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The website of globetrotting professional travel writing and photography team Lara Dunston and Terence Carter

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TimeLapse of the Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE. Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

In Dubai, the World’s Tallest Hotel is Our Home for a Few Nights

By the time we got back to Dubai, we were destroyed. We were completely and utterly wrecked. All we wanted to do was sleep for a few days, so that was exactly what we did. And in true Dubai style, we caught up on our sleep in a plush room on the 62nd floor of the world’s tallest hotel, with stupendous views of the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa.

If our final HomeAway Holiday Rentals property, a lovely, homey flat in London’s West End, was a fitting way to bring our yearlong Grantourismo project to a close, then our swish Dubai accommodation at Rotana’s Rose Reyhaan hotel, was an equally appropriate welcome back to the UAE.

It had been over a year since we had our Grantourismo pre-launch party in the UAE, the country that had been our home since 1998, a sunset soiree for a few close friends and some Dubai tweeps at a luxurious villa on The Palm. I remember how I felt at the time, full of energy, exhilarated, and excited by the prospects of what lay ahead.

In between, we’d spent a year on the road doing some mad kind of travel endurance test, moving homes every two weeks, as we made our way around the world, showing travellers that living like locals, travelling slowly and sustainably, and doing and learning things was the way to go, a truly enriching way to travel. It was a blast. It was the best experience of our lives. But it nearly killed us.

In the last couple of months of the trip we were catching colds and viruses that took forever to shake. Terence was ill in Berlin and then it was my turn in Edinburgh; both times we each thought the other should be hospitalised. So what did we do? We flew from Edinburgh via London to Porto to present Grantourismo at a wine tourism conference and to gallivant around the countryside on not one, but two wine-tasting trips, to the Minho and the Douro regions.

When we decided to go to the conference months earlier – before we could imagine how exhausted we might feel by the end of the project – we had it in our heads that the Portugal trip would be our reward for having worked so hard all year. But of course the work didn’t stop in Portugal. We were interviewing winemakers and shooting their portraits, all the time still writing posts on Edinburgh for Grantourismo.

When we arrived at the Emirates Lounge at Heathrow airport in London, I’m certain I let out a loud sigh as I had my first sip of champagne. I hardly needed another glass of fermented grape juice but it was symbolic more than anything. It was finally time to congratulate ourselves for having achieved so much over the last twelve months.

We sipped more of the fine French stuff from our Business Class seats as passengers boarded the plane. That time it was to celebrate the (however temporary) excitement of travelling again. Ah, Business Class. If you can afford it or have enough frequent flyer points why would you ever travel Economy by choice?

Once we landed in Dubai at 4am we used our FastTrack passes (a perk of flying at the front of the plane) to flit through Immigration rather than queue up in the long lines that plague Dubai’s airports 24 hours a day. Fortunately the city’s notorious bumper-to-bumper traffic takes a break at that time of the morning and we were at the hotel in a record ten minutes (impossible during the day), warmly welcomed by the friendly staff, and ensconced in our comfy room not more than five minutes later. And we had a stupendous view of the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa.

We were in Dubai only for a couple of days – just enough time to check our mail, do a few chores, pick up some things at the mall, eat some good Indian food (we’d had cravings for months), and collect our air tickets from Thai Airways for our onward flight to Bangkok. Slap bang on Sheikh Zayed Road, the closest thing that Dubai has to a main street, the central location of the Rose Rayhaan hotel was ideal for what we had to do.

So what was it like staying in a hotel after a year of holiday rentals? We’d actually checked into hotels three times before on the trip, in London for a night when we finished our first European leg of Grantourismo, before we caught our flight to Tokyo, and twice in Kenya when we were on safari. The London hotel, an over-hyped new boutique place was disappointing, but the Kenyan properties were lovely.

The Rose Rayhaan was too. Our room was spacious, with plush furnishings – woollen carpets, silk scatter cushions, and thick drapes that completely blocked out the light – and while it’s conservatively decorated, that’s exactly what you’d expect in a predominantly business hotel. There’s a big marble bathroom, a flat screen television, a bowl of fresh fruit, complimentary Internet access, and the thing we have come to expect after our year away – a kitchenette with a full-size fridge and freezer, a sink, microwave, and even a washer-dryer. Yes, in a hotel!

Not that we had the time or inclination to cook. We were in Dubai to do chores and to catch up on sleep, and in between, to savour our spectacular Burj Khalifa views.

Timelapse of the Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE

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About Lara Dunston

A travel and food writer who has experienced over 70 countries and written for The Guardian, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Feast, Delicious, National Geographic Traveller, Conde Nast Traveller, Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia, DestinAsian, TIME, CNN, The Independent, The Telegraph, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, AFAR, Wanderlust, International Traveller, Get Lost, Four Seasons Magazine, Fah Thai, Sawasdee, and more, as well as authored more than 40 guidebooks for Lonely Planet, DK, Footprint, Rough Guides, Fodors, Thomas Cook, and AA Guides.

