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Travel Journal: Middle East tensions left me stranded in Abu Dhabi
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The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Flight disruptions turned the writer’s journey from a trip to Kyrgyzstan into a four-day stop in the UAE.
PHOTO: TOH EE MING
Toh Ee Ming
Follow topic:
- Flight cancellations due to Middle East tensions disrupted a Kyrgyzstan tour, stranding travellers in Abu Dhabi.
- The group made the best of it, exploring Abu Dhabi's landmarks, including the Grand Mosque and Louvre, highlighting the city's extremes.
- Despite the disappointment of the cancelled trip, the experience fostered new friendships and a reminder of travel's fragility and interconnectedness.
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ABU DHABI – I was meant to be in alpine landscapes, bundled in fleece, horseback riding through Kyrgyzstan’s Chon-Kemin valley or cruising along the banks of Issyk Kul lake with sweeping views of the Tian Shan mountain range.
Instead, I was marooned in the desert, wilting under Abu Dhabi’s 40 deg C sun – with a suitcase full of thermal wear and barely a pair of shorts.
