One Night In Dubai

As soon as we stepped out of the Dubai Airport, we were overcome by the intense desert heat. Coming from a country like Malaysia, I thought the Dubai climate would be the last thing we would sweat over but the oppressive heat, coupled with the high humidity was unbearable. The abrupt change in extreme temperatures from frigid London to the torrid emirate made it even worse.
I had wanted to check out the souks (traditional Arabic market places) in Old Dubai and the boys had planned to sandboard or perhaps ride a camel in the desert but the brutal heat thwarted our plans and we weren't risking a heatstroke. It seemed like the only 'cool' things to do were checking out the Dubai Mall (World's Largest Mall) and cruising down a creek in a dhow (wooden sailing vessel) after sundown. I was told that temps hovered around the 50s (100s in Fahrenheit) in the summer!

Pic taken in our taxi enroute to our hotel.
Can you see the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa?

Isn't it amazing how a city can arise from a desert?

A tired Rodney and Josh at the hotel lobby while awaiting our rooms to be cleaned

The portraits of the two sheikhs on the wall are emirs of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). An emir is a title of high office (a prince/commander/general) used throughout the Muslim World. The face on the right seemed to be plastered on posters and billboards throughout Dubai. He is Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE, and absolute monarch of Dubai. The one of the left is the crowned prince of Dubai.

A question to test your general knowledge.

Q. Is Dubai a state or a country?

A. Neither. Dubai is one of the seven emirates in the country United Arab Emirates.

1- Abu Dhabi (Capital)
2- Dubai
3- Sharjah
4- Ajman
5- Umm Al Quian
6- Ras Al Khaimah
7- Fujairah

An emirate is a political territory that is ruled by a dynastic Muslim monarch styled emir.

I didn't know either! I thought the UAE and Saudi Arabia were one and the same!!! I sucked at geography anyway!

The city as seen from the rooftop of our hotel

In the morning, we could see the roads covered with sand the wind had whipped in apparently from a sandstorm the night before. A sobering thought - how long can man battle the elements? Will the sands of time close over the city?

The Dubai Mall

The Mall's Dubai Aquarium and Discovery Centre officially earned the Guinness World Record for the world's "Largest Acrylic Panel

The Gold Souk

Pic taken in dhow as we were cruising down the Deira creek. More pics in upcoming posts!!

The boys checking out a hookah - An oriental tobacco pipe with a long, flexible tube that draws the smoke through water contained in a bowl. I couldn't help thinking of the hookah-smoking caterpillar in Alice In Wonderland!

The Burj Khalifa as seen from our hotel rooftop.

Even with the wind blowing in our faces while we were at the rooftop at midnight, the heat was unrelenting. It was like standing in front of a hair dryer all day.

Expecting to see burkha-clad women and men in white robes, I was surprised to find that the locals were nowhere in sight! Our taxi driver was Sri Lankan, the hotel and airport staff were largely Filipinos and Indians and the driver who picked us up at the hotel to the jetty was a Bangladeshi! Later, I learned from the driver that the locals only make up 5 percent of the population in Dubai, the rest being foreign workers.

So what's my take on Dubai? A very happening place with superlatives (biggest, tallest, fastest and FAKEST! The climate is for camels, not people!

* I was told that everything in the metropolis is fake! The water is desalinated , the gentle breeze on the man-made beaches is blown by giant fans and even the trees are fake! In Dubai, they don't water but wash plants 'cos they are all fake!!!

Some important tips to share when visiting Dubai

Official Language Spoken
* The official language of Dubai is Arabic. However, English is widely spoken and understood.

Dress Code
* Dubai respects western style of clothing, but does not tolerate revealing attire. It is advisable to cover knees and shoulders. Spaghetti straps, low cut tops may be viewed as offensive. Bikinis are fine on beaches and swimming pools.

Alcohol Consumption
* Alcohol consumption is not allowed in public places but permitted in hotels, private parties, bar, clubs and restaurants.

Ramadhan Month
* Ramadan is the religious and sacred month of fasting and prayer for Muslims. Smoking, eating and drinking in public places are banned between sunrise and sunset. Alcohol is available in 5-star hotels but dancing and loud music are forbidden.

