Losing things is an occupational hazard when you travel. No matter how careful you are, sometimes there are just too many things on your mind – or your mind is in too many places.
I have left my glasses on a wall in Portofino, Italy, while I rushed to catch a boat, and my prescription sunglasses in the seat-back pocket of an aircraft in Kenya. A few hats have gone amiss here and there; earlier this year, I left a purse on the counter of a bakery in Switzerland, before rushing to catch a train to the airport. Another pair of expensive Ralph Lauren prescription sunglasses disappeared between Zurich and Vienna. A lovely Canon camera was stolen from my suitcase in a hotel in San Francisco.
Some stuff you get back. My passport, which I’ve lost at both Abu Dhabi and Muscat airports, was predictably returned to the authorities there on both occasions – impressively, in Abu Dhabi, a green-uniformed police chief had stored it in a zip-lock plastic bag under lock and key in his personal safe. The purse and the sunglasses in Kenya, yes. The camera and the pictures I had taken on it in San Francisco were never seen again. In Italy, again, no such luck, and I spent several days and nights wandering the Cinque Terre with only my prescription sunglasses to aid my vision, waiting for the slow-moving opticians in the nearest large town to replace the missing glasses. Hours – if not days – of my holiday were wasted, and much of it was spent in darkness.
My favourite watch disappeared after I absent-mindedly left it in the robe pocket of a luxury-hotel spa in Abu Dhabi. A favourite comfy skirt fell foul of a Dubai hotel stopover on the way to Khasab, where I also lost the best bikini I ever had. Two years ago, I left two beautiful new dresses in a wardrobe in a hotel in Orlando. When I touched down in Oregon that night and called the previous hotel, they claimed not to have seen them. It’s too bad that Toast doesn’t stock those dresses any more.
And just recently, in London, there was another conundrum. Because I hate shopping, I tend to buy multiple pairs of the same thing to save time.
Thanks to Etihad’s new reduced checked luggage allowance of 23 kilograms for the cheapest economy tickets, I only visited three or four shops on this trip, but from one store, I bought a total of six pairs of trousers the day before departure.
These were carried back in my hand luggage and not unpacked until I reached Abu Dhabi, where, alas, I discovered that there were only five. One pair either went missing at the hotel or the shop, but neither leads have so far proved forthcoming.
Believe it or not, over the years, I think I’ve become better at not losing things when I travel. Sometimes I’m amazed at how many bags I can haul across the planet – suitcases, laptops, cameras, paperwork – without losing a single item.
But travel also teaches you to let go of stuff that, at the end of the day, is just stuff. If you got hung up about every little thing lost along the way, you would start to lose the value of the trip. Though I still miss that darn bikini.
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Read more:
Five new hotels in MENA
Why it pays to be a nomad
On the move: a case of lost luggage
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Results for Stage 2
Stage 2 Yas Island to Abu Dhabi, 184 km, Road race
Overall leader: Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Stage winners: 1. Fernando Gaviria COL (UAE Team Emirates) 2. Elia Viviani ITA (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) 3. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal)
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 2 (Heaton (og) 42', Lindelof 64')
Aston Villa 2 (Grealish 11', Mings 66')
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
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MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