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Comments

  1. Sarah Wu says

    May 8, 2011 at 11:59 pm

    wow very impressive video

  2. Camels & Chocolate says

    May 8, 2011 at 8:24 pm

    Wow, what a place to have a drink and toast to an amazing year of travels! I want to stay there next time I’m in Dubai! =)

  3. Terence Carter says

    May 9, 2011 at 12:58 am

    Thanks Sarah!

  4. mariel says

    May 9, 2011 at 5:48 am

    You guys have had such a wonderful experience! i would love to live a life like that some day.

  5. Lara Dunston says

    May 9, 2011 at 5:59 am

    Yeah, shame we were so tired… :(

  6. Bluegreen Kirk says

    May 9, 2011 at 7:38 am

    Dubai is one of the places that is on my list of places to visit. I have seen so much about Dubai in the past few weeks it just makes me want to be able to go even more. I hear the mall has an aquarium and statues 3 stories tall, my kind of place.

  7. forest says

    May 10, 2011 at 1:13 am

    Good for you catching up on a bit of sleep…I’m sure it was much needed after the busy (and incredibly interesting to follow!) year of travel. Congrats to you both for traveling the world, making an effort to find the truley interesting and inspirational places and people and share that with all of us.

  8. laradunston says

    June 25, 2011 at 11:45 pm

    Hi Forest – thanks for the lovely words. Appreciated :)

  9. laradunston says

    June 26, 2011 at 3:56 pm

    Hi Mariel – it was incredible! And still is incredible! Let us know if you need any tips. Thanks for dropping by!

  10. Kimberly says

    April 2, 2013 at 9:59 pm

    Hi,
    Good article. Can you give me any tips and suggestons on restaurants? Will be there in May.

    Thank you.

  11. Lara Dunston says

    April 4, 2013 at 12:41 am

    Hi Kimberley – perhaps take a look at some of our articles on Dubai in magazines/newspapers/sites, like these:

    Dubai City Break Guide in The Telegraph – there’s a section on Restaurants as well as my ’36 Hours in Dubai’ guide: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destination/dubai/34806/Dubai-city-break-guide.html

    My Dubai Travellers Guide in The Independent – http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/middle-east/travellers-guide-dubai-6292408.html

    Our Dubai Insiders Guide on MSN Travel, which has a section on dining – http://travel.ninemsn.com/internationalinsiders/dubai/655256/dubai-insiders-lara-dunston-and-terry-carter

    Our Sleeping Eating & Drinking Guide on the Virgin Atlantic Travel Blog http://blog.virgin-atlantic.com/t5/Our-Places/Dubai-A-Sleeping-Eating-and-Drinking-Guide/ba-p/1315

    Hope that helps!

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About Grantourismo

Lara and Terence are an Australian-born, Southeast Asia-based travel and food writers and photographers who have authored scores of guidebooks, produced countless travel and food stories, are currently developing cookbooks and guidebooks, and host culinary tours and writing and photography retreats in Southeast Asia.
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Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check o Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check out our seafood recipe collection, especially if you celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve with a fish focused meal in the Southern Italian tradition, transformed by Italian-Americans into the Feast of the Seven Fishes, or like Australians, who celebrate Christmas in the sweltering summer, feast on seafood for Christmas Day lunch, we’ve got lots of easy seafood recipes for you.

Our recipes include a classic prawn cocktail, blini with smoked salmon, a ceviche-style appetiser, and devilled eggs with caviar. We’ve also got recipes for fish soup, seafood pies and pastas, salmon tray bake, and crispy salmon with creamy mashed potatoes.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/seafood-recipes-for-christmas-eve-and-christmas-day-menus/
(Link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas if you’re celebrating!! 

#christmas #christmasfood #seafood #fish #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #grantourismo #grantourismotravels #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you’re still looking for food inspo for Chris If you’re still looking for food inspo for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meals, my smoked salmon ‘carpaccio’ recipe is one of dozens of recipes in this compilation of our best Christmas recipes (link below). 

The Christmas recipe compilation includes collections of our best Christmas breakfast recipes, best Christmas brunch recipes, best Christmas starter recipes, best Christmas cocktails, best Christmas dessert recipes, and homemade edible Christmas gifts and more.

My smoked salmon carpaccio recipe makes an easy elegant appetiser that’s made in minutes. If you’re having guests over, you can make the dish ahead by assembling the salmon, capers and pickled onions, and refrigerate it, then pour on the dressing just before serving. 

Provide toasted baguette slices and bowls of additional capers, pickles and dressing, so guests can customise their carpaccio. And open the bubbly!

