Home Sweet Home

I am now sitting at my sister's house writing this blog. I am back in Australia. It is a bittersweet return. I am glad to be home, amongst the comfort of family and friends, yet I still feel as though there is still so much travelling to do. My travel bug was constantly fed throughout the past four weeks yet it still craves for more.

Travelling changes you, and changes the way you look at the world. And I am not talking about travelling, in the sense of getting on a tour bus and enjoying the famous sights. Travelling like I did for a lot of the time changes you - making your way around unfamiliar places at your own initiative rather than being hand fed really makes you pay attention to the smaller things in each country. Whether it is their language, transport system, or cultural mannerisms, when you have to fend for yourself in an unfamiliar place, you really get an idea of how different (and often lucky) you are.

I arrived in Dubai at 6.00am. Having walked out in the stifling heat into a crowd of Arab men, I felt a little daunted. I was aware that this would be the case, so I made sure I wore dark clothes that covered my body from my ankles and shoulders, despite it being 40 degrees. I was relieved to see a man holding a sign saying "Crowne Plaza" and, although for some reason my name had been omitted from the courtesy bus list, the man ushered me into the air conditioned mini bus, took my bags from me and we drove off into the city.

Dubai was an amazing place. Amazing has been an overused word on this blog. Perhaps I should say that it is extraordinary. It is out of the ordinary. It was the first "real" taste of a culture very different to my own. It is a futuristic city in a sandbox. That is the only way I can describe it. If I wasnt so jet lagged at the moment, I could probably explain it a little better. I was lucky enough to experience the United Arab Emirates in Ramadam, which is the muslim holy month, which was certainly an experience. While many westerners complained about the unavailability of food and drink during daylight hours, I found it intriguing. When others complained about the heat and lack of shelter, I found that it was just another part of the experience. Twelve hours was not enough to spend in Dubai. I would love to go back and discover what it is like in the "not so touristy" areas. I enjoyed the differences of culture and only made me more eager to travel to more exotic destinations in the future!

So I am now about to download some photos - some of my favourites from my trip. I am not so sure how I will go, given that I am exhausted and there are about 1000 photos, but the ones I have reviewed so far turned out very well.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

K