3-Days Mourning for Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

We have been waiting for the official announcement if all celebrations will be stopped during the three days of official mourning which began today across the UAE as a mark of respect after the death of the president's younger brother. Rulers from across the emirates paid their tributes to the president after the body of Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, brother of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was found. He died when his glider crashed in Morrocco.

Dubai Desert Safari For Only AED99

You can now enjoy an Evening Desert Safari for only AED99 per person! This package includes the following:

• Transfers from meeting point in Deira and Bur Dubai
• Dune Bashing/Dune Drive
• Sunset Photostop
• Welcome Treats (Arabic Coffee, Tea, Dates)
• Camel Riding
• Sand Boarding
• Sheesha/Hubbly Bubbly
• Henna Tattoo
• Unlimited Water, Tea, Coffee and Softdrinks
• Snacks
• BBQ Buffet Dinner with Veg & Non Veg dishes
• Belly Dance
• Tanoura Dance
• Fire Dance
• Separate Toilet facilities for both Men & Women
• Drop back to the meeting point in Dubai

Available facilities/services for extra cost:

• Alcohol beverages at the bar
• Dune Buggy
• Quad Bike

Call 04 3372010 for reservations. This promotional rate is available daily but with only limited slots so make your reservations early before it runs out!

Mirdif City Center Grand Opening

Mirdif City Center openned yesterday with a very huge crowd. The car park was humongous with a capacity of 7,000 vehicles! They've complimentary Hotel Shuttle bus service with pickup and drop-off at the Grand Hyatt Dubai, Raffles Dubai, Fairmont, Crowne Plaza Dubai, Al Khaleej Palace, Emirates Concerde & Park Hyatt Dubai. RTA buses are available at the Rashidiya Metro Station to transport customers directly to the Mall since yesterday, March 16, 2010.

We went there and bought a mini laptop for only AED 799, a WII for only AED 999! The cellphone promo with 3 celphone loads was sold out when we arrived.

Parking Fee Hike

I was surprised the other day when my 1 dirham was not enough to get a parking ticket for my sister's car. As it turned out, the parking fee hiked up from one (1) dirham to two (2) dirhams for the first hour in all parking zones and can be fined any time of the day, including holidays, for parking vehicles illegally. Photo inset shows a man inserting a coin on a solar powered parking meter.

Photo credits: http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0gRm8920bfga2/x610.jpg

Air-conditioned Bus Stops

One of the surprising thing about Dubai is their air-conditioned bus stops. It is the first air-conditioned bus station in the world. More than 900 of them are planned in the coming years.

Each bus station is 2.5 metres wide and six metres long and has a capacity for 14 people. Eight people can sit while six can stand inside the shelter.

Dubai is the first city in the world to offer the luxury of air-conditioned bus shelters for passengers. The aim is to lure people into using public transport, and ease the pressure on its crowded roads.

The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) plans to have nine air-conditioned luxury bus terminals to replace the existing bus stations in Dubai, Gulf News has learnt.

The multi-storey terminals will have comfortable seating, restaurants, cafeterias and shopping areas. A parking area will also be provided. The new terminals will cater to the increasing demand for bus services.

I find this very useful espacially during the coming summer season! I just wonder what is the position of Green movements all over the world on this luxury bus stops.

Pacquiao vs. Clottey

It will be an interesting fight this Sunday morning here in Dubai when every Filipino will be watching the Pacquiao vs. Clottey live match on Pay-Per-View via TFC. Joshua Clottey has expressed his confidence in one interview of espn. To quote ESPN:

Clottey clearly believes his size will prove a huge advantage.

"I am a very big welterweight," he said after the news conference. "I want to feel Manny Pacquiao's punches and see what he can do to me. He throws thousands of punches, but I block thousands of punches. I throw fewer punches, but my punches land and they hurt. And they will do damage."

Nowab - A Man From Iran

Nowab is my Iranian friend who lives in International City, Persia cluster. He's been in Dubai for 27 years. He drives for an Arabic family in Friday market.

He lost his only brother and parents in the violence in Afghanistan. That is why he is not fond of Americans.

Nowab has a jolly personality. He always has a ready smile to greet you. But the most notable thing about Nowab is that he looks exactly like Saddam Hussein!

Counting in Urdu

Here's how they count in Urdu.

