Travel to the Gulf States: UAE (Dubai), Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait – Episode 203

Jet Set Life

Thanks for this post! It made me think of including these places on my next travel plan.

Roger

Really great podcast, I wasn’t aware that The World had been cancelled. So much for grand excess (at least for now).

This is a really great series of podcasts by the way! I am enjoying them all and am planning a round the world trip in a few months and your site is playing a critical role in getting me even more excited.

Can you do more shows about working abroad?

Saffi

Fascinating podcast! Actually, I could say that for every podcast I’ve heard so far. This one was especially engaging thanks to the chemistry between you and your guest, Gary Arndt. Thank you for this episode, and for all the others.

I have a request, however. In most of the Amateur Traveler episodes, I like to imagine whether or not I could see myself visiting the place that is being described. But in this case, that was impossible for me, and (I suspect) for a large portion of your audience as well.

Nowhere in the interview did either of you address whether or not a woman could expect to be able to travel in these countries with the same freedom of movement as your guest. I kept waiting for some mention, even a very brief aside, but both of you seemed entirely unaware of a concern that can be uppermost in the minds of 50% of the population, especially considering that you were speaking about parts of the world that are notorious for restricting women’s freedom. (Whether or not that notoriety is still deserved we still don’t know.) At one point, when talking about the way to dress, it was especially obvious and seemed particularly awkward, because you dealt only with how a *man* should dress.

I know that your interviewees speak only to their own experiences, and I certainly don’t expect (or want) long digressions on the topic of gender roles in other countries. But when dealing with countries where significant restrictions could exist, please remember to at least mention whether the traveling being described is available only in limited ways to a big part of your audience.

chris2x

True, we did not address that in this episode since Gary is not a woman. We did talk about traveling to Muslim countries in an episode with Sherry Ott a while ago entitled Solo Travel as a Woman.

Chuck

I must second Gary said about dust storms. I was in several during my time in Kuwait. Makes the sky look really strange. Reminded me of the scenes of the sky on fire, in the original Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea movie.

One thing to add about the weather in Kuwait, the wind is normally from the West or Northwest. the days the wind shifts and comes off the gulf, the dry desert turns in to a huge humid sauna.

The best place to eat at KCIA (Kuwait City Intl Airport) is called teh Yum Yum Tree, really good food.

CP

DUBAI TRAVEL

DUBAI ‘s diversity attracts people and no traveler can stay away from this place.

http://touristsattractionsdubai.blogspot.com/2010/03/attractions-in-dubai.html