My Sunday Photo for a year 2018

I completed 207 My Sunday Photo's over 3 years. In 2018 I focused each week on a different construction project around the world, mainly in Dubai. We also had 3 weddings, 3 funerals and many many visitors and lots of travel so of course that was all incorporated into the year.

I'm changing the My Sunday Photo tag, now it's come to an end, to construction photography and will continue to update my blog posts over future years.

But for now here's a summary of my year. Some of the photo's were taken on visits this year on my travels to the UK, Germany, Austria, Greece, South Africa and Egypt. Most of the construction projects are in Dubai, but there are a few posts from previous trips to the US and Canada. Not all of the Dubai photo's were taken in 2018.

January spent in Dubai. Completion of the final section of the big wheel. Dubai Frame and the Marina.

February starting to build the new metro station, revisiting the Hoover Dam in America. Dubai Opera House and a new road bridge. A trip back to the UK in the snow for my SIL's funeral.

March The Address hotel after the fire, 2 years ago. Coventry Cathedral, The Burj Khalifa and a forgotten building in Dubai.

April How they cool Dubai, inside the Burj Al Arab, The Opus Building and The Fire in the Almas Tower.

May Ibn Battuta Mall, The CN Tower in Toronto and Spiderman climbs the Cayan Tower.

June Chepstow castle, new train station in Dubai, Construction plans for the Tower in Dubai and The Old Fort. Back in the UK for Child 4's wedding and a funeral.

July Best friend's wedding, the ski slope in Dubai, how they clean the windows on the world's tallest building and Innsbruck Ski Jump in Austria on a day trip from a trip to Germany.

August another train station being built and a bio dome in Dubai and a trip to Greece.

September building a ship in the sky, road construction and Christmas charity work in South Africa.

October niece's wedding, a new building, yet unknown in Dubai and proposed new building in South Wales.

November off to Cairo to visit the pyramids, volunteering on the European Golf Tour, building with bamboo in Hong Kong and Dubai's changing skyline.

December in South Africa and Dubai, Christmas, gift giving and housing in South Africa.

You can see more of the projects by clicking on the links below:

Week 158 Dubai Bluewater Islands and Dubai Eye. Man made island a 210m high Big Wheel
Week 159 Dubai Dubai Marina - Reflections
Week 160 Dubai Dubai Frame. A window between the Old and New Dubai and a 150m high glass floor.

Week 161 Dubai Dubai Marina 3 years apart.

Week 162 Dubai Dubai Water Canal Bridge Construction and reconfiguration of roads

Week 163 Dubai New Metro Line for Expo 2020
Week 164 Arizona and Nevada Hoover Dam 2002 - 2010
Week 165 Dubai Dubai Opera House What a difference a year makes
Week 166 Dubai Unfinished buildings. The Pentominium
Week 167 Coventry Mixing the old and the new. Coventry Catherdral
Week 168 Dubai New Dubai Metro Station 
Week 169 Dubai The new extension of the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa 
Week 170 Dubai Hotel fire After the Address fire 
Week 171 Dubai Unusual designs The Opus Building
Week 172 Dubai District Cooling. Keeping the desert cool.
Week 173 Dubai Can I visit the Burj Al Arab
Week 174 Dubai The Almas Tower
Week 175 Dubai The Cayan Tower
Week 176 Toronto The CN Tower
Week 177 Nevada The Paris Hotel 
Week 178 Dubai Ibn Battuta Gate
Week 179 A Wedding Our first child got married
Week 180 Dubai The World's Tallest Tower
Week 181 Dubai and Wales Al Fahidi Fort and Chepstow Castle 
Week 182 Dubai New Metro Station in Al Furjan 
Week 183 Dubai Ski Dubai
Week 184 Another Wedding
Week 185 South Africa Life in a township
Week 186 Austria Ski Jump 
Week 187 Dubai Green Plant Bio Dome 
Week 188 Dubai Update on the Metro Station
Week 189 Dubai My view from the balcony changed in 8 months
Week 190 Greece Just how instagramable is it?
Week 191-192 Dubai Before and After. 3 months out of Dubai
Week 193 Dubai Building a boat in the sky
Week 194 South Africa An African Sunset
Week 195 South Africa Building with boxes Charity work in South Africa
Week 196 Another family wedding and a year of travel
Week 197 Dubai What are they building now? World Trade Centre
Week 198 Monmouth Building work in South Wales
Week 198 Dubai The cladding is going on, on the metro station
Week 199 Dubai They're building on the beaches in Dubai
Week 200 Hong Kong Building with Bamboo
Week 201 Dubai My Week as a volunteer on the European Tour
Week 202 Cairo Probably the largest construction project in the world. The Pyramids
Week 203 South Africa Christmas gift giving in a South African township
Week 204 South Africa A sense of community in South African Townships
Week 205 Dubai Christmas in Dubai
Week 206 Dubai When Bob met Santa 
Week 207 Dubai Al Furjan Construction Project

Solo Travel - Top 13 Tips to Staying Safe

As an expat I travel often and alone. My solo travels have taken me round South Africa, The UAE, the UK and more recently to Canada. I’ve also travelled with hubby to most of Europe and to America when he’s been working and I’ve spent the days exploring various cities on my own.

In South Africa I lived in Pretoria and worked as a volunteer, which involved frequent trips into townships and driving late at night. I also travelled to Kruger, Durban and Cape Town for holidays as well as trips into Johannesburg to explore the city.

In the UAE, I’ve explored every inch of Dubai on trains, buses, taxis and on foot.

The UK which is my home country, my employment took me to remote areas as well as city centres late at night and weekends, as well as camping trips, days out and more recently using public transport up and down the country to visit family and friends and to and from airports usually last thing at night or before sunrise.

On my recent trip to Canada I stayed with a friend I met online 3 years ago, went camping with them in the wilds and stayed a few nights in Toronto prior to flying home to Dubai.

Living as an expat has changed the way I live my life both with my family and when I travel whether with hubby or on my own. After 4 years in South Africa I’m on high alert whenever I go out, not fearful for my safety but aware of it.

When you’ve lived in a country where the risk of harm and death is a daily occurrence you can’t help but change the way you live.

Many of these practices I learnt in South Africa are what I now consider best practice when travelling especially when I travel alone.

1.     Make sure your phone is unlocked and purchase a local sim card, air time and 3G

2.     Always put your hand bag in the foot well of your seat when driving or as a passenger and ensure doors are locked when driving.

3.     Keep your hand bag in full site of you when in cafes/restaurants etc.

4.     Always tell someone where you are going and when you plan on returning to your hotel or base.

5.     Switch off  location finder on your phone when taking photos

6.     Upload pictures to Social Media after you’ve left your last location

7.     Don’t announce on Social Media where your next destination is, City or town is OK but not the name of your hotel, café, activity etc

8.     Write your email address on your luggage label, should you be separated from it and not the name of your hotel

9.     Make sure you keep bank cards and cash to a minimum and in separate places when travelling alone. If everything is in your hand luggage/bag in case you lose it or it gets stolen.

10. Keep a written list of emergency phone numbers separate from your phone or hand bag. The bank, the next location you are staying in, the emergency number for police, fire, ambulance. Your next of kin

11. Carry a copy of your travel Insurance documents in your wallet in case of an accident or illness.

12. Spend time in advance working out how the public transport system works, where you want to go, the cost and length of travel time. This will save you getting lost, although from getting lost I’ve experienced so many more things than I would have done if I’d stuck to my planned route.

13. Confirm hotel bookings at least 24 hours in advance and give them your expected arrival time. I arrived at a hotel in Cape Town late one evening and they’d double booked…it does happen