We had two different kind of activities this morning, so we split. Mat would go to the desert for quad bike trial with dad, uncle and cousins. While Owen would go toTimes Square Centre and downtown with mom and aunt for .. wait for it .. shopping! Yeap.
TIMES SQUARE CENTRE
The shopping mall was surprisingly modest. It was like a kind of mall where people could go casually to get everything they needed - ranging from electronics, furnitures, lifestyle and home, fashion and sports.
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When we were there, there was a bazaar happening. Some expatriates were selling second-hand (or even brand new unopened/unused) children clothes, toys, etc. We got a pair of socks for Owen, since I was still not that accustomed in buying second-hand clothes, no matter how good-conditioned they were. And .. we got 5 pieces of Lamaze, Fisher Price and Vtech soft and electronic toys for Owen at the price of AED 140! (In Jakarta, that price was for one toy only). So today was Owen's lucky day.
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Then I found a counter selling Turkish Delights. Anyone who was familiar with C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe might have already known this delicacy.
The colourful sweets looked so mouth-watering. And they were not cheap. I tasted a bit of the pistachio and the rosewater ones. It was chewy, gluey (is that even a word?), moist and very, very sweet. In an instant, I understood why Edmund Pevensie sold his siblings to The White Witch. For this, I would sell .. nah, never mind. Couldn't resist, I asked the seller to throw a 100gr mix in the bag.
The colourful sweets looked so mouth-watering. And they were not cheap. I tasted a bit of the pistachio and the rosewater ones. It was chewy, gluey (is that even a word?), moist and very, very sweet. In an instant, I understood why Edmund Pevensie sold his siblings to The White Witch. For this, I would sell .. nah, never mind. Couldn't resist, I asked the seller to throw a 100gr mix in the bag.
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My sister was engaged in a short conversation with some tourists from Malaysia in front of the counter. I heard they stayed in one of the prestigious hotel at the Marina, and were looking forward to visit some big malls to buy some souvenirs. My sis suggested them to go to Al Karama for good souvenirs at market price, though I doubted they could spare time to go there.
And learning from that conversation, the Turkish Delight lady seller jumped in, "You, from Malaysia. You, Indonesia. And I'm from Philippines. All of us here in Dubai."
Well well well. Look who's been listening. Any discount for fellow Asians?
AL SATWA
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My sis had some posters to be framed. So after we're done our business here, we proceeded to Al Satwa.
Now I could really see the old face of Dubai before any skyscrapers was built. It was packed with buildings, but there were no residents at sight. Learned that this was the home of the blue-collar workers, for the mid-class locals and the imported ones from Philippines and India. So at this hour, they were all out to work.
Al Satwa was known with its high street bargains. It reminded me of Downtown Jakarta with its traffic jam. I saw some bus stops equipped with air-conditioner, for the people to survive the heat during summer. There were shops along the street, selling textiles (and tailors too), household goods, plants, plant food and gardening material and accessories, art shops, original paintings, drawings or prints.
We went to one of the art and frame shops. I guessed she was a regular here, because the shopkeeper seemed to know her. We picked frames and I listened to them bargaining the price.
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Outside the frame shop, there were many live Christmas trees on sale, along with vibrant Poinsettias. The smell of the pines and the green and red colors .. aaaah .. Christmas! Suddenly Al Satwa felt friendlier and a lot cooler.
It was lunch time. There's an array of pavement cafes serving variety of food with reasonable price. For me, the menu was not that appealing - no food could ever be compared to Indonesian food in terms of taste - but we gotta eat something. We went in one of the restaurant that served Filipino food. They had rice! *relieved*. Though food was average.
Across the restaurant, there were some shops selling souvenirs such as fridge magnets, mugs, miniatures of famous landmarks .. and key rings/chains. I collected key rings. Yay!! I wanted to buy, but I followed my sister's advice to wait until we went to Al Karama, so I could compare the options and prices. We would be back here to collect her framed posters, anyway.
Trivia: Dar Al Ittihad (Union house) building is located at Al Satwa. It is a historical site where on December 2, 1971 a treaty was signed to create the United Arab Emirates, and it has one of the largest in the world (largest in UAE) 40x20 m flags which sits on top of a 120 meter flag pole.
Across the restaurant, there were some shops selling souvenirs such as fridge magnets, mugs, miniatures of famous landmarks .. and key rings/chains. I collected key rings. Yay!! I wanted to buy, but I followed my sister's advice to wait until we went to Al Karama, so I could compare the options and prices. We would be back here to collect her framed posters, anyway.
Trivia: Dar Al Ittihad (Union house) building is located at Al Satwa. It is a historical site where on December 2, 1971 a treaty was signed to create the United Arab Emirates, and it has one of the largest in the world (largest in UAE) 40x20 m flags which sits on top of a 120 meter flag pole.
Tips: No public toilets at sight. Empty bladder is a much better option during visiting Al Satwa.
THE QUAD BIKERS
When we arrived home, our quad bikers were just reached there as well, bringing along desert sand in their clothes and shoes/sandals. Looked like both Mat and Dad had a blast.
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| The Road |
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| The Desert |
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| The Star of the Day |
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| The Hummer Driver Wannabe |
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| Too young to drive |
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| Never too old to pose |
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| The Quad Biker Wannabe |
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| Preparation |
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| Oops. Stuck. |
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| Break time. |
The goofy grin on their face
DUBAI MARINA
We had early dinner at home, then off we went to the marina. We stopped at Dubai Marina Mall for a quick window shopping.
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| Figurines |
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| Burj Khalifa Lego Architecture |
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| A giant lollipop |
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| Er .. Darth Vader and Stormtrooper? |
What stood out from this mall was its waterfront promenade.
Dubai Marina is an artificial canal city, with one of the first and largest of its kind waterfront developments in the region. At 50 million square feet waterfront community, its canal spanning 3.5 km offering access to sea from both ends.
As we found yachts docking, we learned that Dubai Marina Yacht Club was the authority for all operations in Dubai Marina.
We had visited the marina before, at a different point of view from Marina Walk. But it was in daylight. Now? It was even more breathtaking.
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| The Water Bus Service |
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| The Dinner Cruise |
We left sleeping Owen with his aunt at the promenade, and three of us hopped on the water bus for a round trip.
The trip was enjoyable. From inside the water bus, we were immersed, enveloped by the flickering, towering buildings and elegant lighted-up waterfront cafes. We also encountered a dinner cruise sailing on the canal. Wow.
This water trip wrapped up our evening nicely.
(I took a bunch of pictures, just to find out later that my SD card had reached near its maximum capacity, and all the Marina evening pics were lost and unrecoverable *sob*. A 2nd tragedy at the Marina).
So .. go ahead find those spectacular Dubai Marina in the evening photos from the net. (credit to owners).
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