Navigating our 7th Decade
Getting to Hatta Outdoor at Wadi Hub Hatta is about 135km from Dubai and it took us just over 90 mins of driving to get to the Wadi Hub on the outskirts of Hatta. Hatta is still part of the Dubai Emirate and the road between the two centres is superb. We had driven part of the same road about 7 years ago and were amazed at the transition. From …
It was an early start to the day. The alarm went off at 4.45am and we hauled our carcasses out of bed. We were being picked up at 5.15am outside our rented apartment in Dubai. We were off to participate in our first Dubai Run. The 2023 Dubai Fitness Challenge ran from 28th October to 26th November 2023. Launched in 2017, it is an initiative to raise awareness of fitness …
If you have a couple of hours free whilst in Dubai then do yourself a favour and see if there is camel racing happening at the Al Marmoom Camel Racing Track. The track is easily accessible from anywhere in Dubai and there is lots of parking available inside the venue. Once parked we had a short walk to the start of the 8km track. Yes, you read that right, 8 …
Up the coast from Dubai is Ras Al-Khaimah and about 35km by road beyond that is a bit of Oman known as the Musandam Governorate. The main port is Khasab, and that is where we headed after the normal border formalities Shortly after crossing the border into Oman, the landscape undergoes quite a dramatic change. From dead flat the topography suddenly changes into rocky mountains that rise up from the …
If you enjoy a fun night out and are in Dubai on just about any Monday night of the year, then you could do a lot worse than join @The.Dylan.Show at The Radisson Red for the best quiz in Dubai. Starting at 8pm in the courtyard (winter) or inside (summer), Dylan puts on a fun team quiz for all comers. You don’t need to book. Just show up with a …
The Abu Dhabi GP has, of late, been the last Formula 1 Grand Prix of the season. It takes place on the Yas Marina circuit which has been built on Yas Island which lies on the East Coast of Abu Dhabi. The first GP took place there in 2009 and it will be the last race of the season until at least 2030. This year (2023) we got the opportunity …
The Midlands Meander in The KwaZulu-Natal Midlands is a great place to spend a lazy weekend unwinding from the pressures of modern life. Or in our case, recovering from the heart stopping, gut wrenching quarter and semi final wins by the Boks at the 2023 Rugby World Cup! Of course, if you are looking for physical activities, there’s plenty of that available as well! But we were erring towards the …
We love doing road trips. The freedom of the road, the ability to change plans in a heartbeat, visiting interesting places and meeting different people are all part of the attraction. Of course, sometimes things don’t always go according to plan! South Island Road Trip We were in New Zealand for the summer of 22/23. Summer in New Zealand is supposed to be warm and dry. The summer we got …
The best place to see leopard in South Africa is in a game reserve. Although leopard can be found outside game reserves throughout South Africa, they are shy animals that try to avoid humans and areas where there is human activity. Leopard sightings in the Kruger Park (and many other game parks) are not unusual, and that’s one of the best places to go to see leopard. On our latest …
The Hamilton Botanical Gardens in New Zealand The Botanical Gardens in Hamilton are situated on the banks of the Waikato River as it runs through the east part of the city. Run by the city council, this 54 hectare park offers a range of gardens and open lawns to enjoy. We visited the gardens several times during our stay in New Zealand. Sometimes we strolled through the various gardens, sometimes …