Dubai: Day #2 Mall Hoppers

Now let's talk about malls.

DUBAI FESTIVAL CITY MALL

Dubai Festival City (I stole this pics from the net ^_^)

Our main purpose visiting this waterfront community centre was to have lunch at IKEA.  Yeah, we admit that since IKEA was not opened yet in our country, it became one of tourist attractions whenever we could find it overseas. I did, however, think that IKEA was just another superstore that tempted people to buy things we didn't really need, mostly because they were cute, and they were on SALE at IKEA! 

While waiting for IKEA to open for lunch, we took our time to discover the mall.  This was the time when we realized that in almost every stores or behind counters, Filipinos were there to help us.  

Trivia: Dubai is the largest home of Filipinos in the UAE, formed more than 20% of the population of the city. 

Huh.  They were literally everywhere. 

TWG Tea Salon and Boutique.  Nice.

Fruits and Nuts.

Neat and bright with sunlight.

Owen thought IKEA's mashed potato was yum.

We're not interested in visiting Hard Rock Cafe Dubai that's located in this area. But we did miss seeing the evening Light & Water show, bad timing I guessed (I found their New Year's Eve show on tube, where you could see Burj Khalifa bursted its fireworks at the background).

MALL OF THE EMIRATES

Look closely, they hung Burberry.

A mall that was never empty.  Once we stepped our feet inside, it's undeniable we were indeed in an Arab country.  There were more sight of locals wearing kandura (long white robes for men) and abaya (long black robes for women). And there was this particular smell of strong fragrance in the air.

This mall was also the home of Ski Dubai - Middle East's first indoor ski resort and snow park, Carrefour - the largest hypermarket in Dubai and Debenhams - the largest department store in Middle East.

A fashionista.  One hat is never enough.

The one dirham trolley. 

Never seen eggplants this shiny before.  Never seen eggplants.

So excited, feels like laughing .. or crying?

To pay your parking.

Designated smoking area among cars. A perfect spot.

  


Mall of the Emirates Courtesy Policy:

1. Please wear conservative clothing. We advise avoiding showing your shoulders and knees. (Oh. The mall's aircon was in full blast in the winter season like this. It's cold, man. I trust people wouldn't want to wear tank-tops and shorts either)

2. No kissing or avert displays of affection. (Oooo .. why not? *smooching Owen*)

3. No smoking in the mall. (Yeaa, go to the car park, you can smoke the car exhaust too).

4. No consumption of alcohol in the mall. (Not halal. Nuh-uh.)

5. No dangerous activities, i.e. sports game, rollerblading or skateboarding. (But you're most welcome to skiing and snowboarding at Ski Dubai)