Footloose favourites

With more than 2,000 exhibitors, the Arabian Travel Market is one of the biggest travel-related exhibitions in the world.

As it will not be possible to list all that was on offer, we bring you a few attractions from around the world:

Singapore: All you need to carry to the Great Singapore Sale is a full wallet and fill your bags with discounts in an eight-week shopping frenzy beginning May 23.

Start from Orchard Road, and while you're bargain-hunting, include a host of tourist privileges for benefits and rewards to cap that holiday high.

You could avail the special packages offered by Singapore Airlines, starting from Dh1,990.

Log on to greatsingaporesale.com.sg and singaporeair.com/gulf

South Africa: Hop on board the Blue Train for a journey through lush South Africa.

Choose from luxury and deluxe suites for a comfortable stay with personal services. You could breakfast in your “room'' or in the elegant dining room.

Take your pick from routes from Pretoria to Cape Town or Cape Town to Pretoria. Or take the Cape Town to Port Elizabeth to Cape Town route and follow the “garden route'' along the Eastern seaboard.

Log on to www.bluetrain.co.za

Tanzania: Think national parks, think Africa. And what better place than Tanzania for a real close-up with nature.

Each conservation and national park offers a different safari experience, from the type of animals and landscape to the way you see them.

Watch zebras grazing in lush swamps and tranquil lakes of Arusha National Park or chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park.

You can even take a climate world tour up Kilimanjaro or watch over 20,000 large animals, including some of Tanzania's black rhino in the Ngorongoro Crater.

Log on to www.tanzaniatourismonline.com

Iran: Iran's mountains, though not as popular as the Himalayas or the Alps, hold attractions for an adventure tourist.

From barren plateaus to rocky outcrops to gorges and well-watered valleys to rich orchards and snow-capped peaks and swathes of wild flowers, this country provides breathtaking views.

Name your sport — mountain climbing, biking, skiing or angling.

There are opportunities for birdwatching, camel safaris and paragliding as well.

If you are a shutterbug, click on to a photo tour and capture the beauty of the country.

And if you are a hunter, Iran opens ten to 20 of its 64 national parks and game reserves to foreign hunters

Log on to www.idt.ir and www.persianshikar.com

Jordan: Nature enthusiasts have a wide choice in Jordan — from flying high to swimming deep.

The country offers sites for speed boating, water-skiing, scuba-diving, snorkelling, sailing and fishing in the clear waters of the Red Sea to hiking, paragliding, hot-air ballooning and helicopter trips over Wadi Rum.

Or take a few days to retrace the segments of the ancient spice, silk and frankincense routes on horseback.

Log on to www.visitjordan.com

Brazil: Brazil has five different biomes distributed throughout its territory, where the most varied landscapes and vegetation are found.

In addition to being home of the Amazon forest, the country also offers mountains, beaches, rivers, waterfalls, dunes, cliffs, swamps, caverns, hills, plateaus, trails through untouched wilderness and diverse flora and fauna.

There are 8.5 million square kilometres of country full of nature parks, biosphere reserves, seven of which have been declared World Heritage Sites by Unesco.

Log on to www.braziltour.com

Morocco: A land of contrast and variety — from golden beaches to snow-capped peaks, from bustling souqs to peaceful valleys — Morocco invites you to spend 1,001 days and nights there, each filled with new experiences and adventures.

Besides surfing and windsurfing to sailing, yachting and water-skiing to fishing, enjoy a variety of water sports along with the thrills of skiing, hiking and biking in the Atlas Mountains.

One may also choose to ride a camel, watch birds or go hunting for grouse or pheasant.

Log on to www.moroccotourism-me.com

“Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the fairest of them all?'' Don't we all question our mirrors in the morning? With a turn here and a pull there, a happy smile on the face and head held high, we step out to impress the world.

And then one meets Mared, the artist. I had the (mis)fortune of encountering him at the Big Bus Company stall at the Arabian Travel Market.

With “show me those lovely teeth'' and “those lovely eyes; she has beautiful eyes'' and “Yes, yes, smile, smile'', he set on “enhancing'' my facial features.

As a crowd began to gather, his cheering and laughter became louder. “Isn't she beautiful?'' he queried. “She has a really funny face''. What? Funny face?

“Funny as in happy or funny as in funny?'' I asked.
“Beautiful,'' was all I got. “You want to see it?'' Well, yes. “One, two, three … whoooosh,'' he goes with a laugh, handing me my “portrait''.

This is what he did to me. Hmmm. Well, he was being kind, I thought. Definitely not like the one he did for the person he drew before me.