According to the Dubai Airport website, the renowned Dubai Duty Free covers 5 400 square metres of shopper’s paradise. Well, it’s certainly not located in Terminal 2. There’s only one shop in Terminal 2. A rather uninteresting one at that. That, and just a few cafeterias.

Dubai shopping
Apart from the world’s best hotel (Burj al-Arab), the world’s tallest building (Burj Khalifa) and artificial islands (The Palm Jumeirah and The World), Dubai is known for its fabulous shopping malls.

2 Cool Cafes in Dubai
We fell in love with Basta Art Café instantly. In a courtyard of an old wind tower, Basta is in the Old Bastakiya quarter, close to Dubai Creek. There was even a cafe cat!

Boating up the Nile – in the 1800s and today
It’s early January on the Nile. Early morning as well. The girls are still asleep. I’m alone on deck. Going down river (north) is windier. The pages of my note pad is blowing fiercly, at times lightly whipping my face. It’s bitterly cold.

Elephantine and Nubians
By Aswan in the River Nile is Elephantine Island. It houses temple ruins (including the ruins of a step pyramid), two nilometers (structures measuring the water level during flooding season) and a luxury Mövenpick hotel. Most interestingly, though, Elephantine has a considerable Nubian population, living in three villages on the island.

Kuwaiti Cats
I thought I’d begin a new series – a sporadic one, but a series nonetheless: Cats of the world. First out are the cool cats of Kuwait.

12 fave hotels of 2009
Favourite hotels of 2009 include Dubai, Hønefoss, London, Sardinia, Denmark, Sweden, Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey), Paris, Bahrain, Kuwait

Travels of 2009 – and plans for 2010
Travels of 2009, including Dubai, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Denmark, Sweden, London, Paris, Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey and Herm), Sardinia, Corsica