You’ll find that recipe and many more Christmas recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/best-christmas-recipes/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas!! X

#christmas #christmasfood #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #salmon #smokedsalmon #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels 
#xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I sh If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I shared a collection of recipes for homemade edible Christmas gifts — for condiments, hot sauces, chilli oils, a whole array of pickles, spice blends, chilli salt, furakake seasoning, and spicy snacks, such as our Cambodian and Vietnamese roasted peanuts. 

I love giving homemade edibles as gifts as much as I love receiving them. Who wouldn’t appreciate jars filled with their favourite chilli oils, hot sauces, piquant pickles, and spicy peanuts that loved-ones have taken the time to make? 

Aside from the gesture and affordability of gifting homemade edibles, you’re minimising waste. You can use recycled jars or if buying new mason jars or clip-top Kilner jars, you know they’ll get repurposed.

No need for wrapping, just attach some Christmas baubles or tinsel to the lid. I used squares of Cambodian kramas (cotton scarves), which can be repurposed as napkins or drink coasters, and tied a ribbon or two around the lids, and attached last year’s Christmas tree decorations to some.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/homemade-edible-christmas-gifts/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Yes, that’s Pepper... every time there’s a camera around... 

#christmasgiftideas #ediblegifts ##christmasfoodgifts #foodgifts #giftideas #homemadegifts #christmasfood #ediblegiftideas #hotsauce #chillisauce #sriracha #pickles #homemadepickles #recipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood 
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This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’ This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’s perfect if you’re just back from the fish markets armed with luxurious fresh crab meat. It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and very, very moreish.

Our crab omelette recipe was one of our 22 most popular egg recipes of 2022 on our website Grantourismo and it’s no surprise. It’s appeared more times than any other egg recipes on our annual round-ups of most popular recipes since Terence launched Weekend Eggs when we launched Grantourismo in 2010.

If you’re an eggs lover, do check out the recipe collection. It includes egg recipes from right around the world, from recipes for classic kopitiam eggs from Singapore and Malaysia and egg curries from India and Myanmar to all kinds of egg recipes from Thailand, Japan, Korea, China, Mexico, USA, Australia, UK, and Ireland.

And do browse our Weekend Eggs archives for further eggspiration (sorry). We have hundreds of egg recipes from the 13 year-old series of recipes for quintessential egg dishes from around the world, which we started on our 2010 year-long global grand tour focused on slow, local and experiential travel. 

We’re hoping 2023 will be the year we can finally publish the Weekend Eggs cookbook we’ve talked about for years based on that series. After we can find a publisher for the Cambodia cookbook of course... :( 

Recipe collection here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio):
https://grantourismotravels.com/22-most-popular-egg-recipes-of-2022-from-weekend-eggs/

If you cook the recipe and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either in the comments at the end of the recipe or share a pic with us here.

#recipe #recipes #eggs #eggslover #breakfasteggs #WeekendEggs #egg #breakfast #brunch #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #lookingforapublisher #writingacookbook  #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angko I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angkor Archaeological Park, home to stupendous Angkor Wat, pictured, celebrated 30 years of its UNESCO World Heritage listing. 

That’s as good an excuse as any to put this magnificent, sprawling archaeological site on your travel list this year.

While riverside Siem Reap, your base for exploring Angkor is bustling once more, there are still nowhere near the visitors of the last busy high season months of December-January 2018-2019 when there were 290,000 visitors. 

Last month there were just 55,000 visitors and December feels a little quieter. A tour guide friend said there were about 150 people at Angkor Wat for sunrise a few days ago.

If you’re looking for tips to visiting Angkor, Siem Reap and Cambodia, just ask us a question in the comments below or check Grantourismo as we’ve got loads of info on our site. Click through to the link in the bio and explore our Cambodia guide or search for ‘Angkor’. 

And please do let us know if you’re coming to Siem Reap. We’d love to see you here x

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Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky, flavourful and succulent chicken thighs that are fantastic with steamed rice, Chinese greens or a salad, such as a Southeast Asian slaw. 

The chicken can be marinated for up to 24 hours before cooking, which ensures it’s packed with flavour, then it can be cooked on a barbecue or in a pan.

Terence’s soy ginger chicken recipe is one of our favourite recipes for a quick and easy meal. I love the sound of the sizzling thighs in the pan, and the warming aromas wafting through the apartment. 

It’s amazing how such flavourful juicy chicken thighs come from such a quick and easy recipe.

Recipe here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio): https://grantourismotravels.com/soy-ginger-chicken-recipe/

If you cook it and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either here or in the comments at the end of the recipe on the site or share a pic with us x 

#recipe #recipes #chicken #soygingerchicken #asianfood #southeastasianfood #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #cookingtime #recipe #recipes #comfortfood #foodblog #food #foodstagram #healthyfood #instafood #healthy #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re mak Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re making with my market haul from Psar Samaki in Siem Reap — all for a whopping 10,000 riel (US$2.50)?! 

