Abu Dhabi has embarked on the huge task of counting every man, woman and child in the Capital. No easy feat to be sure, but Meg and I can proudly say we did our part. One evening about a month ago, the doorbell range; a large envelope appeared mysteriously at our door. Inside, several pages…
Author: Brian
Emirate #5: Wet and Wild Fujairah
Slowly conquering each of the UAE’s seven emirates, we recently headed to Fujairah, number five on the list. While we had driven through the emirate before to head to Oman for diving, we heard good enough things about the underwater life on the East Coast to make it a true stop. We got a little…
Brussels – Definitely More Than Just Chocolate
One of the places I thought I’d might not see again is Belgium – not because it isn’t beautiful, with great food and culture, but because our “must visit” list is getting longer and longer. Taking advantage of a free half day after a work conference, my colleague Corianna and I set out for a…
Beirut (without the ping pong balls)
When I was a kid, the first thing that came to mind when someone mentioned Beirut was the image of a very dangerous, war-infested place. After all, from 1975 to 1990, civil war ravaged Lebanon and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. I honestly never saw myself stepping foot on Lebanese soil. Fast forward to…
That Can’t be Good!
We thought it would be fun to put an outdoor thermometer on our balcony. Shame on us for only getting one that goes up to 50 degrees Celcius (122 degrees Farenheit).
King of Kruger: The Lion
Out of all the Big 5 animals, we spent the most time with the lions, seeing them every day. They were easy to catch up with, as they had killed a buffalo a few days before our arrival and had gorged on it for days – leaving them stuffed and sleepy. We saw the whole…
Elusive Cat: The Leopard
The fourth of the Big 5 on the list was the leopard. These cats can be a bit hard to find, but with determination and savvy, our fearless leaders Greg and Dan spotted them on several occasions. What immediately struck us was how beautiful their coats were – shining in the African sun. While we…
Alive at Last: The Buffalo
The first time we saw the buffalo, it had been on the wrong end of the food chain thanks to a pack of lions (more pictures of that later). However, thanks to our amazing guides, we encountered the mighty buffalo alive and doing quite well on the following day. It happened during an early morning…
Nature’s Tank: The Rhino
It wasn’t too long into our first safari drive when we happened upon the 2nd member of the Big 5 – the rhinoceros. It was a mother and a youngster out munching on some grass. When they saw us, they were at first a bit nervous and kept their distance. A few days later, we…