Yong in Dubai : Tourist Stops & Scenic Spots

yong, this posting is dedicated to our awesome time together in dubai. it’s also for haiqal and haqeem, to jumpstart their memory of the fun educational times here! warning : this posting will sound like a tourist guidebook. fine with that? proceed.

 

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burj khalifa. world’s tallest building. overlooking the world’s highest shooting musical water fountain. beside the world’s biggest mall. within it, the world’s biggest indoor aquarium.

aunty gim asked her nephews to just stand in front of the burj khalifa for a good few minutes – just try to soak it all in, and be fully aware that they’re at the presence of man’s extraordinary capacity – to build something so amazing like the burj khalifa.

oh well, our malaysia’s petronas twin towers are still the tallest TWIN buildings in the world!

 

haven’t taken a picture in front of the burj khalifa for SO LONG. took the chance to grab a shot.

 

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meydan grandstand and racecourse : able to accommodate 60,000 spectators in its 1 mile long grandstand. the wavy blue light is one distinct feature of the ‘meydan grandstand and racecourse’. you can even see the majestic burj khalifa in the distance; towering over others.

mr. khairul the expert at good-photo-spots stopped at some bushes, and hey – with a backdrop of meydan grandstand. *click!*

 

 

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burj al-arab, one of the most expensive hotels in the world. its unique shape is like an arab dhow; built on a man-made island. a night could cost you $10k to $15k – and that’s just the *cheap* rooms! haha. there are personal butlers, a private reception desk on every floor, and a chauffeured rolls royce for guests use. woah. you can only access the hotel with reservations, or invitations. tak bole selamba je nak masuk lobby amik gamba.

so usually tourists would go take pictures in front of the burj al arab near the wild wadi (that’s as far as anyone can go close to the hotel!) OR, at this spot that we went to – also a popular photo-taking spot – by the jumeirah beach.

 

at night, the lights on the burj al-arab changes color. once, on chinese new year, the lights even depicted a dragon! here we got this precious chance to take a picture with the full moon in the background. gorgeous!

 

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dubai historical bastakiya, my favorite place in dubai, simply because of its classic architecture of old dubai with traditional arabic courtyard and carved wooden doors. amazing that a place as quaint as this exists amidst modern skyscrapers and rapid development of dubai.

constructed in 1690s, it’s one of the oldest residential areas in dubai with houses separated by a labyrinth of narrow, winding lanes. my boys, nephews and niece had fun running around, and along the lanes – hoping not to get lost!

the most distinct feature is the architectural design of barajeels (also known also as wind towers). that’s the one on top of every emirati homes. hot wind comes in from the top, and cools off as it reaches below. natural air conditioning!

 

 

click here for a wonderful article about the dubai bastakiya in the huffington post; which also tells of the ‘legend’ of how england’s prince charles had a hand in preserving the bastakiya!

 

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hard rock café, dubai, the biggest hard rock café outside of the states. after 12 years operating in sheikh zayed road near dubai marina, it was closed in 2009, only to open again at a new, bigger venue in 2011. in fact, we celebrated khaleef’s birthday on its opening day on 18th nov (his bday was 15th nov).

click here to read about khaleef’s awesome 6th birthday makan-makan at hard rock café on its opening day.

yong just wanted to check out some stuff at the store. yong was a collector of hard rock café shot glasses from her days studying in the states. banyak collection dia! we didn’t even dine there coz it’s impossible to get a seat so fast on a weekend! takpe lah yong – it’s all just burgers and fries. dtg dubai makan nasi mandi ok!

 

 

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the global village, also my favorite place in dubai because you can see and experience the whole of the middle east in one HUGE venue – egyptian cotton or an african goat carpet, or soft nepal shawl; indian silk or rm700 hand-woven palestinian abaya – you can get it all at the global village. turkish ice-cream, indian briyani or indonesian bakso. hungarian pastry or mexican churros. iranian nuts or yemeni honey – you can taste it all here. amazing, amazing experience!

some may say that it’s always the SAME thing displayed at global village, but I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it all – even after 5-6 years here. the colors, the taste and smells, the unique items and beauty of the cultural performances!

yong agreed – global village is indeed, a special place full of diversity!

click here to read about my trip to global village with my two younger sisters, syida and azi when they were here in 2009.

 

one of the best things to get at the global village is my favorite emirati food LUQAIMAT! that hot crispy dough balls scooped fresh from the wok; served with sweet date syrup on top. absolutely heavenly. my nephews and niece loved the taste of luqaimat too!

