Dubai: Day #8 Old and New

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

The Road

The Desert

The Star of the Day

The Hummer Driver Wannabe

Too young to drive

Never too old to pose

The Quad Biker Wannabe

Preparation

Oops.  Stuck.

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.

Figurines

Burj Khalifa Lego Architecture

A giant lollipop

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.

The Water Bus Service

The Marina offered water bus to transport visitors from Marina Mall to Marina Walk. The water bus service ran from 10am to 10pm with 15-minute interval. It could save us from 20-30 minute walk into just 12 minutes single trip to the Marina Walk. The water bus was a single-deck ferry, fully air-conditioned, could carry up to 36 passengers per trip. Fared only AED 2 per person per single trip.

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).

Dubai: Day #6 .. that Ended with an Extra-Ordinary Evening

When Dad and Bro went underwater, Mom and Owen went window-shopping.

• Candies

Candylicious, the world's largest candy store is an international concept developed in Singapore.  And they opened a big, over 10,000 sq ft (930 m²) shop in The Dubai Mall. Located just across Dubai Aquarium. The shop was striking with mouth-watering colors.

• Fruits and Nuts

• Biscuits and Chocolates

This was the 2nd time I stopped in front of La Cure Gourmande.  I hesitated at the 1st time.  But this time, I went in and straight away asked the staff if it's allowed to take pictures in the shop.  They said yes. 

It was just a gorgeous shop.  The lighting was warm.  Cans of biscuits, chocolates, nougats, cakes, bonbons and others were neatly arranged. A feast to the eyes.

• Stuffed Camels

Too cute.  We stuck to the true meaning of "window" shopping.

• Food

Mission Impossible: Rice. Plain Steamed White Rice. So many food choices .. without rice.

Fun Fact: Kentucky Fried Chicken in Dubai served fried chicken .. accompanied by a bread bun. Fried chicken, with bread instead of rice. Blegh!

• Fashion for Kids

There was a TV reality show that told a story of a fashion designer who had a baby, and whenever she asked her assistant to get her baby's daily or outing clothes, it was like, "Get the Armani.  Oh. No, no, Gucci. Yeah, he looks better in Gucci.", I rolled my eyes.

Then I saw what the mall offered on its kids floor.  And I solemnly accepted, that for those rich people, Armani, Gucci, Burberry, Dior were just regular brands, ready to be ruined by dribbles, milk and food spills and pukes. 

• Books

Book World by Kinokuniya. I regretted I didn't have more time to browse this massive 68,000 square feet book store.

• The Souk

By this time, Mat and Andri joined in to explore the traditional section of the mall.

• Christmas Decoration

The mall had set-up its Christmas centerstage in the form of castle, prince and princess, and unicorns.  IMHO, it was inferior to what's been set-up in some of the stores.

• Others

Home Furnishing

A restaurant with classic interior

Everything is made of wood

Department Store

• Water Fountain

Time flew very fast. It was past 6 pm. and we had a fountain show to catch.

We took our place at Burj Khalifa's promenade, the same spot as where we watched the fountain a couple days ago.

Owen and Mat had their dinner right there while we waited for the show.

A group of young Filipino students took place at my left.

At 6.30 pm sharp, the fountain dance to an Arabic song. Hmm.  I wished there was some schedule hand-out or information on what would be playing at the The Dubai Fountain, so we could avoid sitting through the same song.  Fortunately, I was still kinda busy feeding Owen, so it was alright.

Once Owen was done, it was 7 pm.

The melody so very dear and familiar started ..

.. and I screamed. HUAAAAA!! Where's my camera?  Where's my DAMN CAMERA???!!

(I thought I made one or two girls next to me jumped, because I felt their eyes on me for a brief moment, puzzled.  Then they understood when Celine Dion started to sing).

At exactly 1:18-1:19, when the song reached its peak, 
I captured a silhouette of a father kissing his baby. Awwwwww.

The Prayer. Made. My. Evening.

It was difficult to record it full and steady, because I was too excited.  My heart swelled. I got goosebumps and felt like crying.  No matter how many times I'd seen it on tube, it was far more beautiful in live.  Would you just look how high the water jet was shot while Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli soared through the refrein?

(Here's the full show on tube, at dusk and in the evening.)

I was still dealing with the aftermath of the 7 pm show when the 7.30 pm show started. It was a wonderful "Waves" by Bijan Mortazavi, an Iranian violinist. I picked up Owen from his stroller, and stood him on my lap. I loved it. He loved it.

And the Filipino students loved it too. They were dancing along the fountain.

We thought we could see one more show before we headed back to the mall for dinner and go back home.  The 8 pm showed "The Butterfly Lovers".  This 2nd time around, I could truly appreciate the graceful choreography. 

This set of fountain show was remarkable. I didn't know if I could come back here to see more of it, I'd love to, but if I really couldn't, I'd be contented with this evening.