Sheikh Zayed Palace Museum 2

The post is a continuation of the last one on Sheikh Zayed Palace Museum in Al Ain. Pictured below is a replica of the Land Rover that the former President used to travel across the emirate to meet with his people. Another interesting picture is the one of the kitchen utensil. The utensils that were used were so huge that a step was included so that the cook could climb up and stir the food!

Driving through the countryside - Camels

Driving through the country side can be an absolutely awesome experience. When we went out for a drive yesterday, we had one of the best views of camels in the desert. We spotted these camels on the way to Umm Al Quwain. Referred to as the ship of the desert, the camel forms an integral part of the local customs and traditions. Camels were the primary mode of transport and were used to get across the vast desert. However, with the booming socio economic progress of Dubai in the last few decades, the use of camels as a means of transportation has lost its importance. Camels still continue to be an important element of Arabic traditions but have now become more of symbols of pride and affluence.

Camels have once again hit the news recently albeit for an entirely different reason. Camel meat is a local delicacy and one of the local chain has recently introduced 'çamel burgers' which have attracted a fair amount of controversy. Located in the Bastakiya district, the Local House restaurant's menu includes several local delicacies.

Read about the Bastakiya district here.

Other posts of interest:

Dubai's eco warrior

Dubai's mall culture

Global Village 2010 Part II

In my last post, I have spoken about my visit to this year's edition of Global Village. Here are a few more pictures from the visit.

Global Village 2010

Positioned as one of Dubai's premier cultural, entertainment and shopping festivals, this year's edition of Global Village was just as popular as the previous years. I was expecting a smaller turnout given the recent crisis situation but I found the place buzzing as usual when I visited the venue last night.

Started as a small event alongside Dubai creek in 1996, Global Village now attracts over 4 million visitors each year. Here are a few pictures from last night.

Picture of the tallest building in the world CLICK HERE

The link to the website of Global Village is here

Dunlop 24 hrs Dubai

It is now almost 3 months since my last update at this blog. I have been travelling a bit and just been busy with other things. It is not surprising that the Dunlop 24 Hrs Dubai Grand Prix finally got me to dig out that camera and get going. Here a few pictures from today's action.

Dawar Shami

Dawar Shami is a traditional pully system that was used for pulling boats out of the sea. While one end of the boat would be tied to the boat, the other end would be fixed to the Dawar Shami. Strong men would then rotate the lever to pull the boats out. This can be viewed at the Al Fahidi Fort in Bur Dubai.

For information on Al Fahidi fort, click here

Yom-e-Istiqlal

The pride in his eyes could have moved mountains. I met Bak Munir Khan, an expatriate worker from Pakistan as he was celebrating Pakistan's independence day. Yom-e-Istiqlal (Pakistan Independence day) is celebrated on 14th August, the day on which Pakistan gained independence from British rule in 1947.

Bak Munir is employed with Sharjah Baladiya (municipality) where he attends to Sharjah's public gardens as a gardener. He was ecstatic when I complimented him on his beautifully decorated motorbike. He has placed several flags of Pakistan on the bike besides many green and white ribbons. I was surprised to find out that he had really no place to go but was only riding around Dubai on his motorbike to 'celebrate the important day'. As we spoke about his country, one could see the pride in his voice. Despite so many recent upheavals, he was hopeful of retiring and going back to a bright and prosperous Pakistan.

Here's wishing all Pakistani residents of Dubai, Happy Independence Day.

Vimto is here

Ramadan is just around the corner.

As Dubai gets ready to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, there are so many changes that announce it's imminent arrival. HR departments begin announcing shorter working hours, the retailers start screaming out Ramadan offers, food prices begin to take several columns space in newspapers, iftar tents start taking shape and good old Vimto takes centre stage!!

Vimto, a cordial of fruit juices is considered an important energy boosting accompaniment to the Iftar, the evening meal that breaks the Ramadan fast. It isn't surprising to find most supermarkets placing huge displays of Vimto at the store fronts as muslims in Dubai begin stocking up their favourite drink. Despite the high energy campaigns by the manufacturers in the past, I had not got myself to buy a bottle of the maroon drink. As I did my grocery shopping last evening, I finally got myself 2 bottles of the fine drink.

Read about the history of Vimto here

Jumeirah Mosque

Its kind of strange that after all these years in Dubai, I had never been to the famous Jumeirah Mosque. Jumeirah Mosque is extremely well known and is usually part of the normal tourist trail. I remember our relatives visitng us a few years back and being excited about seeing the Jumeirah Mosque. That we never got around to seeing it is another story.

Located along the beach road, it is one of the largest in Dubai. Jumeirah Mosque was built along medieval Fatimid lines and is today probably the most photographed mosque in Dubai. It is also the only mosque opening to non muslims. Visitors who wish to visit the mosque need to join one of the Jumeirah Mosque tours coordinated by the Sheikh Mohammed Center for Cultural Understanding.

Bur Dubai Souk

I have always loved to go down to Bur Dubai and simply experience the old world charm that it offers. Located on the western banks of the creek, Bur Dubai is a mix of residential and commercial activities. Besides being a popular residential area for the Asian expatriate population, Bur Dubai is also home to one of Dubai's oldest souks.

This picture was taken at the souk outside the Abra station. The high ceilings and designs coupled with the beautiful wood work give the visitors an authentic arabic experience.

Read about Abras here

Dubai's blue sky

Its not very often that one can mention 'blue sky' in Dubai.

This was shot over Dubai airspace only a few minutes before landing at Dubai's airport. The sky looked divine. Almost magical.

See another picture of Dubai's blue sky here

Camels on Dubai roads?

You can imagine my surprise to find these camels grazing off the lawns of a roundabout!!!

Found these fellows walking about freely and getting stunned looks from drivers zooming down the road. You can see the cars in some of the pictures. One of them walked right up to me and almost kissed my camera!