 

since it’s a local EMIRATI food, you’d think they’re easy to get macam goreng pisang makcik tepi jalan but nope – it’s quite rare. and for me, I know I can only get it here at the global village; and at the expensive emirati restaurant al-fanar in dubai festival city (click here for my review of al-fanar)

 

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metro dubai – yeap, I even took a ride on the metro with just yong and her kiddos nuna and adam; while mr, khairul took care of the rest of the kiddos back home. it was just us because we were heading to one of the busiest places in dubai – the naif souq – the abaya and shawl heaven.

borong! it was a very tiring (lots of walking!) but very enjoyable experience with my older sis! the kiddos? sleeping all the way on the train.

I have to mention that on the way to, and back, there were always chivalrous men standing to give up his seat for us and the kids. however, one time when we’re going out of the train, SO MANY inconsiderate people pushing their way in – except only one guy who kept shouting, “hey kids! kids! there are kids!” and he spread out his hands to give way to us. may Allah bless you for your good deed, kind stranger!

..and as always, dubai contains all the superlatives – so the dubai metro is also the world's longest fully automated metro network spanning at 75 kilometres. there you go!

fyi, to reach naif souq by metro you need to follow the RED line to UNION station, CHANGE to GREEN line, and stop at BANIYAS SQUARE station. spot the minaret of a mosque, and walk towards it. you’re soon there at naif souq.

check out my first time on the dubai metro here, written in malay.

 

 

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the atlantis on palm jumeirah, is the first hotel ever built on this world’s biggest man-made island; the palm jumeirah – shaped like, well a palm tree. 100k fireworks were used during its grand opening, lasting 15 minutes. there is definite plans to have an even grander fireworks display this coming new year’s eve, to break the world record.

this is also where our prime minister would stay on his visit here.

the kids were a little cranky here, probably thinking, “it’s JUST a hotel! why are we taking so many pictures here?” haha.

 

 

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these are priceless moment for us sisters, and for the cousins. thanks to mr. khairul for making all these trips and stops possible. our designated driver and awesome tourist guide! mwah!

Munching Burgers @ Shake Shack, Dubai Mall

this is probably the most popular burger place for the arabs here in dubai (aside from the usual mcdonalds, hardees or burger king franchise). you can see them in their white kandooras and black abayas flocking the place for a tasty, juicy burger. the ‘shake shack’.

it’s amazing to know that this huge franchise started from a little hot dog stand in madison square park, manhattan in 2001, calling it the ‘modern roadside burger’. the one in dubai international airport is in fact, its first ever branch opened in an airport.

 

 

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we went to the one in dubai mall, located on the first floor near the waterfall with the silver divers. it covers a wide area so there are plenty of seats. I can’t promise they’ll be empty ones though – most of the time it’s packed!

surprisingly, there were not many varieties in their menu – there were only a couple of choices for burgers, and fewer more for hotdogs. what they do have a variety of is their MILKSHAKES – hence the name! SHAKE SHACK! all kinds of regular shakes you’d ever wanna have. yum!

 

bole nampak rata-rata arab yang suka lepak sini!

 

the place was packed! it was already one big place to begin with, but still the seats were full inside the ‘shake shack’, and there were no empty seats at the area just outside – however, there was another section with tables and chairs opposite the ‘shake shack’ that overlooks the waterfall with the silver divers. that was where we finally got a table.

such a popular place, we had to wait for seats!

 

the waterfall with the silver divers

 

the section was quite far from the actual ‘shake shack’ but we get more privacy; plus a nice view of the ‘waterfall’. even the sound of the waterfall surprisingly added a nice touch to the experience.

 

we first learned about a device like this when we waited for our table at the cheesecake factory. it beeps when your table is ready, or when your order is ready to be picked up. it’s self-service at ‘shake shack’, so mr. khairul went inside to make his order, paid, got this ‘beeper’ and we waited.

 

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..and when the burgers arrived, my eyes were fixed on the fries – yay crinkly-cut fries! I LOVE crinkle-cut more than the shoe-string fries. and the one with added cheese on top was yummy. crispy potato fries with the delicious taste of gooey cheese. hmm.

 

 

I got the ‘shackburger’ – just a straightforward cheeseburger with tomatoes, lettuce and ‘shacksauce’. right, like adding ‘shacksauce’ would make it extra exotic. haha. it’s cheeseburger ok. no more no less. it’s not like the awesome cheeseburger at ‘burger fuel’ where they add guacamole or even mango to their burgers. now THAT’s exotic!

(click here for my review of ‘burger fuel’)

but straightforward or not, I like the burger. the patty is tasty – the texture is tender and juicy, and not too well-done. the lettuce and tomatoes were freshly crunchy. and so green! I love it. simple and deliciously juicy.

mr. khairul got the ‘shack stack’ – cheeseburger and ‘shroom burger topped with lettuce, tomatoes and shacksauce. the ‘shroom burger by itself is a choice for vegetarians, but this ‘shack stack’ is combining cheeseburger and ‘shroom burger. delicious as any good cheeseburger would be.

 

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the choices for burgers and hotdogs are limited, but they’re all delicious. simple, but delicious. don’t forget to get a shake to go with your burgers – chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or caramel! I might come again but in the meantime, for a more adventurous and tasty burgers, I’ll stick to ‘burger fuel’!

World’s Tallest Building Made of Ferrero Rocher!

ferrero rocher is one of my favorite chocolates of all time. when mr. khairul goes travelling and ask, what choc do you want me to buy at the airport – it’s ALWAYS ferrero rocher first, and then think of some other chocolates like m&ms, kinder bueno or some chocolate bar.

so you can imagine how excited I was to know that there is a HUGE replica of the world’s tallest building the burj khalifa at dubai mall, made from ferrero rocher!

awesome!

 

 

in conjunction with ferrero rocher’s 30th anniversary (I can’t believe ferrero rocher has only been around for 30 years! I thought it was more!) they decided to celebrate the brand in dubai mall. I think there’s even a contest to count the number of ferrero rocher used in making this replica, and you can win a 22-carat gold ferrero rocher!

click here for more information.

from this picture alone, can you count the number of ferrero rocher used? I’ll be spinning round and round trying to keep track of the numbers!

 

 

I read somewhere that it took the staff 72 hours to put up this tall replica of burj khalifa. the resplendant replica will be on display until this weekend, so don’t miss it! it’s quite a sight!

 

 

pictures : courtesy of abg faisal shon. thanks sir!

Hummingbird Bakery, Dubai Mall : Sorry, Too Sweet!

two of my best buddies are doing their phd in london. this is one of their favorite hangouts – the ‘hummingbird bakery’. once making me jealous that they’re hanging out together sipping hot chocs and stuffing their face with delicious cupcakes by the streets of london! hmmph!

the hummingbird bakery’s tagline is ‘authentic american cakes and desserts’ but it has been operating only around london since 2004. so it’s like they’re doing american-style baking IN london. hmm. and the hummingbird bakery in dubai mall is their first overseas branch.

 

 

it goes without saying that I’m a sucker for desserts. cakes. bakeries. cute little bakery with cute little treats. so when I heard that a ‘hummingbird bakery’ is opening in dubai mall, I jumped at the chance of trying one of their desserts – just to see what’s all the fuss about!

they have all that is expected of a bakery – glorious cupcakes, moist-looking slices of cakes and brownies too. they also have these big macaroon-like thingys called ‘whoppie pies’ – cream cheese sandwiched between two spongy cake that looks like big macaroons.

I didn’t try those coz I first wanted to try my favorite cake flavors – the red velvet cake, and the carrot cake – both with cream cheese.

 

 

I love the theme-color of hummingbird bakery – shades of primrose-pink over brown, with velvet chairs and of course – pink-colored hummingbirds on the walls. there were also fake cupcakes on the walls as décor, which I think is cute but so tempting for itchy little hands – kahfi’s! haha.

 

 

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why did I take so long to finally describe the taste of the cakes?

well, because it was disappointing!

maybe I put my hopes too high. maybe because I’ve eaten the ultimate red velvet cheesecake at the cheesecake factory. maybe the cakes at hummingbird bakery ARE not that good – that I found the red velvet cake in hummingbird bakery less than mediocre.

the cake itself is NOT as moist as I had expected a good cake should be, and oh my the cream cheese is TOO SWEET! I LOVE cream cheese on my cake, so when the cream cheese is not good, the cake is no good! the same goes for the carrot cake. I will leave it at that!

(click here to read about my experience at the cheesecake factory, and click here to read about what I think is THE BEST red velvet cake I’ve ever tasted, in the magnolia bakery)

 

 

anyways, the hummingbird bakery in dubai mall is somewhere in lower ground, around the exit to the dubail mall muiscal fountain.

try it for yourself, and hey, maybe you prefer REALLY sweet cream cheese on your not-so-moist red velvet cake! me? no likey!

