing. And the parties with friends, swimming from sailboat to sailboat to catamaran, drinking cocktails with the skin still wet and salt seeping in. The music bouncing off the surrounding slopes and riding out on the breeze. Diving off cliffs, trying not to step on the urchins when you get on the shore. Getting ecstatic at the passage of dolphins coming to swim along. Sitting at the bow of the boat, feeling the wind in your hair. Watching the other sailboats and yachts pass by, and the next island looming up in the distance.

Getting off at the next island, either by foot or by dinghy (the small inflatable boat), exploring the cobbled streets, ancient Venetian castles or blue-roofed windmills. Watching the local fisherman mend their nets and the kids skidding around on bikes and scooters. Renting a scooter yourself and whizzing up to the top of the island to watch that endless and peaceful blue blue spreading out down below. Sampling fresh octopus, squids, tasty aubergines and Greek sallad at the local taverna. Even the ouzo starts tasting good…

Discovering that the next island consists of only moon landscape-like rocks, or just two sandy beaches on each side.  And yes, we even got to climb on a rich men’s yacht and drink pink champagne! Some even sampled the jacuzzi on the second floor.

But there is the other side as well – working with the ropes and sails, trying to find space to sit down since you are 10 people on a relatively small boat, and hoping you do not need to let some gas out since they will all notice. And that a storm can come with high waves and strong winds, and you sit with your inflatable jackets huddling with each other, some getting green in the face, praying that it will all end well. And it does end well, especially if you have a good captain standing at the helm navigating the waves like a confident surfer.

The storm is over, we are moored in a bay, time for that barrel-aged whisky to be tasted and cheered with. Sailing is sweet and bittersweet towards the end, since you do not really want it to end. The adventure of a lifetime.

On traveling

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Saint Augustine

I love traveling. My travels started when I was a little girl – I could not go to any foreign places but I read many books and travelled with the protagonists – with David Copperfield in England, with Remi in France, with Emil in the Swedish countryside. Once I started traveling for real, I have not stopped. And not only traveling just for a short time but living in different places. I have lived in Bulgaria, Switzerland, UK, US and now Sweden. This fact has shaped my character in different ways. I could see the world and myself from different perspectives. My perceptions of what is important in life have changed as well.  My curiosity drives me – so I will keep traveling.

My husband and I have a little competition – which one of us has been to most countries. We have both been to around 22 countries each, and have pledged to travel to a different country each year of our lives, for as long as we live. Our last trip was to Oman with our two-year old daughter and although we did stay in a nice hotel in Salalah we went out and explored on our own the beauty of nature, talked to locals and tourists alike. Traveling can be a wonderful experience and it can be a scary experience sometimes but if you let fear dictate your choices, you will not get much out of your travel experience.