The “Hatta Run” is a well-known day trip enjoyed by expats. If your residents’ visa hasn’t been processed, your tourist visa runs out after 30 days. This leads to a rushed scramble to the border to get an exit visa and new entry visa, usually accompanied by lunch and a swim at the Hatta Fort Hotel. I know someone who has been doing this every month for five years. The lunch must be very good.

But there is so much more to see. The first time most people leave Dubai by car, they realise that the mountains are only an hour away. You drive past the large orange sand dunes, and the aptly named Big Red, scattered with the revving 4x4 ants scuttling around, and then the rocky outcrops start to appear.

When you first arrive in Hatta you might think that there is not much to recommend it. On a prominent roundabout, the hotel is one of the first buildings you see, with a parade of shops opposite and then you wonder: “is that it?” Turn right at the roundabout and the narrow lane takes you into the village where you start to get a peak at real Hatta life.

Our first stop was the Hatta Heritage Village nestled between two fortified hills that, although only a short climb, offer lovely views of the surrounding area. This is considered to be one of the oldest habited areas in the area, and the Heritage Village gives a glimpse of the Bedouin past with restored traditional mud barasti houses surrounding the fort complete with bedrooms, majlis and kitchen.

Once you’ve found your historical grounding head to the hills for a picnic. There is quite a lot of road development, but the way is easy even if mostly off-road. You’ll follow water courses, or falaj, and eventually park at Hatta Pools. The deep refreshing pools and waterfalls are reviving, but the calm mirage can mask the danger: given their narrow design flash floods are possible in rainy weather.

Hatta Pools has two reputations. It is a wonderful, geographically interesting, canyon carved by cooling water, where you can take a wander up and down the rock faces and through the pools, have a picnic and watch local boys jump from the cliff tops, leaving their common sense behind them.

Then there is the mess. Bottles, rubbish and graffiti unfortunately litter some of the popular rest spots. It’s a shame that people can’t respect their natural habitats.

However, it’s worth the day trip, even if you only do it once. We’ll be going back.

The practical bit:

What to read: Make sure you have a map. The mountain roads can be difficult to navigate and there are no signposts. Try the Explorer guide: UAE off-road.

Visa: Although Hatta is in the UAE, you will be briefly passing through Oman. This means you’ll be going through checkpoints and will require your passport. The UAE exit checkpoint is a good distance from the Oman entry checkpoint and there is nothing stopping you driving through. You’ll only realise your mistake when you arrive at the Omani checkpoint and get sent back. Driving towards Hatta you’ll come across some low-rise buildings on the right. Stop and make sure you get your exit stamp. You will also be required to have Omani car insurance for your brief drive through Oman.

Hatta Heritage Village: Turn right at the Hatta fort roundabout (04 852 1384). Admission is free.

Hatta Pools: From the Dubai-Hatta highway, turn right at the fort roundabout and follow the Mahdah road through Hatta village. With the Heritage Village on your right drive down the hill and turn right toward the village of Jeemah. The tarmac disappears after the UAE checkpoint. Follow the gravel track to the pools. You can continue passed the pools and continue along the gravel track passed the villages of Ray and Shuwayhah. At the T-junction turn right back towards Dubai-Hatta Road.

Moving to a new country is exciting. There are new sights, sounds, smells and tastes to explore. It can also be bewildering, but it's funny how quickly you become acclimatised. We've recently moved from Dubai to Singapore. I was used to covering my knees and shoulders, cowering from the summer's 50c heat and dusting sand out of everything. 

Before that we were in Chicago. And we got used to the wide open spaces, the flat countryside, and dressing to face -30c weather with so many layers that we ended looking like the Michelin Man.

So in summary, we've moved from one of the coldest places on the planet, to one of the hottest, to one of the most humid.

Of course, all this traveling only gives you a snap shot, and you will never get to know a place inside out unless you dig in and grow roots. In our case we go where work takes us, and in the current economic climate you don't always get to make the decision. That said we have been blessed to have the opportunity to explore so extensively. I love seeing somewhere with new eyes. You get a fresh perspective not available to people who have lived there for years. But it's amazing how quickly you become used to a new culture and a new way of life. Before my eyes are covered with the patina of time, here are some observations of Singapore that have made me smile - the quirks of life that make Singapore unique. 

You know you've arrived in Singapore when:

• You understand the sign "bear feet only" is an instruction to take off your shoes, not a welcoming sign to friendly grizzlies.
• The Mouth Restaurant is a reasonable name for an eating establishment. 
• There will always be a random sign to indicate where a queue should start, even if you're not sure what you should queue for. There must be order at all times. 
• When you hear that the BKE intersection with the PIE is blocked, or there's a breakdown on the AYE towards the CYE, this makes perfect sense as a traffic report. 
• A hawker market is where you can buy some of the best meals in Singapore.
• The Thieves Market is a safe place to shop. In March 2014, Singapore was reported to be the second safest country in the world after Japan.
• You wear shorts to a meeting and think it's ok.
  

