• Menu
  • Menu
  • Visit the Expo
  • Subscribe now
    Digital subscription Print+Digital (Bundle) ePaper
  • Logout
Digital subscription
Print+Digital (Bundle)
ePaper
Trending
UAE holidays Videos Classifieds Credit Card Deals
  • Latest News
  • UAE
    • People
    • Science
    • Government
    • Education
    • Crime
    • Emergencies
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Transport
    • Weather
    • Ask the Law
  • Living In UAE
    • Visa+Immigration
    • Housing
    • Phone+Internet
    • Banking
    • Transport
    • Health
    • Education
    • Relocate
    • Reader Queries
    • Safety+Security
  • Business
    • Banking & Insurance
    • Aviation
    • Property
    • Tax News
    • Corporate Tax
    • Analysis
    • Travel & Tourism
    • Markets
    • Retail
    • Corporate News
    • Tech
    • Auto
  • Best Buys
    • Electronics
    • Home and Kitchen
    • Offers
    • Consumables
    • Lifestyle
  • Your Money
    • Saving and Investment
    • Budget Living
    • Taxation
    • Expert Columns
    • Community Tips
    • Cryptocurrency
  • Food
    • Cooking and Cuisines
    • Guide to Cooking
    • Food Show
    • Videos
  • Friday
    • Beauty
    • Wellbeing
    • Art & People
    • Home
    • Friday Partner
  • Games
    • Daily Crossword
    • Sudoku
    • Word Search
    • Spell It
  • Podcasts
  • World
    • Gulf
      • Bahrain
      • Kuwait
      • Oman
      • Qatar
      • Saudi
      • Yemen
    • Mena
    • Europe
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia
      • India
      • Pakistan
      • Philippines
    • Australia-New Zealand
    • Corrections
  • Opinion
    • Columnists
  • Special Reports
  • Things To Do
    • Events & Concerts
    • Bars, Clubs & Pubs
    • Cafes, Restaurants & News
    • Going Out
  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Baby
    • Learning & Play
    • Child Health
    • For Mums & Dads
    • Ask Us
    • Games
  • UAE Success Stories
  • Photos
  • Sport
    • UAE Sport
    • Cricket
      • IPL
    • Motorsport
    • Football
      • Premiere League
    • Tennis
    • Golf in UAE
      • UAE
      • World
      • Photos & Videos
      • Course Reviews
      • Learn to Play
      • Gear
    • Olympics
  • Entertainment
    • Hollywood
    • Bollywood
    • South Indian
    • Music
    • OTT
  • Auto
  • Lifestyle
    • Health+Fitness
  • GN Reach
  • Tech
    • Electronics
    • Gaming
    • Media
  • Videos
    • Best Of Bollywood
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Business
    • Sport
    • Community
  • Special Features
    • Supplement eBook
  • The Kurator
    • Life
    • Luxury
    • Style
  • Gold-Forex
  • Gratuity Calculator
  • Notifications
  • Coupons
  • Gold/Forex
  • Prayer Times
  • ePaper
  • GN Store
  • About Gulf News
  • Contact us
  • Work with us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Reach by GN
  • GN Focus
  • Gulf News epaper
  • Sitemap
  • Have your say
  • Printing Services
    • © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2024. All rights reserved.
    In photos: How this 74-year-old ‘Expo Grandpa’ collected over 1,000 souvenirs

    Expo 2020

    Login / Sign Up
    Logout
    Saturday, November 23, 2024
    Gold / Forex

    Expo 2020 Visit the Expo

    All Sections
    Expo 2020 Dubai

    In photos: How this 74-year-old ‘Expo Grandpa’ collected over 1,000 souvenirs

    It took Ronald Skiles 59 years to get to Expo 2020 Dubai, a hobby that spurred in 1962

