After a rather restless night and two flights later we arrived in the blistering heat of Kenya in the city of Mombassa. We met Mama and Baba at the airport before starting the long journey back to Kwale where we'd be staying for one week. We passed the locals houses and shops (read: shacks) en route to and from the ferry - all of which looked like they were falling to pieces. People carried buckets of waters, bags etc. on their head in the heat which was bad ...

The plan: Get up at 9, go to Dubai Mall, the Burj Khalifa. Come back to the apartment at lunch and spend the afternoon round the pool. Reality: Get up at 12:15, leave at 13:00, look around the mall and Burj and return at 16:00. We went on Dubai's new monorail system at least! All in all still a nice day out visiting the indoor aquarium in the shopping mall and viewing the worlds tallest building (pictured). We went out for a Lebanese meal in the evening before...

After leaving Manchester some three hours late due a snow-closed runway, we arrived at Dubai Airport at around 23:30. We had planned to go out for a meal straight from the airport but as it was late we decided to head straight back to the apartment and to bed shortly after. Not the best first night, but at least we had arrived! The next day was spent lounging around the pool, enjoying the 25 degree weather and visiting the 'old town' in the evening. A complet...

After a year of saving, two years of planning and even more years dreaming, we've just arrived at Manchester airport for the first flight of 'the boomerang'! It's hard to put into words my current feeling - excited, nervous, happy, sad and definitely tired, that sounds about right, lets go with that. The morning panic with snow didn't help either! Flight #1 leaves in around 20 mins (08:45) to Dubai, UAE. It's roughly six and a half hours arriving in time for a ...

Hi All, Welcome to my blog - many travel blogs have been started, but never finished, this (I hope) will be different. With my last day at work long behind me, my leaving do only a few days away, it's time to start the packing and final preparations for my trip of a lifetime! Pack small they say, as small and light and you can, now that I have the contents of my bag laid in front of me, I can't help but think the only thing small is my bag. It'll all fit, ri...