My vacation in the UAE ~ Part 3

5th day (friday 12/12/08)

The day we've been wating for..

we're going to dubai! yay! the journey from Abu Dhabi took about one hour. Along the way, there were a stretch of desert land before we encounter an array of residential buildings, shopping malls and a couple of LRT stations still under construction. The stations are quite impressive and looks nothing like the usual LRT station in Malaysia. When we arrive at dubai, we were greeted with rows upon rows of impressive skyscrapers that lined the streets. The development over there are super fast and buildings are appearing like nobody's business.. Upon arriving we checked-in into holiday inn express before meeting my uncle's friend, who tour guided us around Dubai. he has been living there for 2-3 years ever since he started work at a telco company.

at the hotel lobby

The first place he brought us is to a restaurant called al-tawasol where the infamous 'nasi mandi' is the specialty there. the dish is simply delicious.. the rice alone is surprisingly tasty.

dining arab style

the entrance of the restaurant

Shortly afterwards, we were taken to dubai mall.. an equivalent to klcc/pavillion. the brand new mall is twice bigger than mid valley and filled with shops selling designer brands. Most of the people working in the mall are immigrants.. namely filipino, indonesian and bangladeshi. There we took a look at dubai aquarium, where the kids are having a blast watching various kinds of fishes .. especially the sharks. there's also an ice skating rink in the mall. and the funny thing is, for the first time in my life, i saw a person skating in a jubah! imagine that..

dubai mall

dubai aquarium inside the mall

striking image..

when we were done looking around the mall, it was already dark. We were then taken to a beach where we had an amazing view of dubai's landmark, called the burj al-arab. I enjoyed strolling there a lot but the wind was awfully cold that night.. and i forgot to bring my jacket.. fortunately, i'm spared from suffering in the cold wind coz my uncle had a spare jacket.. After that, abang arin treated us to a cuppa to unwind before we retreated back to our hotel.

the burj al-arab

group photo

had a late nite cuppa

6th day (saturday 13/12/08)

The day started with a light breakfast at the hotel. Then we went to the mall of the emirates for a second round of touring and shopping. The mall was pretty much the same as dubai mall. There we met a Malaysian family who has been living in dubai for quite a while. They were glad to meet a fellow malaysian coz they miss living in malaysia and its people. We chatted for a while and then continued shopping. There i bought a sweater to commemorate my visit there.

at the mall of the emirates

After grabbing a bite to eat, we were taken to global village, a carnival-like yearly event at dubai that hosts many countries throughout the world selling products from their country of origin. These countries are placed in a huge structure with their traditional themes. Among the countries that i visited are saudi arabia, india, vietnam, thailand and yemen. Many offer a diverse range of goods. There were also carnival rides like the ferris wheel, bungee jumping and etc. It was a fun and enjoyable experience seeing various cultures and people at the carnival. For me, it's the biggest carnival i've ever been to. There were so many people, and cars are lining up bumper to bumper when we were trying to get in. Thank god we were able to find a parking space easily. When we got back to the hotel, it was already 2am in the morning. I was so tired and went straight to bed.

went to global village.. so many people!

in front of the UAE section

various cute stockings available

at the Syria section

7th day (sunday 14/12/08)

First thing in the morning, we went for breakfast at the hotel’s café. After packing up our bags and checked out from the hotel, we go on our last agenda of the trip, which is to look for souvenirs for friends and relatives back home. Abang arin brought us to this discount store where we found many lovely gifts with reasonably cheap prices. I took this opportunity to ‘borong’ as much things as possible for the people back home. When the shopping is finally over, we parted ways with abang arin’s family and head back to abu dhabi. On the way home, we stopped by masjid sheikh zayed to jama’ for zohor and asar. The masjid is breathtakingly beautiful and huge. I think it’s size is 2 or 3 times the size of masjid Putrajaya. From the outside, the walls are made from white marbles and the interiors is nothing short of a masterpiece. I could not believe how painstakingly detailed the decorations are. From the pillars to the walls to the huge chandelier, everything is richly adorned to impress. Even the carpeting alone must have cost a bomb.. and I was informed recently that the masjid holds the world’s largest chandelier! You really got to see it for yourself to appreciate it. And I must say that it is the most beautiful masjid I’ve ever visited. We stayed there until maghrib before retired home.

the Sheikh Zayed Masjid


the interior walls are decorated with carved marble stones in flower motives.. so beautiful..


asmaul husna decorated one of the walls of the main prayer hall.. the scale is gargantuan!


the intricately decorated ceiling at the women's prayer hall

a beautiful reflection in the pond beside the masjid

8^th day (Monday 15/12/08)

Today we break from our non-stop traveling and shopping routine and had a relaxing stay at my uncle’s home. I took the opportunity to play with my cute and adorable cousins as well as checking out my emails. A day to rest before we head back to Malaysia the next day.

