Dubai Dhow Cruise: For Dinner? No Dhowt! You’ve got your flights to Dubai booked. You even reserved a hotel right in Old Dubai, right on the Creek, for those beautiful sunset views you’ve heard so much about. Aside from shopping at one of the teeming malls, though, what do you […]
United Arab Emirates
Gold and Spice Souks: The Spicy Side of Dubai
Gold and Spice Souks of Dubai My favorite part of Dubai, just about the only part of town I’ve found that still has a feel of the old and exotic to it, is all the excellent market action. While nowhere near as chaotic as my favorite Central Asian markets, the […]
Burj Khalifa by Night
There’s honestly not a whole lot that I like about the flashy new high-rise part of Dubai, but the Burj Khalifa is the one obvious exception. No matter where I see it from at whatever time of day, I always seem to go straight for the camera to try and […]
Abu Dhabi Palace Hotel
Abu Dhabi Palace Hotel If the beach is the natural highlight of Abu Dhabi and the Heritage Village the cultural highlight, then the Palace Hotel is some sort of ostentatious absurdity highlight. Walking up, of course, the presentation is grand as you approach the main entrance via an alleyway of […]
Abu Dhabi Heritage Village
Abu Dhabi Heritage Village My personal highlight for Abu Dhabi was definitely the Heritage Village. A kind of open-air museum, it actually did a very nice job of presenting the traditional cultures of the Emirates without feeling tacky. Exhibits included examples of traditional architecture, crafts, and lifestyles. This place was […]
Abu Dhabi
Though Abu Dhabi did have a few highlights, overall it wasn’t terribly exciting. As far as I could tell, the beach was the most inspiring reason most people find to be in the city. Fronting the downtown area, I must admit that seeing the beach gave me a twinge […]
Hey there! I'm Stephen, this is my travel blog, and that's me in the poofy hat.
I'm a photographer / writer traveling since 2008, and I've been doing my best to visit amazing places.
My current focus is Central Asia, because for a hiking and camping enthusiast it's as good as it gets.