Only two of the nine countries we visited in the last six months were new to us, places we hadn’t been before and were experiencing for the first time. Obviously, as travel writers, it’s inevitable that we end up returning to places time and time again, particularly as we develop expertise in certain places, as my husband Terry and I have with the Middle East where we've been based since 1998. But while I love the excitement and energy of the new and relish opportunities to get out of our comfort zone and go somewhere we haven't been before (there’s nothing quite like that first drive from an airport into a new city, is there?), I also enjoy returning to places we’ve been before, some times many times before. Because there is a certain affection that grows over time as you become more familiar with a place, don’t you think? The more you visit, even if you’re not exactly besotted by the destination, the more you come to develop a bundle of warm feelings for it. And when you return… well, it’s just like seeing an old friend again. Love them or hate them, you just want to hug them! What do you think? Know those feelings? Which do you prefer? The familiarity that comes with the known or the excitement of the unfamiliar?Pictured? Dubai, the closest thing I have to a home, and a place I love more and more each time I return after being away.
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The affection that comes with familiarity versus the energy of an unfamiliar destination
Posted by BEST TRAVEL GUIDE on Thursday, December 10, 2009
Are you a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ traveller? That is, every country you visit you consider it to be a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experience and treat it as such? Do you go to a place thinking you may never get back there again so everything you do is a special adventure? Do you go with the idea that you won’t even dream of returning because there are simply too many other amazing places to explore in the world? Maybe it's more of a financial imperative? Or, do you travel thinking you are definitely going to return some day, so you take it easy, kick back, and don’t put too much pressure on the trip? And in doing so, you find you appreciate the place and the little experiences and everyday moments more? Indeed, if this is a place you end up liking a lot, you won’t have a problem returning the next year, and the next, and perhaps the one after that… so that by the time you’re 80 you could be leaning over to the diners at the next table one night to boast “my husband/wife and I have been coming here every summer for the last 30 years”, as a very contented woman told us one evening in Capri as her beloved husband sliced a ripe juicy peach for her after their meal – a habit that seemed so matter-of-fact, he’d probably been doing it for 30 years… So, which traveller are you? Do have one travel preference over another? Or do you mix it up with destinations you treat as once-in-a-lifetime experiences and favorite holiday spots you return to every year? I'd love to hear your thoughts.naruto wallpaper 9:45 PM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
Are you a once-in-a-lifetime traveller or a creature of habit?
Posted by BEST TRAVEL GUIDE on Wednesday, December 9, 2009
I did stop to smell the roses today in my uncle and aunt's garden. There are roses just outside the French doors to the library, which has become our office for the time that we're holed up here writing, so I have no excuse for not taking a sniff more often. And the roses are smelling especially fragrant at the moment. There's been rain this week and the garden is in full bloom despite it being the beginning of autumn (or fall, for my North American friends). But as I inhaled the scent, I did think 'Damn, I don't do this enough!' And I was reminded of a friend I used to work with who called me a robot and who frequently told me I needed to stop and smell the roses more often. So as I was looking for a photo today - no time for reminiscing, I simply had to identify a building in a city in Italy we wrote about which I'd become confused about (and that's what you get for travelling as much as we do) - I spotted this photo I'd taken in Bologna last summer. And while I've looked at the photo several times - mainly so I could describe the fountain for a book I was writing - I'd never really stopped to look at the photo properly. Because I had never noticed the kids sitting on the steps of the fountain before. All I had seen was the photo. Which led me to think about how many times I've passed fountains on our travels, especially in Europe (we spend a lot of time in Europe), and noticed locals and travellers alike sitting on the steps of fountains, eating their lunch, drinking whatever, reading books, or just fooling around, and how many times I've been rushing past going somewhere, doing something (always working), and thinking how nice it would be to be able to stop and sit on the steps of a fountain sometime... to be on holidays, or just to be taking life more slowly. Just to be living the kind of life that allows one to stop and sit on the steps of a fountain. Because it's not that I don't have the opportunities. I probably see more fountains in piazzas than most people. I definitely see more fountains than roses when I travel. So 'sitting on the steps of a fountain' is going to be my 'stopping to smell the roses'. My way of measuring the pace of my life, of keeping my work-life balance in check. Because now... well, it's a little out of whack. So, how often do you take time out to sit on the steps of a fountain when you travel?
