A Pinay in Europe

With Dubai holding planetary records for having the biggest, the pharaonic, the ultimate and all the superlative descriptions they could come up with about their shopping malls, I thought it would be wise to go on a mall hopping tour while here and see for myself the magnitude of these superstructures, take a lot of shots and start a series entitled Mall Hopping in Dubai.   

To start the ball rolling, I shall talk about Mall of the Emirates (MoE).

This is the glass and metal dome of the MoE which reminds me of the glorious domes of Europe.  Not that those in Dubai could equal the real thing…

The spherical glass ceiling which houses the 3-level Fashion Dome

The world’s third largest indoor ski slope is in the MoE - the Ski Dubai

The courtyard of the Fashion Dome with the marble stone fountain as its centerpiece.

One of the four mythical horses supporting the stone bowl of the fountain.   Each horse weighs 3-tonne each made up of marble stone from Sienna, Italy

The courtyard of the Fashion Dome is bordered by international restaurants, among them is the Tribes (in photo) which specializes in African cuisine as complemented by the costume of the staff

I never imagined that I could find Fauchon in Dubai!

The famous French perfumery, Sephora, is in the MoE

Aahhhh….Galliano.  A fashion giant in the making.  John Galliano is the fashion designer for Dior: quite a mystical personality but a formidable character in the European Fashion scene. 

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More photos at UAE 2011

Last Friday, we went on a sightseeing trip out of Dubai, around four Emirates i.e.,  Sharjah, Fujairah, Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah. It was a discovery trip of a different continent, at least, with my husband in tow. I have worked in the Middle East for several years (Bahrain and Dubai) but this is the first time I am seeing it in the eyes of a traveller (take note, not as a tourist).

 The UAE is not all desert. There is an amazing  diversity of scenery like mountains, rocky hills, the sea, vegetation and animals such as camels and goats.  Widely noticeable though are the skycrapers seemingly just mushroomed out of the desert sand, with styles of architecture that could easily rival that of Manhattan’s.  But sadly caught among the pre-recession boom are the hundreds of constructions sites that have stopped work midway, leaving them just empty shells of colossal magnitude and with that, our mental calculator gets busy with figures that could easily come up with billions of dirhams of investments gone bad.

But our excitement level goes back up again everytime we see friends and families of different faiths, different cultures doing the same thing - that of having fun time together in the park, playing with their children, enjoying a picnic, chatting, wading on the water….

The five Emirates we drove around to are marked with the red star. The encircled one is Khor Fakkan where we stopped over for lunch.

A happy couple

The camel is a beautiful creature

It’s a Friday afternoon, a holiday in the Muslim world, so desert camping is a favorite weekend activity.  We saw several of these sights just outside Dubai, in Sharjah.

This is the cargo terminal in Khor Fakkan.  You can see the shipping containers getting loaded and unloaded.

A water sports competition is going on…

 Stopping by in Fujairah to buy some fruits imported from India, Iran and Saudi Arabia

More photos at UAE 2011

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We tried the abra the other day to get to the other side of Dubai which is Deira. I wanted to show H the Cargo Wharf which, I think, is the most interesting part of Dubai and he, having worked in ships and submarines in his younger years would definitely be intrigued by the sight of traditional dhows laden with cargo and the men doing the loading, unloading as well as the dealing.

These are the cargo dhows moored at the Wharf

A heavily-packed cargo dhow slowly approaching the Wharf

This is the Cargo Wharf where antiquated wooden dhows load and unload cargo from Dubai to India, Iran, Pakistan, Somalia and further afield

I must say Dubai is the Venice of the Middle East…..

A makeshift helm of the cargo dhow

Some helms are quite stylish

He must be the cargo controller -

….writing the reference number of each cargo before loading it into the ship

Dubai maybe a modern city but thank heavens, the cargo wharf in its traditional sense is still intact……for now

The cargo could be anything….from construction materials

… to tea sets

….. to (airplane) tires

… to hospital beds

…even 4-wheel drives

…. not to forget the refrigerators

…and the omnipresent “Made in China” goods.

