Easter, 31 March 2013

Easter's not a public holiday here, but I took the day off anyway.

Here's my egg (Hello Kitty, of course!):

I also went to church. There's two Catholic churches here. One in Bur Dubai and the other in Jebel Ali, which is closer to my house. I went to that one. It's not easy to get to, as it's not right by the Metro and I can't work the buses!

Getting there was fine. It was a packed service, with people standing. Unfortunately, leaving was much harder. No taxis! I rang for one, but it didn't come and there were other people waiting for taxis too. Luckily I got a lift to Ibn Battuta metro station with a family. It was me, the old grandmother, the mother and father and their daughter. However, it still took about half an hour as there was heaps of traffic and only one road in and out. They said it's always like that! Maybe next time I'll just go to the one in Bur Dubai. Although it's further, by the time you get out of Jebel Ali, it'll be faster to go there.

Ibn Battuta Mall cos this place is cray-cray! (27 March 2013)

So I went back to the Ibn Battuta mall... this place is still mad on a second visit!

There was grass there in front of the mall which was a nice surprise for my toes! So long since I felt grass last!

There's also some weird flight type things outside near the road too:

And to the right is the big Ibn Battuta Gate which has a Movenpick Hotel in it as well as office blocks (been told about the offices). It's huge!

So back to the mall. The shops I want are all in the Egypt area, so that's where all the pics are from.

 Note the decorative hieroglyphics below:

 Shopping inside with a fake sky and some facades. Like shopping at Disney Land!:

Love these mosaics and fancy lamps:

So that's Ibn Battuta mall (or at least the Egyptian part). World's largest themed mall in the world. One day I will go to some of the other sections. One day... :)

Horse Show and Burj Khalifa with dancing fountains by the Dubai Mall, 22 March 2013

My friend, Kertu, and I went to a Horse Show to take some pictures. I've never been that into horses, but thought why not. And Kertu was there to take photos, so I thought it'd be a good idea too. 

So there were quite a few things going on at the show. Stalls and people buying horses, displays of traditional crafts, work and cooking as well as horses showing in an arena.

I met up with Kertu at the arena. We saw some of the horses being shown. They led the horses around the ring and there were people on the outside of the ring with plastic bags attached to sticks. They were beating the sticks, rustling the bags and calling out in order to get the horse to perform how they wanted. I think they were getting the horses to run around, stop and rear and stuff. I can't entirely remember what the aim was, but there were people whose job it was and they did it for every horse.

The horses look a bit different from normal as they have oil around their eyes and noses etc. Like makeup for horses.

This horse below did well and the arched neck is a feature of the Arabian horse. Kertu told me about that. She knows about horses and even has one back in Estonia.

Then we had a look at the traditional stalls. Kids could try them out. There was also free traditional food. Some kind of savoury crepe that has an egg on it and some fried dumpling things that are served with a sweet date sauce over them. The dumplings are yummy!

There was also this great panorama painting of the Sheikh there.

They were also building this shelter outside the horse show. Looks a lot like a fale, but thatched.

After the horse show we went to Dubai Mall to have a look at the huge fountain.

Here's some facts about them that I found online:

• The Dubai Fountain length 275 meters (900 ft) - more than 2 football fields, and 25% larger than the Bellagio Fountain in Las Vegas, visible from over 20 miles away up (in space) or horizontally if you have a clear line of sight.
• Dubai Fountain height of 150 meters (500 ft) apparently. Emaar press releases in 2008 and 2009 were saying "Powerful water nozzles shoot water sprays to heights of over 500 ft". Which is the same as the height of a 50-storey building, or high enough to wash the windows a fifth of the way up the Burj Dubai. And in May 2009, that was stretched to "Height – 900 feet" according to the Khaleej Times "Fountain Facts". It looks more like 100-150 ft to us (30-50 meters).
• Dubai Fountain height increased to 275 meters in a press release 02 January 2010 announcing the addition of a new song (Inshed An Aldar): "The Dubai Fountain can reach a height of 275 metres (900 ft) and is equipped with powerful nozzles capable of shooting water higher than a 50-storey building" which sounds like a very tall 50-storey building, and the water jets don't look anything like as high as 900 ft.
• 22,000 gallons of water in the air at any given moment.
• More than 6,600 lights with 1,000 different water combinations to drift into your dinner if you're on one of the Souk Al Bahar terrace restaurants when the wind is blowing your way. Music will be played to accompany your soggy steak.
• 50 colour projectors according to original information, down to 25 according to the Dubai Mall website, but we've only ever seen white.
• The Burj Dubai Lake fills the gap between the Dubai Mall, The Palace Hotel, Souk Al Bahar and The Address hotel. The Dubai Fountain plumbing doesn't run down as far as The Address though.
• WET (established 1983) are the Californian based designers of The Dubai Fountain. WET also designed The Fountains of Bellagio and the Mirage Volcano in Las Vegas, and other fountains around the world. WET use their own proprietary VirtualWET program for the Dubai Fountain. Once it's all set up, the fountain program control is mostly done by computers wearing anoraks.

They were pretty good.

There were also really nice views of the Burj Khalifa too. Lovely full moon out too.

It's getting hot....

Since I've been here, the temperature has slowly been climbing ever higher. Today it right on the border line of being too hot for me. I managed to eat my lunch outside today - I'm really trying to go outside as I want to minimise my imminent time as an indoor prisoner of the heat - but can hardly believe that it was 38 degrees C!  The low humidity is what must be making it bearable, cos I normally would've melted. I didn't stay out a really long time, but  enough to feel like I had some outdoor time. Coming back inside was like jumping into a plunge pool after a sauna - they keep the lobby of this building SO COLD. Our office isn't much warmer, but is still warmer than the foyer. FFS people - turn up the air con! AND, for the love of God, please change the CD being played at Costa Coffee (opp our office). If I hear Enya one more time, I just don't know what violence will be unleashed! ;P

I was awake at 6.30am for some unknown reason...

But, before going back to sleep, I saw this wicked, huge and low on the horizon sun!

Moroccan Bath for relaxation

So, today I had a Moroccan Bath. They're supposed to be relaxing, exfoliating and good stuff like that.

I hadn't had a Moroccan Bath before, so I just went there with my loofah and not many expectations. I really had no idea what what gonna happen. 

What happens, you ask?

1. Strip off

I didn't strip off completely, but opted to wear the paper panties. I was told to strip down, put on the panties and then call for the lady that's going to wash me. So I did, but when calling I put up a gown over my nakedness. To which the washing lady basically asked me why I am bothering to cover myself since I'm going to be in just my paper panties for the bath. With her. Washing me. These were all good points.

2. Be naked in front of your washing person

See above. I decided that this is her job, so she probably doesn't even care anymore.

3. Be washed by someone as if you are unable to wash yourself

This I found bizarre. I mean, someone's lifting my limbs and washing me while I just lie there. But I am perfectly capable of soaping myself? It's kinda like you're very ill or in hospital and having some kind of sponge bath. Weird.

4. Lie in steam for 20 mins

So after the washing, the steam starts up and you get steamed. The washing lady goes to the other room. But before she goes, she tells me not to touch my eyes. Immediately I eyes become itchy. 

5. Be exfoliated as if you are unable to exfoliate yourself

Just like the washing, but more vigorous and with a loofah. Started to wonder about how much skin I was losing! It's all good though - seems to be fine and she stopped loofahing before it hurt. :)

6. I had a massage (though, sadly, it wasn't that good of one)

Nuff said.


So all up, let's just say that I found it weird.... 

Probably won't be having another Moroccan Bath! It's just too odd being washed by someone when you're totally able to do it yourself!!