The mist parts, revealing a canopy of primordial green deep in the mountains of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Above, shades of grey coat hanging vines and trees that arch over the motorway. This is a moment of sublime freedom - nothing but unending road, the stillness of the forest, and the wild buzz of cicadas as I coax the rented motorbike up the steep curve of the mountainside.
As I rise, the bliss slowly fades, replaced by mild apprehension as the heavy clouds that have hovered over the city throughout the morning finally break, sending sheets of rain sluicing over a very smooth, and very steep, mountain road.
Thank God for ponchos and rail guards I think, revving the throttle and hoping the Honda has enough traction to carry me the 1,200 metres to the top.
And all this for what? A wat. A what? A wat - one of the thousands of temples that dot the landscape of Thailand, that abound on every street and alleyway, and that usually don't require an 18-kilometre trek into the hills. But this particular wat, Doi Suthep, is lodged deep in the mountains outside of Chiang Mai city, and is particularly sacred as it is said to house a relic of Buddha in its gilded stupa.
But as cold rain seeps into my clothes, in between my hands and the handlebars, into my bag, and through the keffiyeh that guards my face, what began as curiosity and an ineluctable desire to see lots of shiny things in Asia quickly plummets into regret.
As I reach the summit, I sigh. Rain cascades down the steps to the temple in small waterfalls of impenetrability. The road back looks like a churning brown mudslide. And my friend Patty, ambivalent about scootering up the mountainside after witnessing my driving in the UAE, is still chugging along below me in public transportation.
So I find the only tea stall along the road - a table with two stools and a leaky umbrella - and crouch underneath it, shelling out a small fortune for half cups of cocoa in the hopes of claiming a permanent space at the wooden block that serves as a counter.
"This cocoa from Belgium," the gap-toothed owner of the stall says, proudly, tapping a Van Houten tin on my fourth round - assuring me that here, in a row of food shacks across from a site of national veneration, I'm not getting shrifted. Thank you, I say, and pay the cost of a one-hour massage for a half cup of imported cocoa powder.
I am relieved of a life under blue tarp when Patty arrives at last, and together we brave the wat. Once inside, it is holy ground, of course - no shoes, so the horde of unfortunate visitors that have picked this day to tour find themselves slapping around on cold marble in ankle-deep water, ducking under awnings lined with gold Buddhas and taking shelter inside damp temples.
The gilded surroundings, as usual, enchant me, as I maintain an insufferable Mediterranean attraction to anything gold. And what sources of endless fascination Doi Suthep provides - from the towering, golden Buddhas to the glimmering mosaics of gold, emerald and sapphire, to the gold stupa in the centre that stretches towards the sky in auric brilliance.
The design reminds me of the three temples in Wat Phra Kao on the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, which are gold structures embellished with golden accents and surrounded by golden statues. A dehydrated and tired Patty eventually peeled me off of the wall after hours spent hugging their sides.
At Doi Suthep, I can't help but notice how odd we look - a gaggle of foreigners in pink and green and blue plastic, armed with photo lenses and umbrellas and maps, slogging through an ancient backdrop that seems a scene out of Buddhist scripture.
Around us, chimes lining the triangular temples ring in sweet, clear notes, and the trees seem to breathe in the rain, wrapping mist around them like a thick, protective cloak. A monk in saffron robes and flip-flops glides across the marble parquet, fighting the wind with a collapsed umbrella, and the cloying smell of incense hangs in the air.
Inside one temple, a monk blesses visitors with holy water, chants and prayer strings. The offerings next to him are known colloquially as "monk packs" - gifts of everything from dishwashing detergent to food in the hopes of greater blessings.
Another low, crouching temple houses the Thai version of Kau Cim, or fortune-telling sticks, which can answer prayers a supplicant may have. Begun in China and carried on by Tibetan tradition, the sticks are shaken from a bamboo cup after a prayer is made on a particular matter. One stick usually shakes out; the number on it corresponds to a written fortune that is written on a pamphlet next to the altar.
The answers Patty and I receive are sufficiently vague and well-meaning enough to have us walk away satisfied. But as we slosh back down to the main entrance, the sky momentarily ceasing its punishment, the only prayer I have is one of survival. Will the blessings of Doi Suthep in all its golden glory be enough to protect me from 18 kilometres of downhill tarmac?
Next week: Thailand, Part II. Follow Michelle's adventures at Around Asia.
Company%20Profile
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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
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
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:
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
Results
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions Dh90,000 2,200m
Winner: Mudaarab, Jim Crowley (jockey), Erwan Charpy (trainer).
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh70,000 1,400m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Richard Mullen, Hassan Al Hammadi.
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Salima Al Reef, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige Dh100,000 1,600m
Winner: Bainoona, Ricardo Iacopini, Eric Lemartinel.
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige Dh125,000 1,600m
Winner: Assyad, Victoria Larsen, Eric Lemartinel.
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1 Dh5,000,000 1,600m
Winner: Mashhur Al Khalediah, Jean-Bernard Eyquem, Phillip Collington.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