These men from Somalia making final checks of their cargo

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The Karama market I knew of 13 years ago comprise of low white buildings where locals in their red and white checkered turbanstend their fresh produce and newly-caught fish behind white-tiled stalls and the weighing scale they used then was the balance scale where iron weights of 1 kg, half kg, quarter kg were used to level  the weight of the fish or meat on the other end of the scale.  Life then was a bit more charming, no touts, and the Arab vendors were more generous.

But going to Karama market the other day was a shock.  You don’t see Arabs behind the stalls anymore and each fish stalls are enclosed, air conditioned, manned by Indians only and touts threaten you as soon as you step into the entrance.

The vegetable stalls are also enclosed and looking more like grocery stores

This store specializes in Filipino products, as you can see by the food flavoring sachets hanging on the ceiling

These are the touts competing for your business.  “Just don’t mind them!”, my sister says, but I find them too agressive. 

A fish stall where the seafoods don’t look fresh because of the meager amount of ice used to protect them from the ambient heat.

Outside the market are shops selling everything from clothing to souvenirs…This is where we found the tallest miniature replica of the Burj Khalifa

A low cost social housing

This rooftop sea of satellite dish is very common among Dubai buildings

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Floral borders actually grow in Dubai’s desert sand

I like this lattice work on the mosque’s dome.  

This boutique cafe is where we had a cup of American coffee for 12dhs each.  The Filipino staff are very friendly though.

Jumeirah Beach is long and sandy, and the turqoise water is so clean

On walking through it, I saw the signs of “Photograpy Prohibited”.  The swimmers, mostly Westerners, walk to and fro in their skimpy swimsuits as if they are anywhere except the Middle East.

From the corniche, we can see the line of skycrapers, with the tallest building on the right.

View from my sister’s office

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My coughing which came all the way with me from Europe has rendered me almost apartment-bound ever since we arrived in Dubai so in our desire to breathe fresh air,  away from the pollution and the hustle and bustle of the city’s concrete landscape,  we went to the Creek Park hoping for some healing.

The sight of a body of water, be it the sea, a river, lake or lagoon such as this one in the Creek Park is enough to perk one up.  The modern buildings in the foreground can even excite the senses.

I found lots of amazing things in the park and one of them is the series of cable cars running over it.  Seeing Dubai from up is rather a  wonderful way to get healed.

The cable cars are not very high (unlike in Hong Kong where they go over the mountains).

The last time I saw a rowing boat like this one was in Cambridge, UK

The Ring of Friendship monument

If you don’t want to walk the whole 96 hectares of the park, you can rent a multi-seater bike

Even adults can use the bike

A mobile phone antenna is not a pleasant site so here in Dubai, they try to hide it amongst the fronds of this artificial palm tree

Lots of paved walkway for those who prefer to walk

Amazing to find plants like this one in the desert sand.  The flower is like that on an Agapanthus.

How can grass grow in pure sand?

Nice try for rock-climbing

There’s also a Children’s City especially designed for children from 2 to 15 year olds.   

This is the planetarium inside the Children City.

We were all five, a number that is a big no-no to taxi drivers, they are only allowed up to 4 passengers, hence we tried waiting for the bus.  This is the bus stop shelter which looks very high tech.

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One place in Dubai that one must not miss visiting is the Abra Station area in Dubai Creek.  This is exactly where I took H on our very first sightseeing walk.  Luckily the place we live is just 15-minute walk to the creek and on a Saturday at that, which is a weekend in Dubai (their weekend is Friday and Saturday).

