Inspiration | Solo travel RSS feed for this section

Scenes from a Bahraini mall – empty elegance

29 September 2009 It’s 6:30 pm and I’m in Moda Mall at Bahrain World Trade Centre, wondering where all the people are. Moda is a huge shopping centre with high-end boutiques. Just from where I now sit, I see Louis Vuitton, Dior, Emporio Armani, Versace and Fendi. And where I sit is in a purple [...]

32 Comments • Continue Reading →

Murder and Mayhem in London through the Ages – Part 3: Jack the Ripper

123 years ago, a man known as Jack hung around Whitechapel, ridding the world of prostitutes. Five murders have been attributed to him. Grotesque murders, but still “only” five. Judging by the number alone, he seems a bit of an amateur among serial killers. Yet Jack is the most famous of them all. Never discovered, [...]

33 Comments • Continue Reading →

Murder and Mayhem in London through the Ages – Part 2: Execrable executions

Continuing our time-travel through London’s pernicious past, here are a few ominous outings our forefathers might have enjoyed: Take an excursion to Newgate prison to gawk at inmates: Daniel Defoe sat here (for poking fun at the Tories), as did Pennsylvania founder William Penn (contempt of court). Then continue to Wapping (present day Docklands), known [...]

23 Comments • Continue Reading →

Murder and Mayhem in London through the Ages – Part 1: The Bridges

It’s a chilly, windy evening. Maybe that’s why we’re only six. Six people about to walk through 700 years of London’s criminal history. Jason, a qualified London guide for 13 years, is tall and gangly and reminds me of Hugh Grant. Same wavy hair and quick speech. More to the point, he’s passionate and knowledgeable, [...]

31 Comments • Continue Reading →

What to do on a Friday night in London if you’re time travelling

It’s a late Friday night in London, and I’m in an Indian restaurant in Gloucester Road. … drinking a milk shake. I could be doing more interesting things, of course. But the possibilities seem a bit civilized and, dare I say, dull – compared to what I could have been doing to amuse myself had [...]

23 Comments • Continue Reading →

Two highlights of Bahrain

It’s early evening in the village surrounding Qala’at al-Bahrain. The creatively decorated houses remind me of pictures in fairy-tales, especially through the filter of the setting sun. Five horsemen appear out of the dusk in front of the silhouette of a large 16th century Portuguese fort. This is home to Iranians, says Aziz, my guide [...]

34 Comments • Continue Reading →

What to do in Kiev

What first springs to mind when you hear the name Kiev? Capital of the Ukraine? You’re right, of course. Some might think of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, one of the worst nuclear accidents in history. If pop culture is your thing, Kiev might mean the venue of the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest. Into politics? Perhaps [...]

36 Comments • Continue Reading →

Kuwait Towers

30-year-old Kuwait Towers is probably the best known landmark on the Arabian Peninsula. Outside Dubai, that is. Designed by Scandinavians, and comprising two large spheres and a spike, the iconic towers are likely the top tourist attraction in Kuwait City. My first proper look at Kuwait Towers is through the windows of Le Nôtre, a [...]

19 Comments • Continue Reading →