We came to Abu Dhabi, almost four years ago, with four bags. Two of them of some size. Seems fair; we were coming here to live. But right this moment … we must have eight bags. Accrued over time. Not here. But in Europe and the U.S. And they seem to be taking over the […]

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The time difference between California and the UAE is 11 hours. In the winter, when California comes off daylight savings, the difference is 12 hours. Which means your body clock is turned upside down, when traveling from one to the other. As we did a week ago. I know what time it is, mentally. But […]

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We exited the arrivals hall of Dubai International Airport at about 10:30 tonight. Ah, the UAE in late July! t was still 108 degrees Fahrenheit, and humid, and walking into the night was like sliding into a warm bathtub — right up to the sensation that brought to mind trying to breath warm water. But […]

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A significant percentage of the movies I have watched in the past two months has been while flying. In part, it’s because so few films I am interested in seeing have come out during that time. But a big part of it is the array of movies-on-demand available for viewing on the big and modern […]

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A few years in Abu Dhabi might lead a person to believe homelessness is not a significant problem around the world. In the UAE, everyone has a job … or they are headed for the airport. It’s the law. Which can lead to some jarring sensations, when you leave the UAE and touch down almost […]

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We are spending a week in a beach house in Long Beach. The California version of the LBC. And it does, in fact, have a long beach, and the sand begins at our door, and the ocean, tamed by a breakwater, begins about 100 yards from there … And the very popular biking/jogging/rolling path is […]

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Traveling from the UAE to California is not a journey to be entered into lightly. One is divided from the other by 11 time zones. (Twelve time zones in the winter, when California goes off daylight savings time.) Only one nonstop exists from the UAE to California. (Emirates, from Dubai to Los Angeles, for 16 […]

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It is that time of year. School is over, summer has seized the country by the throat, Ramadan is on the way … and seemingly half the people in the UAE are headed for an airport. We at The National did a story this week about a rise in airline bookings this summer — up […]

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Like Dubai, Abu Dhabi has an airport where most people alight only to catch another plane. The UAE is at a sort of crossroads of the Old World. If you want to go from Moscow south to South Africa, you may well change planes in the UAE. Going from Europe to the east of Asia? […]

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Random thought, while watching clocks tick into the 7:00 range, and watching 707 and 727, etc., go past: What variety of plane have I flown most often? At first, I thought it might be close, with at least three contenders. Upon further review … I’m pretty sure it isn’t close, and I imagine it isn’t […]

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