There’s a lot of activity going on and a camera is a must when going to this place:

The creek has a great ambience for meeting with friends

Fishing is a favorite pastime

…as well as enjoying a moment with a loved one

Hordes of doves, a sign of bountiful fish

Sailing with the doves…

This is the abra station.  You have to queue up as it gets very busy.  For one dirham, you could cross the creek and get to the Deira side in just few minutes.

The abra is a wooden boat and a cheap public transport.

A dhow restaurant in the Creek

A dhow for transporting cargo

The Al-Shindaga car and passenger ferry sailing by..

Coffee delivered to the  abra pilots courtesy of a coffee house by the creek

This restaurant by the creek offers shisha smoking for 20dhs per hour…

On our way to the creek, I just couldn’t help but take photos of these collar-size gold necklaces….

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Dubai 

If you are looking for a saree material of every colour imaginable or a souvenir to take home or simply fashion accessories at penny prices, then the place to go is the Textile Souk along the Creek.

The Textile Souk of Dubai sells from fabrics to souvenirs and even massage oils!

Textile art to hang on my wall

Waiting for customers

I love those beautiful but “killer” shoes…

I used to buy nice skirts like these, made in India, but don’t get fooled, these ones are made in China.

If you are looking for a souvenir icon of Dubai, the miniature tallest building in the world is a perfect gift

An Indian flower garland adorning a shop. It could mean that a wedding just took place, it could be the owner or the owner’s child

A wooden trolley man at rest.
The trolley man earn a living by pushing the trolley with goods bought by a customer in the souk

A trolley man at work

The trolley “park”

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Greetings from Dubai!

After a cancelled flight, re-booked to another flight, H collapsing on the plane due to sudden lowering of blood pressure, me coughing my lungs out due to the flu virus I contracted from the Paris metro, we have finally arrived in Dubai, hurray!

So while I am nursing a horrible cough to which H had already shelled out 567 Dirhams just on our second day, I have managed to prepare this Dubai photolog - Days 1 & 2:

At the airport Immigration, the sea of rope barriers signifies hoardes of visitors coming to Dubai all year round.  Luckily, we arrived just before the hoardes came….at 6am

The skycraper-scape we saw while driving from the airport onwards to Bur Dubai where my sister lives with her family. That tall building on the left is the Burj Dubai errr…Khalifa (after its financial crisis driven change of name).Here is the skycraper scene we saw while driving from the airport onwards to Bur Dubai where my sister lives with her family. That tall building on the left is the Burj Dubai errr…Khalifa (after its financial crisis driven change of name).

Shaikh Zayed Road with the towering Burj Khalifa, night scene

Up close..from the car

Another skycraper hotel

Moon and skycrapers

Standing on desert sand

At an Indian fastfood

This shawarma shop has rendered its owner very wealthy, according to my brother-in-law.  He now owns two hotels and other properties in Dubai -the fruit of his labour

The Dubai Shopping Festival opened on the 2nd day we arrived, hence we will be treated with a lots of shows as well as shopping!

Dates of all variety selling as high as 60euros a kilo - from Saudi Arabia

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I went to Joue Club the other day to buy lego for my nephew whose parents, my sister and brother-in-law,  H and I will be staying in Dubai. He is passionate about this construction toy and I had to google where I could buy it in Paris. I have been to a number of Joue Clubs in France but this one in Boulevard des Italiens is amazing! It is so large, it occupies the entire Passage des Princes. At first sight, I suddenly longed to be a child myself as this place is a dream come true for every kid under 12!

Let me take you to a virtual trip to this toy universe of Joue Club:

The Passage des Princes at the rue de Richelieu entrance

Inaugurated in 1860, it is the last covered passage of Paris to be opened.

The Lego section of the Passage des Prince occupies an old tailor (Tailleur) shop.

These toy “patisseries” is found in the toy “household” section

A cupcake-filled mirror-mirror on the wall

A 1930s stained-glass dome

A giant Lego man

A Lego tree

A Lego French flag in a Lego town hall

A Lego Santa Claus

A fabric toy house

For the little ones…

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