Sultan as a Sea to His People (although not necessarily to his hired help) We heard this phrase in both the UAE and in Oman. It generally refers to how the Sultan (aka, King) channels the country’s great wealth to its citizens to improve their lives and their children’s prospects. Certainly, the sultan and his […]
United Arab Emirates
Oman: Musandam Peninsula and Khasab
A Cultural Daytrip to Sharjar
Eating and Sleeping in Dubai

As usual when we travel, we sought out both local foods as well as interesting restaurants. We had a lot of hummus, kebabs and gyros, but we also ate at a few particularly interesting restaurants. These included: Qbara, one of the hottest new restaurants in the city, is a beautifully and expensively designed …
Desert Safari and Dune Bashing

Although Dubai is mostly about scale, luxury and excess, the Emirate has another side–sand. To experience this, we had to take a dessert safari. Our experience included about an hour of dune bashing where four-wheel drive Land Rovers sped up and down dunes, taking sharp turns where the cars lean at precarious angles and throw […]
Exploring Old Dubai

"Old" is something of a misnomer when applied to Dubai. True, the Al Fahidi Fort was built in 1787 (and is the oldest building in the city), but the buildings that surrounded it are long gone. The current “old” sections of the city was rebuilt in the 1970s to appeal to tourists—which is Dubai’s number […]