Gavin’s Gone A-wandering

November 2022 - February 2023

Escaping winter, visiting a few bucket-list places, catching glimpses of paradise.. Read more

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Traveler Gavin’s Gone A-wandering
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- Nov 17, 2022, 9:52am
- 🌧 9 °C
- Altitude: 82 m
- England Newton-le-Willows 54.2982, -1.672654°17’54” N 1°40’21” W
Setting off from Brompton, North Yorks.
November 17, 2022 in England ⋅ 🌧 9 °C
Out of the window of my bijou little flat in Brompton, the rain is falling on North Yorkshire; damp, windy and grey. I'm looking forward to the contrast in weather and heat when I make my first stop in Athens tomorrow.
Today will be taken up with such delights as emptying the fridge, unplugging all the electrical devices, double checking my rucksack, and taking rubbish to the bins.
My train for Manchester Airport sets of from Northallerton station this evening, with a new-fangled e-ticket (whatever that is).
What could possibly go wrong?Read more
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Traveler Gavin’s Gone A-wandering
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- Nov 17, 2022, 1:52pm
- 🌧 11 °C
- Altitude: 47 m
- England Brompton 54.361964, -1.42546654°21’43” N 1°25’32” W
Setting off from Brompton, North Yorks.’
November 17, 2022 in England ⋅ 🌧 11 °C
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Traveler Gavin’s Gone A-wandering
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- Nov 18, 2022, 4:50am
- ⛅ 8 °C
- Altitude: 74 m
- England Ringway Manchester Airport 53.361353, -2.27514453°21’41” N 2°16’31” W
Day 1
Airport hassle
November 18, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C
That’s another few hours of my life I won’t get back.
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Traveler Gavin’s Gone A-wandering
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- Nov 18, 2022, 4:57am
- ⛅ 8 °C
- Altitude: 74 m
- England Ringway Manchester Airport 53.361359, -2.27514453°21’41” N 2°16’31” W
Day 1
Airport hassle
November 18, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C
Next stop Athens. The cradle of democracy: Everyone of a voting age gets to pay as little tax as everyone else.
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Traveler Gavin’s Gone A-wandering
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- Nov 18, 2022, 11:44am
- ☀️ 23 °C
- Altitude: 81 m
- Greece Attica Spata-Artemida Spata Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport 37.937212, 23.94759237°56’14” N 23°56’51” E
Day 1
Short Stopover in Athens
November 18, 2022 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
As airports go, Athens seems as logical as most. Sunshine. No delays.
Manchester - look and learn.
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Traveler Gavin’s Gone A-wandering
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- Nov 19, 2022, 3:08am
- 🌙 22 °C
- Altitude: 26 m
- United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi International Airport 24.427344, 54.64531324°25’38” N 54°38’43” E
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Day 2
Abu Dhabi Airport
November 19, 2022 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ 🌙 22 °C
As I remember it. Surprisingly efficient airport. I was quickly through passport control and got my rucksack off the carousel after a while. Just about to check it into ‘left luggage’ so that I can have the day in Abu Dhabi without lugging the thing around.
Breakfast then a bit of sightseeing.Read more
Watch out you don’t get sold in the Souk [Colin]
11/20/22Reply
Traveler 2 1/2 camels - the going rate for a knackered European.
11/20/22Reply
Traveler Arriving at Abu Dhabi airport.
11/21/22Reply
I didn’t see you waving as you flew over the top of us here in Cyprus! Oh well next time. [Colin Wilson]
11/22/22Reply
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Traveler Gavin’s Gone A-wandering
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- Nov 19, 2022, 10:00am
- ☁️ 20 °C
- Altitude: 9 m
- Kuwait Al Asimah Umm Şiddah 29.3645, 47.988929°21’52” N 47°59’20” E
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Day 2
Abu Dhabi's got a big building
November 19, 2022 in Kuwait ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
I'd only driven past this place, the Grand Mosque, years ago. Lots of people have said it's not to be missed, so I made the trip.
It's vast.
I got there early and avoided the hordes of tourists.
There's a long walk just to get from the exterior gate to the entrance. Then you have to go underground which leads to a shopping mall, of all things. This shouldn't be surprising but it seems odd. There are trinkets to buy, and those dirhams won't spend themselves.