One, Two, Three - Eik, Do, Tin ایک،دو،تین
Four, Five, Six - Char, Panch, Che چار،پانچ، چھے
Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten - Saat, Aath, Nau, Das سات،ﺁﮢﮭ ،نو،دَس

Source: http://www.linguanaut.com/english_urdu.htm

Falling Off A Bridge

Sunday. First day of the work week and the day we go to mass to the only Catholic Church in Dubai, St. Marys.

I went with my sister, Vilma, & the couple Eli & Budjoy.

The Priest's sermon was about sins. He told the story about a priest who encouraged his congregation to go to confession. He said to just say that they fall off the bridge should they have committeed fornication or adultery to make it less shameful. Many were encouraged and when they go to confession, they just say that they have fallen off the bridge and father would know.

The priest was later on replaced. But he was not able to tell the incoming priest about their code phrase during confession. So the new priest got worried that many were falling off the bridge.

He went to the mayor and told him seriously, "Dear Mayor, we have a very big problem. There is something badly wrong with the bridge, many are falling off."

The mayor gave a loud hearty laugh knowing the code phrase during confession. The Mayor said, "It's nothing to worry about father. It is nothing serious."

"It's very serious, Mayor." the priest replied, "Your wife fell off the bridge three times last week."

Do Not Eat At KFC Dubai Mall Food Court

If you love having ketchup during your meal, as much as possible, try to avoid eating at KFC in Dubai Mall Food Court. Why? They're selling their ketchup sachet for one (1) dirham a piece. This is madness! This is not a hate campaign. I love KFC but selling ketchup sachet for AED 1/- a piece is a bit too much!

Sloka's Dubai - Paradise

I was searching the net for a 3-word description of Dubai. I found this very nice blog by Sloka. Here's what she wrote:

"Dubai is the commercial capital of UAE (just like Mumbai is to India). It's an ultra modern city buzzing with activity all through the day and night and all through the year. To me, Dubai is just a modern version of Mumbai, complete with the crowds (which is cosmopolitan but dominantly Indian), the streets, etc. The difference is that DXB is spick and span and there's no way you'd find people openly and indiscriminately littering about the place - they do it discreetly!!!! Being a small country, UAE is a lot easier to manage than Mumbai, yet the cleanliness has got to be appreciated. Dubai has developed immensely in the past 10 years mainly and I've seen it grow in front of my eyes. One day I travel on a road and there's a multistoreyed tower under construction and the next time I go there, the tower is fully occupied and operational and not just that - there's a new skysraper springing up beside it!

The latest feather in Dubai's proverbial 'cap' is the emerging of The Palm and The World - 2 prestigious man-made islands coming up pat in the middle of the Arabian Sea and where someday, I hope to own a plot and a sea-facing bungalow!

Dubai is culturally very rich too, and at the heart of all the modernisation is a Dubai that is still rooted to its.....well....roots! Ladies and girls are respected and have zones reserved for them at all public places. The Holy month of Ramadan is a period of fasting from dawn to dusk for the followers of Islam but also a period when mutual respect for relegion is displayed in all its fervour as people of all faiths refrain from eating/drinking in public. All festivals - be it Muslim or otherwise - are given due respect and celebrated with aplomb - crackers are burst and festivities abound for Diwali, Onam and Christmas alike! There is freedom of religion out there....they don't stop you from practicing your religion and culture - all they ask is for you to respect theirs!

It's quite safe at all times though the perennial risks of theft or crimes of a more serious nature are always there - but then I'd like to see some place in the world that's insulated against these risks! The public transport system is amazing and its perfectly possible and even easy to survive there without owning a vehicle.

As is well known, Dubai is a tourist and shopper's paradise - it's a melting pot of all cultures in the world, Its brimming with pristine beaches (clean ones too!), sprawling and lush gardens, amusement parks and a few zoos and the world's best hotels and resorts. Dubai's climate is not as bad, considering it is bang in the middle of a desert. The months June to September are unbearably hot and frustratingly humid but the lovely months of December to February are so pleasant, cool and breezy that they almost make up for the heat! The other months are generally pleasant. The occasional showers in the winter months are an absolute delight and a thrilling respite from the regular heat!