Do you have any observations to share? We'd love to hear from you.
For more information on expat life in Singapore, please visit our Expat Suitcase.

Tumbleweed drifts across the road. It’s dinner time and everywhere is shut. There is no-one to be seen – they are all sheltered indoors from the buffeting wind.

But Hokitika is one of the more inspirational places I’ve taken my camera.

It’s a small gem town on the West Coast that you could easily quickly drive through. But you’d be making a mistake. The town runs parallel to one of the most intriguing beaches I’ve ever been too. Now, granted, that’s not an adjective often used with beaches. The sea wasn’t crystal clear. The sky wasn’t blue. And the weather meant that I kept my clothes on. I’d love to see it on a summer’s day too, when the town is buzzing, but it just goes to show you don’t always need the sun to create a dramatic holiday destination.

It’s a photographer’s paradise. With a bubbling purple sky as a backdrop, I spent hours clicking away at the shapes created by the gnarled and twisted driftwood tossed up on the sparkly black sand, until the clouds finally broke in two and I got drenched, shielding my camera up my sweater.

In fact the whole area is a walker’s paradise. With a four year old and a six year old we managed three very different short ambles. Take my advice. Stop here for a night or two.

Walk 1: Hokitika beach. Walk for as far as you care. There are flat stones to skim in the Tasman Sea, and dens to make with the driftwood. Don’t expect to walk very fast.

Walk 2: Hokitika Gorge Walk. Drive 25km east of Hokitika past Kowhitirangi, where you’ll pass a memorial to the seven men who were shot when farmer Stanley Graham went on a rampage in 1941. The 1981 film “Bad Blood” was based on the tragedy. A little further on is a super granite gorge filled with milky blue water. The walk takes you over a swingbridge.

Walk 3: Tree top walk. Drive 15mins south of Hokitika to the West Coast Tree Top walk, where you can view the world from the Kamahi tree canopy at a height of 20m. If that’s not high enough climb another 20m to the top of the Hokitika Tower. www.treetopsnz.com

Where to stay:
Shining Star Beachfront Accommodation. The chalets back straight on to the beach and are opposite a glow worm dell. www.shiningstar.co.nz

A couple of hours north of Wanaka are the little towns of Fox and Franz Josef, named after the glaciers that sit in the mountain valleys. The West Coast is still sparsely populated so don’t expect a metropolis. A gold rush boom in the 1860s brought prospectors to the area, and it has progressively developed, rather than rushed through the last 150 years. These gold diggers were the real pioneers, foraging in the forests for food, camping where they could and creating cattle tracks to help make the region more accessible. The main artery, Highway 6, was only surfaced sixty years ago. Although it brings welcome access from Wanaka to Hokitika it is frequently closed due to landslides and mud slips, isolating the villages once more. We drove though just days after a mudslide had closed the road, sweeping a campervan and its occupants with it. It’s a reminder that the countryside doesn’t like to be tamed.

We drove along the lush, windy road, vaguely aware that there were greater forces above us, but it wasn’t until the rain stopped and the clouds split that we had our first glace of the snow-capped mountains.

Taking advantage of this gap in the weather, we joined a helicopter tour to the top of the mountain. Both thrilling and exhilarating, it was the best way to see the glacier and experience the raw mountain. Offering access that isn’t possible approaching by foot, our pilot settled on top of the soft snow long enough for us to throw a snowball and create an ice angel. It felt as if we have visited the moon. Ten minutes previously we were wandering through green bush. Now we were in the clouds surrounded by a glistening while landscape.

Franz Josef is a thrill-seekers paradise, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be fast and furious. With two young children in tow we joined a kayak group and paddled the black glacial waters in search of white herons. On one day the lake can reflect the mountains like a perfect mirror. On others it’s black, blustery and threatening.

The changing scenery and weather is as much a part of New Zealand travel as the adventure sports.

Things to do:
·      Helicopter Glacier Tours: Alpine Adventures, www.scenic-flights.co.nz
·      Kayaking: we joined Glacier Country Kayaks www.glacierkayaks.com
·      Glacier hot pools: www.glacierhotpools.co.nz
·      Wild life:
o   West Coast Wildlife Centre: see kiwis at this indoor centre. www.wildkiwi.co.nz
o   White Heron Sanctuary Tours: www.whiteherontours.co.nz
 ·      Culture: Maori Cultural Experience by Puawai: a new live performance of traditional songs and dance. Be prepared for some participation and fun. www.maoriculturalcentre.co.nz

Where to stay:
·      In the countryside: Glenfern villas are just 6km from Franz Josef but offers a peaceful retreat with beautiful views and alpacas to feed. www.glenfern.co.nz
·      In town: 58 on Cron motel is within walking distance of Franz Josef’s restaurants and bars. www.58oncron.co.nz