Photography in Public Places
* Care should be taken while clicking photographs in public places and of people. Seek permission while capturing shots of government buildings, malls and people unknown to you, especially women.

Greeting fellow Arabs (if you can find one!)
* To welcome a Gulf Arab, a handshake is sufficient. Men greeting women or vice-versa is not recommended. However, if the female offers a handshake it would be appropriate to accept it out of courtesy.

source - http://www.dubai.com/v/cityinfo/

Sunday Citar/Sunday Snapshot - Trees

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
~Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," 1914

The trees are God's great alphabet:
With them He writes in shining green
Across the world His thoughts serene.
~Leonora Speyer

*Pics taken by Hubby in Saint James Park

* Citar means quote in Spanish

Croydon

According to a survey, London has the world's most expensive hotels. A night's stay in central London is more than twice as expensive as a room in Sydney, Toronto or San Francisco and 25 times more expensive than Mexico City. A night's sleep in London would cost a traveller 110 times the price of a McDonald's Big Mac. Paris was the second most expensive at 84 times the cost of a Big Mac. At the lower end of the scale, Mexicans could stay at a hotel in their capital for the price of just four Big Macs.

How does the thought of lying on a bug-infested bed with springs poking out of the mattress in a room the size of a broom closet with paper-thin walls sound to you? How about a smelly, mouldy bathroom on the side?
Stained sheets and towels, chipped teacups, holes in walls stuffed with tissue paper and malfunctioning heaters were some of the nightmarish experiences shared by reviewers on budget hotels in central London in a travel forum I visited. The most scary one was of a thief breaking into the room of a couple and stealing the cellphone that was charging beside the sleeping girlfriend! Horrors!
Choosing safety and a good night's sleep over inconvenience, we decided to stay in an outskirt of London instead and ended up in Croydon, a charming borough off the beaten track. And what a gem it turned out to be!

Loved the victorian charm of this quaint town,

the largely pedestrianised town centre and

the blend of the old and new.

The Whitgift almhouses

The red brick houses with chimneys made it easy to imagine yourself in a previous century.

A traditional English pub

American beer is not normally considered a manly drink by British males! Bitter is what Americans call beer. And beer in the UK is what Americans call lager. Confused?!!

Pub Trivia
1. The word pub is short for public house.
2. Pubs have traditional names which date back over 600 years. Some typical names are The Chequers, The White Swan, The Crown, The King's Arms, The Red Lion and The White Horse. People often refer to the pub by its name when giving directions: Turn left at the Rose and Crown. There is usually a sign outside the pub showing the pub's name with a picture.
3. There is no tipping in an English pub! Instead, if you wish, the common practice is to buy the publican or bartender a drink. The correct etiquette for offering a drink to the publican or bar staff is to say "and one for yourself?"
4. And if you're buying the bar staff too many rounds, he/she will think you're hitting on them!

And look what we found!!!

Finally, nasi lemak for the daily chili fix we had been missing back home but at 6 times the price you would pay for a plate in Malaysia? Er.....No Thanks! So it was back to bangers for breakfast again, everyday!! Ughhhh!!

Tower Bridge

Like many others, I had mistaken the Tower Bridge for the London Bridge until we saw the sign below!

The London Bridge

This is the London Bridge, the one in the nursery rhyme. It's the next bridge downstream.

The 'London Bridge is falling down' Nursery Rhyme is based on the one of the most famous landmarks in London. It's history can be traced to the Roman occupation of England in the first century. The first London Bridge was made of wood and clay and was fortified or re-built with the various materials mentioned in the children's nursery rhyme. Many disasters struck the bridges - Viking invaders destroyed the bridge in the 1000's which led to a fortified design, complete with a drawbridge. Building materials changed due to the many fires that broke out on the bridge.

source - http://www.rhymes.org.uk/london-bridge-is-falling-down.htm

Interestingly, it is also alleged by some that the song refers to the practice of bricking live children into the support of bridges as a sacrificial ritual to appease the water god. The theory is based around the idea that a bridge would collapse unless the body of a human sacrifice were buried in its foundations. However, there is no archaeological evidence for any human remains in the foundations of London Bridge.