9^th day (Tuesday 16/12/08)

Regrettably, it is time for us to pack up and go home. But not before going to a last round trip to Khalidiya Corniche, a nearby public beach. The beachfront was privatized for tourism purposes so we had to pay an admission of 5 dirham per person to enter. The beach has utilities like restaurants, toilets, shower area, canopies and walkways with some landscaping. The azure water is crystal clear and not muddy at all. Sadly, I haven’t been able to swim at the beach coz it feels weird to ‘mandi manda’ Malaysian style at a foreign land.. What more in an Arabic state with western tourist sunbathing in their bikinis and swimming trunks... soaking my feet at the water’s edge is good enough for me hehe.. with the mild weather that we are having where the sun is not too hot and with the cool winter wind, it was a pleasant afternoon walk.

admission booth at the corniche

taking a stroll

details of the pathway

chilling out at the beach

taking a rest with my mom

At night around 12 midnight we head towards the airport. It was an enjoyable week and I wish that we could stay longer. Who knows when I will be able to go there again. But drama ensues when we were not able to check in at the airport due to some confusion over our flight itinerary. We were stuck at the check-in counter for about fifteen minutes coz the clerk is confused and couldn’t communicate effectively with us. Things got quite heated up as everybody is trying to make their point. People around started to stare at us and I could see the uneasiness of the people who queued behind us. I was worried that we could not go back home that day. Fortunately, things finally settled down and we are able to check in. The flight home took 7 hours and we finally arrived at KLIA at 2pm. Upon arriving home, I hit the sack for a couple of hours before unloading the goodies that I brought home. As exhausted as I was, I’ve got to prepare to go back to work the next day. Just hope I wouldn’t get the jet-lag afterwards. All in all, it was the most memorable trip in my entire life :)

My vacation in the UAE ~ Part 2

Day 2 (tuesday 9/12/08)

In the morning my uncle brought my brother and I to Khalidiya Corniche for a stroll. We got some drinks while admiring the scenery. After that, we went to Hamdan Centre where a lot of low priced goods and souvenirs are available. I bought some key chains and fridge magnets for souvenirs back home but regrettably I haven't bought enough.. At night, my uncle took me and my brother for a walk on the streets of Khalidiya to check out the scenery and stores at the streets. Then we were treated with shawarma (a kind of food, like kebab) and I must say, it was the most delicious shawarma I’ve ever tasted! Especially the one with lamb meat coz they added a kind of sauce like laban (yogurt) that tasted out of this
world! That become an instant favourite and I recommend anyone who goes to Khalidiya, Abu Dhabi, should definitely check this shawarma out.

In front of the corniche overlooking Khalidiya street

Day 3 (wednesday 10/12/08)

Haven’t done much during the day cause we were waiting for my mother and sister to arrive from Malaysia today. They arrived later than me and my bro cause of some problem with my mom's passport. But that have been taken care of so today they are coming here.. can't wait!


Day 4 (thursday 11/12/08)

My uncle rented a van to accomodate my family cause his car is not enough to carry all of us. That day we all went to Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre to look for jubah and other goods. We went to one of the clothing shops there and the selection of jubah were varied and beautiful. At first, i did not intend to buy any jubah coz they are quite expensive, but after being persuaded my my mom and uncle, i finally gave in and bought this black jubah with beaded sequins at the middle front and on the sleeve end. It was nice but I have no idea when to wear this besides during hari raya coz it's a bit flashy for everyday wear hehe.. well, what to do.. it's not everyday you can buy something from the other side of the world isn't it? my mom also bought one.. and so does my bro who also bought one for his officemate. Then, we went into a perfume shop. they offer a lot of alcohol free perfumes that imitates popular scents like bulgari, burberry, mademoiselle coco and etc. there were also an array of perfume bottles to choose from, from the very simple to the more expensive ones according to your budget. We looked at a few more shops before heading back home.