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When you travel, how often do you stop to sit on the steps of a fountain?
Posted by BEST TRAVEL GUIDE on Thursday, March 19, 2009
by Jean
I am just home from my second visit to Qatar -where I had a really wonderful time. I saw so many things, from camels to cakes, to the Inland Sea and stunning flights of thousands of cormorants - and in the process got very close to some sand dunes.
The one constant thing that I noticed, from the start of my flight out with Qatar Airways to my boarding my return flight some 9 days later, was the unfailing courtesy extended to me as a woman.
Shopkeepers in the souks, in Villagio, Carrefour, and the wholesale vegetable and fish markets (another amazing treat) were unfailingly polite and helpful. At one shop the cosmetic counter girl did not have the product I wanted, and went then to all the others to try and find it!
I am slightly disabled, and the airline staff seated me in an aisle seat, near the toilets, and
enquired if all was well on more than one occasion. They also ensured that as there was space on the plane I had maximum space I will definitely travel with them rather than Emirates on my already much anticipated next trip.
They were also exceedingly patient with a gentleman who wanted three seats together (one of them mine!) which apparently he felt he deserved because he had checked in first, having been at the airport 4 hours earlier..... I am sure I could not have been as polite and smiling with such an awkward customer - perhaps this is the Qatari way?
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naruto wallpaper 1:47 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
I am just home from my second visit to Qatar -where I had a really wonderful time. I saw so many things, from camels to cakes, to the Inland Sea and stunning flights of thousands of cormorants - and in the process got very close to some sand dunes.
The one constant thing that I noticed, from the start of my flight out with Qatar Airways to my boarding my return flight some 9 days later, was the unfailing courtesy extended to me as a woman.
Shopkeepers in the souks, in Villagio, Carrefour, and the wholesale vegetable and fish markets (another amazing treat) were unfailingly polite and helpful. At one shop the cosmetic counter girl did not have the product I wanted, and went then to all the others to try and find it!
I am slightly disabled, and the airline staff seated me in an aisle seat, near the toilets, and
enquired if all was well on more than one occasion. They also ensured that as there was space on the plane I had maximum space I will definitely travel with them rather than Emirates on my already much anticipated next trip.
They were also exceedingly patient with a gentleman who wanted three seats together (one of them mine!) which apparently he felt he deserved because he had checked in first, having been at the airport 4 hours earlier..... I am sure I could not have been as polite and smiling with such an awkward customer - perhaps this is the Qatari way?
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naruto wallpaper 1:47 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
According to a story in the Peninsula today, a majority of residents in Qatar felt that the development of tourism in Qatar is lacking. What's more, we have to agree.
While there has been a marked increase in the number of expensive hotels in Qatar, there has been no matched development in theme parks, water parks or the other amenities expected by tourists. Entertainment City should eventually arrive, but with the usual delays it will be some years before this makes a difference. There are no decent beaches in reach of Doha, and while Al Wakra has been cleaned up a bit it is certainly now what a tourist paying top whack prices would expect!
Some of Qatar's greatest assets have been underplayed. Very little is ever heard of camel racing, something which many Western visitors to the country would be interested in, and it is very difficult to find out when all but the major races are on. Nor is the desert marketed as well as it should be - although I do enjoy my trips to the singing sandunes, where there is rarely anyone else to disturb the peace!
You can see fishing in Qatar on the tourist movies on Qatar Airways, but it hard to book a professional trip - each time I have tried I have been let down. People who have been on dhow fishing trips have complained that they only caught one fish.
What has developed is shopping - but not everyone is as keen on shopping as Arabic ladies! Even to get to the admittedly impressive shopping malls, you need to get a taxi - not always an easy task any more!