Smiling tour guides shuffled me and a few other punters through museum-type galleries until, at last, I emerged at the surface into the mosque itself.
Blimey. Did I say it's big.
You don't have to get off on that religion thing to be impressed by beautiful and effective architecture.
Well worth the effort - early before it gets hot.
And as one pic shows, it seems they'll let in anyone.Read more
Traveler Yes, it's big.
11/21/22Reply
Traveler Pretty damned impressive.
11/21/22Reply
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Traveler Gavin’s Gone A-wandering
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- Nov 19, 2022, 1:13pm
- ⛅ 31 °C
- Altitude: 22 m
- United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi International Airport 24.426925, 54.64461724°25’37” N 54°38’41” E
Day 2
Trailing around Abu Dhabi
November 19, 2022 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
Well, I started today’s jaunts good n early. My plan was to get the free shuttle bus to Yas Island (GP circuit, flashy malls etc.) Despite waiting for said bus on the advice at the Information Desk in the airport, it didn’t come.
So I went to visit the Grand Mosque. It’s world famous and you don’t have to subscribe to superstitious belief systems to be impressed. It’s an amazing thing.
Then it was back to the airport - just in case I ran out of time before my next flight to Kuwait. I figured the bus to Yas Island would be running later. It seems it only runs in the evenings, which is no darned good to me as I fly at 20:45.
I despise ‘killing time’. It always feels like valuable missed time when I could be experiencing new places.
Any road (na then). Here are some snaps to illustrate today’s wanderings.Read more
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Traveler Gavin’s Gone A-wandering
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- Nov 21, 2022, 6:07pm
- 🌙 22 °C
- Altitude: 9 m
- Kuwait Al Asimah Umm Şiddah 29.3645, 47.988929°21’52” N 47°59’20” E
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Day 4
First couple of days - Return to Kuwait
November 21, 2022 in Kuwait ⋅ 🌙 22 °C
After arriving back in Kuwait late on Saturday evening, after a couple of years away, some things are oddly familiar whilst others are strange. My old mucka Khin Wee Chen graciously picked me up from the airport for the drive back to his place. I'll be staying with him in his spare room in Salmiya until moving on next Friday 25th November. Excellent base, excellent host.
Sunday was an easy, restful day of catching up with old colleagues at Gulf University. Oh how I love a bit of gossip. The place is broadly the same, but the organisation has taken a turn in an odd direction. Oh well, we must all move on ;)
Eating, a bit of walking, and more eating. Dropped my phone on the loo floor in the restaurant. Oh b*gg*r, I smashed the front screen good n proper. (Probably a repair/replacement in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.)
Monday - brunch with my old GUST mates Khin Wee, Ildiko Kaposi and Fahad Al Sumait. It was great to catch up with them, hear their news and a have a right good natter. And thanks for picking up the breakfast tab Fahad. What fine colleagues indeed. There's great talent in Kuwait, if only it was fully utilised.
Whilst strolling down the coastal path in Salmiya, I managed to grab a few shots of an air display team doing colourful loop-the-loops over the city across the bay.
Maybe it was a FIFA World Cup celebration for the Qatari neighbours?Read more
Traveler Every month is 'space month' in Kuwait.
11/21/22Reply
Traveler Foreground: my Thai green curry. Background: Khin Wee's fish & chips.
11/21/22Reply
Traveler Brunch at The Gathering near American University of Kuwait. Clockwise: Fahad, Ildiko, Khin Wee, me.
11/21/22Reply
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Traveler Gavin’s Gone A-wandering
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- Nov 22, 2022, 9:53am
- ☀️ 21 °C
- Altitude: 9 m
- Kuwait Al Asimah Umm Şiddah 29.3645, 47.988929°21’52” N 47°59’20” E
Day 5
More fun in Kuwait - if that's possible.
November 22, 2022 in Kuwait ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Kuwait is still big on shopping malls. The snaps are inside The Avenues, and some very poorly grabbed shots of buildings in the Salmiya district.
On Wednesday, had a lazy day before hitting the Maritime Museum for a spot of playing pirates on a big old dhao. This was followed by a visit to Souk Al-Mubarakiya in the old part of Kuwait City.Read more
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