To read her full blog, please log on to http://slo-sugarspiceneverythingnice.blogspot.com/2006/04/dubai-to-describe-it-in-one-word.html

Piture inset is Raffles Dubai. It opened in November last year, the 19-story hotel features a striking pyramidal design inspired by ancient Egypt, coincidentally, where I am going for vacation next week! Located at Wafi in the heart of Dubai, Raffles Dubai is only 15 minutes from Dubai International Airport and a short drive to the business district.

The hotel has 248 suites, each at least 750 sq. ft., wireless Internet connections, and even an espresso machine. There are 11 restaurants and bars, the highlight of which is the contemporary Chinese restaurant, the Noble House, recently voted Restaurant of the Year and Best Newcomer by TimeOut Dubai.

Rooms start at AED 3,500 (approximately $975).

Sheikh Rashid Road, Wafi
P.O. Box 121800, Dubai

Flood in UAE

UAE is a well developed country, but it has a very poor drainage system. Little rain will result in minor floods. Yesterday night rained heavily, resulting in the closure of Emirates Road because of floods. Several desert camps were closed because of damage from the 2 consecutive nights of rain. My sister got stuck in Sharjah for more than 2 hours in traffic because of the minor floods. Even in International City, my Pinay officemate was complaining of flood in their area.

This is something that the government should look into when designing their city. It hardly rains in the desert but when it rains, it really pours. Below is a video of the usual flood after the rain in Sharjah two years ago.

Important Numbers in Dubai

When going to a different country, I usually make up a list of important numbers. When in Dubai, here are the numbers that you should know as a tourist or resident:

Directory Inquiries:
Local: 181
Int'l: 151

Country Codes:
UAE: 00971 (+971)
Philippines: 0063 (+63)

Local Area Codes:
Dubai: 04 (+971 4)
Manila: 02 (+63 2)

Mobile Codes
Du Mobile: 055 (+971 55)
Etisalat Mobile: 050 (+971 50)
Smart Mobile: 0918 (+63 918)
Globe Mobile: 0917 (+63 917)
Sun Mobile: 0922 (+63 922) Sun has no automatic roaming in UAE as of this writing.

Dubai Emergency Numbers:
Police: 999
Ambulance: 998
Fire: 997
Rashid Hospital: 04 337 1111
Welcare Hospital: 04 282 7788
American Hospital: 04 336 7777

For getting around:
Taxi: 04 208 0808
Airport: 04 224 5252

Tour packages: 04 3372010 (Look for Ricky or Vilma)
City Tours www.dubaitourcompany.com
Desert Safari www.desertsafaridubai.ae
Dhow Dinner Cruise www.dhowdinnercruisesdubai.com
Fun Tours like Hot Air Balloon www.owtravels.com

For Airlines:
Emirates Airlines: 04 214 4444
British Airways: 800 441 3322

Philippine Consulate
Mr BENITO B. VALERIANO
Consulate General of Philippines in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
#35 Beirut Street,
Ext. no. 2 Villa No. 48, Al Qusais Area 3,
P.O. Box 94778, Dubai
Phone: (971-4) 254-4331 or (97150) 654-4047 -Duty Officer
Fax: (971-4) 254-4229
Email: pcgdxb@pcgdubai.ae,pc.dubai@dfa.gov.ph

Photo inset is the Burj Al Arab, the only 7-star hotel in the world.

Useful Arabic

Here are a few phrases to help you get around Dubai.

For greetings:
Hello: as-salam alaykum
Hello (response): wa alaykum e-salam
Goodbye: ma'a salama
Welcome: marHaba
Good morning: sabaH ala-kheir
Good afternoon: masa' al-kheir
Good night: tisbah ala-kheir

Some basic phrases:
Yes: aiwa/na'am
No: la
Please: min fadlik
Thank you: shukran
You're welcome: afwan
Excuse me: lo tismaH

For small talk:
How are you?: kef Halak?
Fine thanks: zein al-Hamdulillah
What's your name?: shismak?
My name is...: ismi
I understand: ana fahim
I don't understand: la afham
I speak?: ana atakallam

For travelling:
Where is the airport?: wein al-matar
Where is the taxi?: wein maHattat tax
Do you speak English?: Tek Kalam Ingleezi?
How much is this?: Kum Hada

Photo inset is the world famous Palm Jumeirah during its construction. It has become a great tourist spot with the Atlantis Hotel as a premiere destination here in Dubai. For a Dubai City Tour booking, visit One World Travel & Tourism website.