"Zeppelins," my husband says, charging out of the bathroom with an appalled look on his face. "There are mosquitos in here the size of zeppelins."
Despite having travelled for almost 12 hours from Abu Dhabi to the Karpaz Peninsula, a sliver of land that extends the coastline of Northern Cyprus, where donkeys reportedly roam and electricity is not always certain, he looks as if he wants to turn around and go home. Only my 13-month-old is happy, having seen a whole litter of stray cats outside the guest house waiting to be chased.
"We probably just need to air the room," I say, lying, but the large aerosol of mosquito spray and plug-in insecticide sitting on top of the fridge tell a different story. Of course, I've packed a small can of mosquito repellent, thrown into the suitcase at midnight "just in case". Unfortunately, I haven't read the fairly large print that says it's for tropical mosquitos and only suitable for children over three years old. "We can't use it," I say. "Otherwise the mosquitos will eat the baby alive." Faced with the powerful logic of guilt, we resign ourselves to being dive-bombed by whining insects all night.
Sure enough, the next morning, every inch of my exposed skin has served as a mosquito's picnic blanket and I count patches of six or seven bites. My husband runs out of patience after finding 15 lumps on his arms alone. Baby meanwhile is covered in tiny red spots on her face and arms (the rest has been covered by a sleeping bag), leaving me to ponder whether the mattress she is sleeping on is infested with bed bugs. We slather ourselves in antihistamine lotion but leave baby's bites alone as she is still more interested in the cats than anything else, including eating any breakfast.
Eventually, we find a pharmacist who recommends a roll-on insect repellent with citronella and Indian lilac, a snip at €15 (Dh79) for 75ml. Being a natural repellent, it is effective for only two hours and so, with hindsight, I would have been better off packing a mosquito net large enough to cover a cot, and some long-sleeved light pyjamas. Oh, how I love hindsight.
Karpaz's mosquitos don't carry deadly diseases but I'm still tempted to seek out a chemical repellent that provides more protection for our next European adventure. Health experts recommend a very careful and sparing application of low concentration DEET-based repellents, following the manufacturer's instructions and avoiding the eyes, mouth, hands and broken skin on babies over the age of two months. It's also important to wash the skin with soap and water to prevent any toxic build-up from repeated applications.
Then again, if baby remains undistracted by insect bites, I might simply baste my husband in mosquito-attracting perfumes and join baby under the mossie net for the night.
cdight@thenational.ae
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
if you go
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani