Middle East
My love affair with the UAE
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
My recent trip to the UAE (yes, again) proved to be a very fruitful one. There was a lot of work to be done before, during and even after the trip, but I took consolation in whatever little time I managed to spend with my friend, Raf, who is currently stationed in Dubai.
Raf is looking more and more radiant with each day, while I on the other hand, seem to be looking more and more haggard. Yup, that's me with eye bags and virtually no makeup at the end of another hectic day.
On my last trip to Dubai, I heard so much about the souks there (somewhat like our pasar malams, but classier) but I didn't have much time for sightseeing then. This time around, I managed to squeeze out some time by sacrificing my beauty sleep. Yup, and so I finally went to a souk! I also took a ride in the Abra, the river taxi.
I only bought a pair of beaded slippers at the souk, and the only reason why I did that was to prevent myself from falling into the river. Silly me wore high heels, and I was told that we had to jump on to the Abra, which was not very stable to begin with. We took some pics in the Abra, but the pics didn't turn out well and plus, I looked like such a wreck. :P
Besides meeting my dear friend, I also managed to shop haha.. which was really no mean feat considering that our schedule was literally packed from morning to night. I bought a couple of tops from Zara (still on sale then!! The Dubai Shopping Festival takes place from end Dec to early Feb). There was an abundance of clothes in S size because most of the people there are much bigger sized than us Asians. I heart Forever21 in UAE too..the dresses cost at most about S$50 and I can always find them in my size. ;)
Shopping aside, I also had the privilege of visiting The Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. It is a magnificent 7-star hotel surrounded by lush, sprawling grounds, and it is so well-guarded that only hotel guests or guests with special passes are allowed entry into its premises.
At the end of the trip, we went on a desert safari tour where we were taken right into the heart of the desert to experience the roller-coaster excitement of dune bashing in the comfort of a land cruiser.
We were shrieking and screaming at least half the time because of the sharp turns and scarily high dunes.
Halfway through however, hunger got the better of me, and I started gorging myself with chocolate dates while the rest watched on in bewilderment. Hahaha..Imagine eating while you're on a rollercoaster ride. That's exactly what I did. Sorry..hunger knows no boundaries what.
We were given some time to take photos in the desert, but the wind was so strong I retreated back into the land cruiser after 5 minutes. I could feel sand on my face, and even in my mouth..goodness. I think there was a sand storm then.
After the 45 mins ride, we were treated to dinner, henna and belly-dancing in the traditional Bedouin tents.
I was clad in black from head to toe, complete with a black head scarf just like the Arabs because I couldn't stand the sand, which was irritating my eyes by then. Because I looked almost like an Arab with my dark-lined eyes and fair skin, the group started snapping photos of me.
Alas, it was a pity I didn't have the photos in my camera as I was too busy being the photography subject.
Raf is looking more and more radiant with each day, while I on the other hand, seem to be looking more and more haggard. Yup, that's me with eye bags and virtually no makeup at the end of another hectic day.
On my last trip to Dubai, I heard so much about the souks there (somewhat like our pasar malams, but classier) but I didn't have much time for sightseeing then. This time around, I managed to squeeze out some time by sacrificing my beauty sleep. Yup, and so I finally went to a souk! I also took a ride in the Abra, the river taxi.
I only bought a pair of beaded slippers at the souk, and the only reason why I did that was to prevent myself from falling into the river. Silly me wore high heels, and I was told that we had to jump on to the Abra, which was not very stable to begin with. We took some pics in the Abra, but the pics didn't turn out well and plus, I looked like such a wreck. :P
Besides meeting my dear friend, I also managed to shop haha.. which was really no mean feat considering that our schedule was literally packed from morning to night. I bought a couple of tops from Zara (still on sale then!! The Dubai Shopping Festival takes place from end Dec to early Feb). There was an abundance of clothes in S size because most of the people there are much bigger sized than us Asians. I heart Forever21 in UAE too..the dresses cost at most about S$50 and I can always find them in my size. ;)
Shopping aside, I also had the privilege of visiting The Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. It is a magnificent 7-star hotel surrounded by lush, sprawling grounds, and it is so well-guarded that only hotel guests or guests with special passes are allowed entry into its premises.
At the end of the trip, we went on a desert safari tour where we were taken right into the heart of the desert to experience the roller-coaster excitement of dune bashing in the comfort of a land cruiser.
We were shrieking and screaming at least half the time because of the sharp turns and scarily high dunes.
Halfway through however, hunger got the better of me, and I started gorging myself with chocolate dates while the rest watched on in bewilderment. Hahaha..Imagine eating while you're on a rollercoaster ride. That's exactly what I did. Sorry..hunger knows no boundaries what.We were given some time to take photos in the desert, but the wind was so strong I retreated back into the land cruiser after 5 minutes. I could feel sand on my face, and even in my mouth..goodness. I think there was a sand storm then.
After the 45 mins ride, we were treated to dinner, henna and belly-dancing in the traditional Bedouin tents.
I was clad in black from head to toe, complete with a black head scarf just like the Arabs because I couldn't stand the sand, which was irritating my eyes by then. Because I looked almost like an Arab with my dark-lined eyes and fair skin, the group started snapping photos of me.
Alas, it was a pity I didn't have the photos in my camera as I was too busy being the photography subject.
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