 

Birthday Boy @ Kidzania, Dubai Mall

khaleef celebrated his 7th birthday last few days, and even before that, we already treated him to a full-fledged fun day at KIDZANIA, dubai mall!

for first-timers, kidzania is like a mini-city built for kids. here kids get to do ‘jobs’ like becoming a pilot or dentist to earn ‘kidzos’ (the accepted currency in kidzania). they can also spend ‘kidzos’ when they want to make pizza, or learn how to bottle coca-cola or to get a driving license. parents MUST accompany the 4 year olds (or below 120cm in height), but if the kids are older, they can be left to do the activities, wearing a special bracelet to keep them safe. accompanying parents can only watch, and cannot participate or help their kids in the activity.

with the entrance ticket (that looks like a first-class boarding pass to the emirates airline) you will get a cheque. so the first thing to do before ‘working’ at kidzania, is cashing the cheque at kidzania’s HSBC! after getting the kidzos (the accepted currency in kidzania), the kids can start ‘working’ to earn more kidzos, and spending their kidzos by making stuff!

click here for khaleef’s first experience at kidzania through a school trip. he didn’t get to do much then, which was understandable since he was there with his schoolmates and only a few teachers to organize their activities at kidzania.

..but this time, he came with his feisty mom – determine to make sure khaleef has time and opportunity to do ALL activities possible at kidzania dubai mall, and get our money’s worth!

 

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birthday boy khaleef did A LOT of activities, but these are only some of them. these activities are the ones in which he gets PAID after doing them. becoming a firefighter, pilot, dentist and many more!

 

my little firefighter in glasses on top of the fire truck!

 

KIDZANIA FIRE STATION

of course we did the MOST POPULAR activities at kidzania first – becoming a firefighter at the kidzania fire station. usually there would be a really long line of eager kids, but hey – we went on a weekday so hip hip horay! khaleef was able to do this instantly.

khaleef  enjoyed it tremendously. I guess the attraction is the fact that the kids get to ride on a actual MOVING kidzania fire truck, wear fancy uniforms and hard hats, ride to the ‘scene of the fire’ and put out fire (aka shoot water at flickering lights and smoke), and then take a ride back. oh, and get some kidzos for their ‘services’.

before they did all that, they were taken upstairs for a briefing on safety and fire hazard, and I like it that the fire-fighter kidzania staff who did the briefing was role-playing as this very strict and garang fire fighter (playfully, of course), making it so enthusiastic and semangat for the kids!

 

 

FLIGHT SIMULATOR : EMIRATES AIRCRAFT

Khaleef made one smart-looking pilot here at the flight simulator of an emirates aircraft. this is also one of the more popular ones, as the setting is made to look very similar to an actual aircraft with long narrow isles and small windows and all! cute!

 

 

I was only allowed to take pictures of him at the ‘controls’, and then I had to leave him there for him to go thru the activities. khaleef had so much fun that after doing all the other activities, he wanted to do this again!

 

my little smart-pants pilot

 

THE KZPD (Kidzania Police Department) POLICEMEN

usually, when the kids come in big groups, they’re made to walk around kidzania and check out the ‘fire at the flamingo hotel’ where the firefighters are busy putting out fire. however, khaleef was all by himself! yes, that’s how not-crowded it was in kidzania that day.

as a single policeman, khaleef was asked to go to the racing track – to check driving license of the other kids (before ‘driving’ or ‘racing’ in kidzania, the kids need to have a driving license – more on that later)! haha, hilariously adorable!

“what’s your name?” and then khaleef has to check that the name is the same as the one in their driving license. cute!

 

inspector khaleef!

 

EMERGENCY ROOM

this is also one of the more popular ones. again, because the kids get to ride on an actual moving ‘ambulance’ as members of the paramedic team!

 

 

before they get their ‘emergency’, they were briefed on the equipment used to help patients – like the stethoscopes, and the blood pressure cuff. they they take their respective equipment, and go off on the ambulance to attend to a patient somewhere on the streets of kidzania!

 

DENTIST AT KIDZANIA DENTAL CLINIC

khaleef was excited to do this since his ateh (my sister in law) is doing dentistry in cairo. here the kids can roleplay as dentists, being briefed on how to take care of their teeth and the right way of dental hygiene.

doesn’t he look snappy in dentist white coat!

 

 

when he’s done with all the activities, he gets paid in kidzos. usually, 15kidzos. the following are the other activities that khaleef did to earn more kidzos!