    Published:  November 21, 2021 15:21 Staff Report
    Follow us
    1 of 8
    ronald skiles expo 2020 dubai
    He is known as ‘Expo Grandpa’, and though he is 74 years old, Ronald Skiles did not obtain that title because of his grandchildren. Rather, Skiles is an Expo veteran – Expo 2020 Dubai is his 16th international mega-event. Skiles regularly attends both ‘big’ and ‘smaller’ Expos sanctioned by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) around the world. Image Credit: Supplied
    2 of 8
    ronald skiles expo 2020 dubai
    It all started in 1962 when Skiles, who hails from California in the United States, attended his first Expo in Seattle. “I was 14 and every morning the news was doing a piece on the Seattle Expo. And I said, ‘that’s cool, all this educational stuff’, because I’ve always been a collector of information… and I was always interested in maps… and then they got this thing up in Seattle where all these countries are and I told my parents ‘you’re taking me there this summer’. So, they took me up there and I had the greatest time running around taking my pictures and reading all the displays – I had a tremendous time”, he said. Image Credit: Supplied
    3 of 8
    ronald skiles expo 2020 dubai
    Skiles was unable to attend some of the subsequent Expos due to financial constraints. It would be another 12 years before he visited the next one, this time in 1974 in the US city of Spokane. But again, a lack of funding meant he had to skip the next Expo in Tennessee. That did not stop him from calling up one of the workers there to collect souvenirs for him. Image Credit: Supplied
    4 of 8
    ronald skiles expo 2020 dubai
    But after New Orleans in 1984, Skiles really got going and began travelling internationally, subsequently visiting 14 Expos. It is such a big number that Skiles jokes he has to look at his own list, printed on a business card, to remember them all. Image Credit: Supplied
    5 of 8
    ronald skiles expo 2020 dubai
    Skiles does not rush to visit all the country pavilions; he takes his time, often spending weeks exploring one Expo. And, he is not only a collector of Expos, but also of special souvenirs from each. He proudly displays several pins in his cap, having acquired about 1,000 over the years. Image Credit: Supplied
    6 of 8
    ronald skiles expo 2020 dubai
    ‘Expo Grandpa’ has only been at Expo 2020 Dubai for a couple of days, but what has already stood out for him, is the UAE Pavilion. “That was fantastic. The sand – I had no idea the sand was so fine. And then they told me that out in the desert it’s all different colours.” He is also fascinated by the layout of Expo 2020, its “artistic” almost floral shape, with the different districts forming “petals”. Image Credit: Supplied
    7 of 8
    ronald skiles expo 2020 dubai
    He does have a strategy for exploring, one that he suggests those who visit Expo 2020 multiple times can follow: “It’s the usual thing, I need to do one section and finish that section before I go to the next one. I started on one ‘petal’ [at Expo 2020], so I’m doing one ‘petal’ at a time… I started on Opportunity [District] then I’ll do the little green petal next, Sustainability, and then I’ll do the final petal [Mobility]. I figure it will be a few days for each petal.” But he is not in a rush – he will stay until late December. Image Credit: Supplied
    8 of 8
    ronald skiles expo 2020 dubai
    Skiles is not the only one racking up expos though. He is a big admirer of ‘Expo Grandma’, Tomiyo Yamada from Japan, someone he heard about two Expos ago. She, too, has been visiting multiple Expos. Skiles carries her picture, asking about her at each Expo he goes to, trying to find a friend: “I just want to meet her… I’ve got to find her. I’m her biggest fan!” Skiles does not plan on stopping his travels anytime soon, even though he has already been to 76 countries and 16 Olympic Games: “I am planning on seeing all the countries in the world. But in the meantime, I will see them at Expos. I am booked until I’ll be 103!” Image Credit: Supplied

    Trending

    • Expo 2020 recorded over 24m visits in its six months
      Expo 2020 Dubai

      Expo 2020 recorded over 24m visits in its six months

    • Which were the best pavilions at Expo 2020?
      Expo 2020 Dubai

      Which were the best pavilions at Expo 2020?

    • Expo 2020 Dubai attracts more than 5.6 million visitors
      Expo 2020 Dubai

      Expo 2020 Dubai attracts more than 5.6 million visitors

    • Dubai Ambulance, American Hospital Dubai in new tie-up
      Expo 2020 Dubai

      Dubai Ambulance, American Hospital Dubai in new tie-up

    • Design unveiled for $60m US pavilion at Expo 2020

      Design unveiled for $60m US pavilion at Expo 2020

    • Expo 2020: All the reasons to go to the Spain Pavilion

      Expo 2020: All the reasons to go to the Spain Pavilion

    Latest In

    • Plan your weekend: UAE road closures and metro timings

      1 hour ago

    • Football legends to converge for Kings Cup Dubai

    • Israel strikes south Beirut, topples 11-storey building

    • UAE launches KYC platform to streamline financial data

    • London police blow up 'hoax device' outside US embassy

    Go back to top
    Network links:
    • GN Store
    • About Gulf News
    • Contact us
    • Work with us
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Advertise with us
    • Reach by GN
    • GN Focus
    • Gulf News epaper
    • Sitemap
    • Have your say
    • Printing Services
    Find us on Social
    © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2024. All rights reserved.
    This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you. Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy.
    Share on Facebook
    Share on Twitter
    Share on Whatsapp
    Share on Mail
    Share on LinkedIn
    Copy link
    Follow on Whatsapp
    Follow on Google
    Follow on Telegram
    Close
    Gulf News

    Get Breaking News Alerts From Gulf News

    We’ll send you latest news updates through the day. You can manage them any time by clicking on the notification icon.

    Subscribe No Thanks