And who's the 'my fair lady' in the song?

Several attempts have been made to identify the 'fair lady'of the rhyme. They include:

1. Matilda of Scotland (c. 1080–1118) Henry I's consort, who between 1110 and 1118 was responsible for the building of the series of bridges that carried the London-Colchester road across the River Lea and its side streams between Bow and Stratford.

2. Eleanor of Provence (c. 1223–91), consort of Henry III who had custody of the bridge revenues from 1269 to about 1281.

3. A member of the Leigh family of Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, who have a family tradition that a human sacrifice lies under the building.

source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Bridge_Is_Falling_Down

Crossing the River Thames on one of the most iconic landmarks in the world was an unforgettable experience.

Oblique views from the North Tower

1. In 1912, aviator Frank McLean was forced in an emergency to fly his small bi-plane between the bascule roadway and the high-level walkway.
2. In 1952, a London bus had to make a leap from one bascule to the other as the Bridge began to be raised owing to operator error.
3. Visiting U.S. President Bill Clinton's motorcade was forced to split in two in 1997 owing to the lifting of the bridge bascules

The Gherkin Building and Tower of London are seen beyond the trees

The Old Man And The Pelican

While cutting through Saint James Park to get to the Admiralty Arch, we came upon this big gorgeous bird that was attracting quite a crowd. It seemed to enjoy having its picture taken, shifting poses and moving its head to the side and front and tilting it up and down like a model during a photoshoot!

Alongside the gazillion of tourists and lunchtime snackers who had come to visit the park, we noticed an elderly gentleman who was seated on a bench behind the bird, gazing at it affectionately.

After snapping a couple of pics, we were out of the park and must have been gone for at least three hours before we came back in again, on our way back to the train station. To my surprise, the elderly man was still with the pelican though they were now in another part of the park. It appeared that everywhere he went, the bird followed. Those two obviously shared a special bond.

A friendship this special must have been forged over the years. I couldn't resist asking the old man if he came to the park regularly. Showing us a peanut he had fished out from  one of the 3 large plastic bags he was carrying, he explained that he traveled from Peckham to the park every 3 days to feed the pelicans. Like a proud father, he regaled us with stories of the pelicans' antics. Stroking the head of his feathered friend, he added, "This boy pelican here is very shy, unlike the girl pelican out there on the pond. She's the one who catches the fish for him."

Then he asked us, "Is this your first visit to England?" We nodded and with a salute, he greeted, "Welcome to England!"

Awwww! What a sweet old man!

* On googling, I learned that the boy pelican is Willy, as affectionately named by his fans. He's London's most photographed animal and the old man is Willy's biggest fan.

St. James Park

One of the suggestions on the "Top 10 things to do in London" list that was posted in most of the travel forums I googled is visiting the city's many royal parks. Growing up on Peter Pan stories, I had Kensington Gardens in mind as the park was the setting of J.M. Barrie's book "Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens". Unfortunately, there were just too many places to go in the short time we had and we ended up in Saint James Park, the oldest of London's royal parks. It was just across the street from Buckingham Palace. I was so glad we did! The park was crawling with the cutest camera-friendly critters!

The squirrels in this park were super friendly. One actually climbed onto my lap, expecting to be fed! I was going to reach out for my camera, then changed my mind. The spell would have been broken.

And this pretty duck here just waddled up to me waiting to be photographed!

A plaque marking The Diana, Princess of Wales, Memorial Walk

Dedicated to the memory of the late princess, the walk is a 7-mile (11 km) long circular walking trail in London It goes between Kensington Gardens, Green Park, Hyde Park and St. James's Park in a figure-eight pattern, passing five sites that are associated with her life: Kensington Palace, Spencer House, Buckingham Palace, St. James's Palace, and Clarence House. It is marked with ninety individual plaques, each of which has a heraldic rose etched in the centre made of aluminium. It has been described as 'one of the most magnificent urban parkland walks in the world'.

We could see the Eye Of London from where we were standing.

If I lived in this country, I could see myself visiting the park daily, sitting on a bench all day, enjoying the invigorating cold air and watching the world go by!

"And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything."

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE