United Arab Emirates

Part 1: from November 28th until December 15th 2005

Where are the bicycles?
The umpteenth cab takes us to the other side of the airport, where Terminal 2 is situated. DHL receives us in a professional manner but the message is boring and disturbing at the same time: they don’t have the bicycles, the bicycles are not in Terminal 2 and it will at least take one or two days before customs will clear them.
So where are the bicycles?.... READ ON >>

I have the biggest one!
The highest sky scraper in the world, the Burj Dubai Tower, of which the exact height still is kept secret, is being built in Downtown Dubai now and will reach its highest point in a couple of years (expectation: about 750 metres, two and a half time as high as the Eiffel Tower). At the same time.... READ ON>>

An adventure for 40 dirham
We ask for his boss, who persists that rules are rules.
“Even when we have to spend the whole night here, I refuse to cooperate with this official nit-picking and tourist-harassing,” Peter tells me, boiling with anger.... READ ON >>

On our way to paradise
We don’t know it yet, but we are on our way to paradise for cyclists in full marching kits. Paradise is situated on our globe, at 56 degrees and 8 minutes latitude and 25 degrees and 21 minutes longitude. By chance, or maybe not exactly by chance, paradise for cyclists lies in the United Arab Emirates. But we don’t know it.... READ ON >>

Part 2: from January 6th until February 7th 2006

A delightful month of totally Nix
Paul, the manager of the Vopak terminal facility in Fujairah, arranged for us to stay in the three bedroom/three bathroom apartment, with fully equipped kitchen and an air-conditioned living room with TV and dvd. How will we ever be able to leave again?.... READ ON >>