Souq Madinat Jumeirah

Designed on the lines of a traditional arabian souk, Souk Madinat Jumeirah is a unique shopping experience. The high wooden arches,  stone floor and meandering lanes  provide a true souq like experience. The souq is located adjacent to the Madinat Jumeirah hotel.

Read about Bur Dubai souq here

Mirdiff City Centre Mall

Dubai's newest mall Mirdif City Centre opened 2 weeks ago. Here are a few pictures of yet another glitzy addition to a list of malls that has made Dubai famous.

A different Dubai

If you had to ask people to draw a picture of Dubai, most of them will probably visualise one of these two. Most would think of Dubai as a city full of tall skyscrapers, glitzy malls and expensive cars. A few may think of Dubai as a desert full of sand dunes, camels and bedouins smoking sheesha.

The picture above is one that most would not associate with Dubai. I hadn't seen so much of natural greenery in Dubai before so was pleasantly surprised. This was shot in Margham where most of the desert safari companies do the dune bashing. Right across the desert where the 4x4s take on the dunes, is this beautiful patch of greenery. There are several farmhouses here and you can have a fantastic peek into the daily routine of the local farming population.  

Where is Sammy?

The Atlantis said Thursday that it has released Sammy, the 13 ft whale shark back into the Gulf waters. It says that the whale shark is tagged but did not say when it was released. Read the AP story here

For a hotel that is known to be as media savvy as the Atlantis is, it is kind of strange that there is no evidence of Sammy's release. Not a single burst of fireworks, not a single star in sight, not even local journalists were invited to witness the release. Not even a marine scientist to facilitate the release and witness the event.

Top News has quoted Dr Robert Hueter, Director of the Centre for Shark Research Mote Marine Laboratory as saying that " the shark was in good condition upon release and there was no impact over its growth rate in aquarium"

Sammy had attracted a lot of attention from the local population. Hence to note that the whale was released in such a quiet manner seems very odd. Very fishy. 

May be we are getting a little too nervous without reason. May be The Atlantis will provide more details soon?

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!

Sheikh Zayed Palace Museum

We drove down to Al Ain over the weekend with no specific plan whatsoever. And what a reward when we finally got there!!

The Sheikh Zayed Palace Museum is a must see if you head down to Al Ain. Built in 1937, the palace was converted into a museum in 2001. The palace provides an interesting peek into the life of the former president, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. 

The palace was the Al Ain residence of the ruler from 1937 to 1966 and is comprised of several courtyards. The external areas each house a different type of majlis or meeting room where the Sheikh received local and foreign dignitaries. The inner courtyard contains the main kitchen and the store room.  

An interesting part of the museum is the family tree room which houses portraits of the royal family depicting the lineage. 

Quad Biking in Dubai

I finally managed to get onto a quad bike after all these years in Dubai. In case you don't know already, quad bikes are all terrain bikes that are used here for riding across the desert. They have now also become part of a standard desert safari and you get to ride one of these after you head back to the campsite.

We spent most of yesterday at the quad bike center along Al Ain Road. This place is about 40 kms as you head past Outlet Mall and easily stands out with it's colorful flags and banners.

There are various sizes of bikes so the entire family can dig into the fun. It can be an absolutely adrenaline pumping drive as you head up and down the dunes in the desert. I strongly suggest that you listen carefully to the instructors advice as you will need to use most of it!!!. Or at least the part about how not to get stuck at the top of the dunes! 

I think Quad bikes are no longer 'street legal' in Dubai though I am not very sure. 

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

Who's bicycle is this?

I spotted this bicycle at a park over the weekend. I looked around the place for the owner but there was absolutely nobody in sight. The bright colors against the green of the lawn made an excellent picture. I felt like the bicycle was almost posing for me!!! ;-)

For married only

This was on display at one of the stalls at Global Village. This is a particular type of honey that can apparently work wonders for an otherwise dull 'married' life. Needless to say, the wife would not let me try any of it.

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The solitary angler

Captured this picture at Dubai Creek Park over the weekend. This spot is very popular with Dubai's anglers and one normally sees several of them here. On this particular day, the place is deserted. All I could see was this rod and the bait box. There was nobody in sight. I thoroughly enjoyed the view. It was almost as if time stood still for those few minutes.

Read about The Sea Gulls at Dubai Creek Park here

You can also read about A lamp post at the creek side here

Dubai Pet Show

It was that time of the year again. The Dubai Pet Show is back. Held at Dubai Festival City, the show is an extremely colorful affair and a big hit with the kids. It is probably the largest gathering of pets from all over UAE, all dressed up to impress. Besides the various competitions, the contest also included an awesome display by the police dogs. Here are a few pictures from the day's action.

For pictures from last year's edition of the show, click here

The two faces of Dubai Police

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.