Birds-eye chillies thrown in for free! They were on my list but the seller I spent most at (5,000 riel!) scooped up a handful and slipped them into my bag. She was my last stop and knew what I was making.

My Khmer is poor, even after all our years in Cambodia, as I don’t learn languages with the ease I did in my 20s, plus I’m mentally exhausted after researching and writing all day. I have a better vocabulary of Old and Middle Khmer than modern Khmer from studying the ancient inscriptions for the Cambodian culinary history component of our cookbook I’m writing.

So when one seller totalled my purchases I thought she said 5,000 riel but she handed back 4,500 riel! The sum total of two huge bunches of herbs and kaffir lime leaves was 500 riel.

Tip: if visiting Siem Reap, use Khmer riel for local shopping. We’ve mainly used riel since the pandemic started— rarely use US$ now as market sellers quote prices in riels, as do local shops and bakeries, and I tip tuk tuk drivers in riels. I find prices quoted in riels are lower.

Psar Samaki is cheaper than Psar Leu, which is cheaper than Psar Chas, as it’s a wholesale market, which means the produce is fresher. I see veggies arriving, piled high in the back of vehicles, with dirt still on them — as I did on this trip. 

The scent of a mountain of incredibly aromatic pineapples offloaded from the back of a dusty ute was so heady they smelt like they’d just been cut. More exotic European style veggies arrive by big trucks in boxes labelled in Vietnamese (from Dalat) and Mandarin (from China), such as beautiful snow-white cauliflower I spotted.

Note: the freshest produce is sold on the dirt road at the back of the market.

#cambodia #siemreap #foodwriter #foodblogger #foodphotography #igfood #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #instadaily #picoftheday #market #siemreapmarket #psarsamaki #marketfresh #vegetables #healthyfood #marketshopping #traveltips #foodtravel #culinarytravel #localtravel #cooking #cookingtime #curry #homemade #currypaste #grantourismotravels
My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recip My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recipe makes tender meatballs doused in a delightfully tangy-sweet sauce, sprinkled with crispy fried shallots, with carrot-daikon, crunchy cucumber and fragrant herbs. 

The dish is inspired by bún chả, a Hanoi specialty, but it’s not bún chả. No matter what Google or food bloggers tell you. Names are important, especially when cooking and writing about cuisines not our own.

This is an authentic bún chả recipe:  https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-bun-cha-recipe/ You’ll need to get the outdoor BBQ/grill going to do proper smoky bún chả meat patties (not meatballs).

My meatball noodle bowl is perhaps more closely related to dishes such as a Central Vietnam cousin bún thịt nướng (pork skewers on rice noodles in a bowl) and a Southern relation bún bò Nam Bộ (beef atop rice noodles, sprinkled with fried shallots (Nam Bộ=Southern Vietnam) though neither include meatballs. 

Xíu mại= meatballs although they’re different in flavour to mine, which taste more like bún chả patties. Xíu mại remind me of Southern Italian meatballs in tomato sauce.

In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, home to millions of Khmer, there’s bánh tằm xíu mại. Bánh tằm=silk worm noodles. They’re topped with meatballs, cucumber, daikon, carrot, fresh herbs, crispy fried onions. Difference: cold noodles doused in a sauce of coconut cream and fish sauce. 

Remove the meatballs, add chopped fried spring rolls and it’s Cambodia’s banh sung, which is a rice noodle salad similar to Vietnam’s bún chả giò :) 

Recipe here: (link in bio) https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-meatballs-and-rice-noodles-recipe/

For more on these culinary connections you’ll have to wait for our Cambodian cookbook and culinary history. In a hurry to know? Come support the project on Patreon. (link in bio)

#recipe #recipes #vietnamesefood #cambodianfood #asianfood #southeastasianfood #ricenoodles #rice #noodlebowl #meatballs #igfood #igfoodie #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #writingacookbook #writingacambodiancookbook #patreon #patreoncreator #grantourismo
It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour matches the furnishings of our rented apartment. So, no, I did not colour-coordinate the interiors to match our cat’s eyes. 

I keep getting DMs from pet clothing brands wanting to “partner” with Pepper and send her free cat clothes and cat accessories. Although she did wear a kerchief for a few years in her more adventurous fashion-forward teenage years, I cannot see this cat in clothes now, can you? 

#pepper #blackcat #blackcats #blackcatsofinstagram #blackcatsrule #blackcatsmatter #cat #cats #catsofinstagram #catstagram #catlover #catlovers #catlove #catoftheday #catphoto #catpic #catpics #cambodiancat #cambodiancatsofinstagram #catlife #catloversclub #catoftheday #catgram #catstagram #cats_of_instagram #catphotography #catsofig #catsoftheworld #catsofinsta #cats🐱 #siemreap #cambodia

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