Most of the musuems in the country also seem to be shut, although this situation is slowly improving. The Waqif Art Centre is now open, although it hardly matches Qatar National Museum, which has now been closed for several years. Eventually museum lovers should be cheered by the opening of the Islamic Museum in December, assuning that it is not delayed again.
Hopefully, things will improve - I have even heard rumours of a secret ski-slope in the desert to match anything the UAE can provide - now that would put Dubai's noses out of joint!
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Qatar Tourism naruto wallpaper 5:07 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
While there has been a marked increase in the number of expensive hotels in Qatar, there has been no matched development in theme parks, water parks or the other amenities expected by tourists. Entertainment City should eventually arrive, but with the usual delays it will be some years before this makes a difference. There are no decent beaches in reach of Doha, and while Al Wakra has been cleaned up a bit it is certainly now what a tourist paying top whack prices would expect!
Some of Qatar's greatest assets have been underplayed. Very little is ever heard of camel racing, something which many Western visitors to the country would be interested in, and it is very difficult to find out when all but the major races are on. Nor is the desert marketed as well as it should be - although I do enjoy my trips to the singing sandunes, where there is rarely anyone else to disturb the peace!
You can see fishing in Qatar on the tourist movies on Qatar Airways, but it hard to book a professional trip - each time I have tried I have been let down. People who have been on dhow fishing trips have complained that they only caught one fish.
What has developed is shopping - but not everyone is as keen on shopping as Arabic ladies! Even to get to the admittedly impressive shopping malls, you need to get a taxi - not always an easy task any more!
Most of the musuems in the country also seem to be shut, although this situation is slowly improving. The Waqif Art Centre is now open, although it hardly matches Qatar National Museum, which has now been closed for several years. Eventually museum lovers should be cheered by the opening of the Islamic Museum in December, assuning that it is not delayed again.
Hopefully, things will improve - I have even heard rumours of a secret ski-slope in the desert to match anything the UAE can provide - now that would put Dubai's noses out of joint!
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Qatar Tourism naruto wallpaper 5:07 AM New Google SEO Bandung, Indonesia
This is a guest post by Jean Rasbridge, a disabled traveller who works for a UK Power Chair company.I recently had a very pleasant stay with family who are working in elegant Qatar - I had been apprehensive about the journey itself, as well as travelling to a totally new country where I could not even say "Good Morning" ( I am ashamed to say). However I need not have worried, my fears about a non-disabled friendly trip and reception were unfounded.
I travelled from Terminal 3 at Heathrow, and was escorted from the check in desk by very friendly airline staff, to a quiet waiting area, and when the flight was called was accompanied again to boarding. My travel Power Chair was put into the hold after I was ensconced in a front seat, and the journey passed smoothly. On arrival my son had arranged for an amazing service! A lift brought the chair to the door of the plane, and I was then met by a member of a Visa handling service called Al Maha, and taken to a charming area where I was offered fresh juice, tea or coffee whilst the formalities were completed on my behalf without any anxiety on my part.
I was then taken through Customs, and my baggage retrieved and put onto a portered trolley whilst I sat comfotably in my little Power Chair, and then was then happily reunited with my family - a really stress free journey.
The small power chair I took with me for this journey can be taken apart easily and put into vehicles - and the dry cell batteries are safe for transport. The heaviest part is 27 Kg, so it is acceptable for carriers to transport either as a whole unit at under 50 kg, which most airlines will carry. However, it is important to check with your carrier before you book. I have often taken scooters on plane trips, but this is so much more manouevrable inside than a scooter. It has an off board charger and a range of up to 10 miles
I found Doha a really lovely place to visit (apart from the dust perhaps) - from the elegant promenade which was very wheelchair user friendly, the exciting souks with their unusual smells and scents, the beautifully embellished mosque, to the 5-star hotels which were also disabled friendly. The very modern and stylish malls were also designed for wheelchair access, though I did not see another single user! Most amazingly, in a country famed for its crazy driving, I did not see one disabled parking space that had been taken by an able driver.
While Doha was navigable, I can't say the same about the sand dunes - but then I guess that's not the government's fault.
I am looking forward to another trip, before too long...
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