• DEWA : Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. Children are hired as Electricity & Water technicians at DEWA, where they have to learn how these services are provided within the city. These technicians are also dispatched to check out some problems in the city and to ensure that our solar panels are in good working condition.
• TNT Courier Service. Packages need to be delivered around the city to various establishments, and the TNT Courier messengers can ensure that the right packages are delivered to the right people and get their signature as receipt.
• All the city’s KidZos and gold are stored at the Vault next to HSBC Bank. Vault Security staff ensure that any money that is moved around in the city is done safely.
• Children can work as Construction Engineers and build a house at the Construction Site at KidZania.

*from kidzania dubai website

 

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khaleef has all the kidzania currency called kidzos, now what does he do with it? he pays to have experiences making stuff – baking pizza, bottling coca-cola, making fresh milk and even pay to take a driving license and to get a university degree!

PIZZA CHEF at PIZZA EXPRESS

I think this is one of the two places where you need to PAY 20 DIRHAM to do the activity, because you get to take the pizza home. they should re-think this since the idea of going to kidzania and getting kidzos is for them to spend the kidzos instead of actual money. ALL ACTIVITIES in kidzania should be free (included in entrance ticket price).

this is one fun activity that shouldn’t be missed. khaleef gets to wear an apron and chef hat – and make pizza!

1. first the pizza crust. well, the dough is already flatten in a small pizza pan,
2. and he was given a plop of tomato sauce which he needs to spread across the dough
3. then he can choose any toppings he wants – well, there wasn’t much choice – just chicken, beef pepperoni, capsicum, corn and mushroom. khaleef chose the pepperoni
4. and then they’re given lotsa parmesan cheese
5. their pizza is baked, and after 15 mins, they can eat it hot and fresh!

 

 

what other stuff did he learn to make? remember he needs to pay 20 kidzos for each of these activities!

 

making fresh milk at lacnor factory! so cute with that ‘shower cap’! haha. they choose their own favorite flavor, and at the end of the machine, a small carton of choc milk came out for khaleef to take home!

 

next, bottling coca-cola! the kids went through the steps of manufacturing cokes – taking an empty bottle, filling it up with coke, take a bottle lid, put it through the label machine, and finally getting a brand new, freshly bottled coca-cola to bring home!

 

khaleef works as a perfumer at the swiss arabian perfume shop! he was briefed on creating fragrance and was taught about ‘essence’ and the right way to smell a scent! there were 4 different essence, and he chose the ‘mix fruit’ smell. nice! he got to bring home a small bottle – of course, for mak! hihi

 

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saving the best for last, this was khaleef’s most FAVORITE ACTIVITY – racing at the yokohama race track. he did this TWICE! especially since there weren’t too many kids!

all it was, was simply ‘driving’ a race car!

1. before driving, must get driving license – need to pay 20 kidzos
2. then pay another 20 kidzos to race
3. no more kidzos to spend? then go to WORK – firefighters, cashier at waitrose or be a construction worker!

 

this was how fast he was going. there were no other kids around, so one of the staff members went onto another ‘race car’ and raced with khaleef! khaleef had super FUN!

 

khaleef taking the ‘driving test’ before receiving his driving license!

 

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some extra tips for all you kidzania first-timers!

• kidzania dubai caters for kids aged 4 to 16. however, there are limited activities that a 4 year old or even a kid under the minimum height of 120cm can do – so it’s more fun and worth the money if you’re about 6 years old and above, and is taller than 120cm! khaleef barely made it! he is exactly 120cm tall!
• some activities are only available in certain time (like every one hour or so) like the tv studio so you have to know when it is open
• also, in my opinion, you’d enjoy it even MORE if you have a daughter! well, a girl can do all the boys’ activities (well, there are no boys-only activity anyway) but there are a few girls-only activity (boys CAN do it, but it’s just too girly! hihi) like making bracelets at DAMAS shop, make-up at dove, and dressing up too!
• prayer room, nursing room, fun-filled kids’ room and even a very classy cozy parents lounge are available – making your trip with your kids to kidzania more – tolerable! hihi.
• go on a WEEKDAY! it’s SO MUCH fun, no-waiting time, much less crowded and your kids can do the activities that they like more than once! khaleef did almost ALL the activities within 4 hours (minus the girly stuff hihi)
• tickets to kidzania, dubai is aed95 for adult, and aed140 for kids (RM79 dewasa, RM117 kanak-kanak) so my malaysian friends – tickets to KIDZANIA malaysia is CHEAP!!! go now!

when we’re back in KL, I’m definitely bringing khaleef to kidzania malaysia! this time with kahfi, and maybe their aunty sofia or with their cousins abg haiqal, abg haqeem, sufya, and nuna!