Muscat, Oman : Old Muttrah Souq & Camel Mandi Oman

for mr. khairul’s birthday on march 8th, he celebrated it by taking all of us – his wife and kiddos, his mom and aunt and sis to muscat in oman! this was my 3rd time in oman since living in the UAE (united arab emirates). to me, oman is a beautiful country with its own natural characteristic like the rocky mountainous range which you can see all over the country. 

click here to read about the time we spent 2012 hari raya haji in muscat. and this othe posting is when mr. khairul’s whole family (his mak and bapak, his bapak’s sis maklong, his siblings tina, asrar and sofia) went for a musandam dhow ride to see the dolphins, way back in 2010. read about it here.

 

here’s me and sis-in-law tina at the UAE-oman border. we were immediately greeted by this amazing sight – the beautiful black rocky mountains. this is oman!

 

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our designated tour guide was this cool couple abg yuzly and kak anis. they just moved to oman from kuwait. I must say they are one of the most friendliest strangers I’ve met in a long time. tak pernah jumpa, tak pernah kenal tapi terus ngam macam dah lama kenal. both husband and wife exude warmth and sincerety. we were in good hands while in muscat!

 

abang yuzly suggested this yummy thai place for lunch. it’s ‘sabai dee thai foods’. nothing feels better than enjoying good ‘ol asian food while away in a middle eastern country! haha.

 

we had the unforgettable tom yam seafood, soft juicy steamed fish, crispy ikan 3-flavoured & squid somtam (thai salad). semua sedap. everything tasted good, especially the tomyam and ikan 3-rasa. crispy on the outside, and juicy fishy flesh on the inside. satisfying!

 

highly recommended by mr. khairul after recommendation from bro yuzly. I think it’s green tea with milk. it’s served like this, and then you stir and end up with a pale green drink. I don’t really fancy plain green tea on its own, but this bitter-sweet drink was really satisfying! I totally love it. it’s new and refreshing. glad I gave it a try!

 

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the one place to go to shop for antiques is muttrah souq – the oldest market in oman, perhaps in the whole arab world – probably about 200 years! it has got lots of nook and corners that somehow leads you to more and more little shops. you’d think that it’s just a small souq, but its long and winding narrow lanes might get you confused!

me? I love it – it’s like travelling back in time!

 

mom-in-law, maklang & sis-in-law tina with kak anis our awesome tour guide plus driver plus hostess (hot tea and karipap panas! yum!). she had just moved to oman from kuwait and was such a good sport driving us in, out and all about muttrah souq. thanks so much!

 

top right picture : mom-in-law and aunt-in-law maklang choosing their favorite arabic perfume. they’re sold in small bottles like minyak attar in mekah but these ones in oman don’t smell that strong – just sweet, and some are fruity macam bau perfume ralph lauren! top left picture : my eldest boy khaleef wearing the distinct recognizable omani cap (kopiah) and here they’re called ‘kumma’. it’s so easy to spot an omani in dubai – just for this one characteristic.

 

oh, what myriads of sights, sounds and smells when you walk in muttrah souq!

• sights : colors of pashmina, cloth, jubah of all designs and pattern, and bling blings on bags and jewelery
• sounds : the crowd; people bargaining for a price, haggling, calling out a wandering child (kahfi!!! not too far!!! kazim, come back! khaleef hold your brother!) hihi
• smell : the frankincense of course (kemenyan wangi) – for which oman is most famous for since forever, and distinct smell of arabic perfumes

 

love this shot! especially since I had to quickly take a snap! I’m not too comfortable taking pictures while the owner stared and expecting me to buy something from his shop. sorry dude! I just want a picture of your beautiful shop!

 

look at all the colors!

 

enjoying my stroll inside the muttrah souq while mom-in-law, aunt-in-law maklang and sis-in-law tina shop shop shop!

 

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before we leave muscat, oman, our designated tour guides bro yuzly and kak anis had one more yumminess to offer – a lunch date at a mandi restaurant in oman, specializing in – camel meat! yeap. ONLY camel meat.

 

no chicken, no lamb meat. JUST camels at this restaurant. the top one in this picture is grilled camel meat, and the bottom one is fried camel meat. each one with its own unique taste that I love. it’s well-marinated as I can taste the spices, and the texture is also very soft and tender – not liat at all. I can eat them all! sedap sangat!

 

the plate of rice that we shared among 12-13 of us! that’s A LOT of rice, I tell ya! the white one is like our nasi minyak, while the other one is like nasi tomato but not quite. lebih kurang. I prefer the ‘nasi minyak’ because it’s more milder than the orange one.

 

how big is the plate of oman mandi rice and camel meat? see lah. hihi.

 

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old muttraq soup, thai food in oman and oman camel mandi. we shop, we eat, we happy – owh, what a holiday!

it was a happy weekend for us, and the day that my mr. khairul turned 35. however, speaking of march 8th, I can’t help mentioning MH370, that went missing on that very date. at the time of writing, the plane is still missing and reportedly ended its flight path in the vast indian ocean. my thoughts and doa go the the perished souls on board, and the grieving family. may Allah continue to give them strength. Allah knows best.

Dubai Flea Market @ Safa Park

one man’s junk is another man’s treasure – that pretty much sums up ‘flea market’ for me. flea market is for people to sell unwanted items cluttering up their homes – and sell it to people looking for a good bargain of that special something that they can get for an extremely cheap price.

abaya for aed30, ceramic bowl for aed15, books for aed5-10 and pretty accessories for just aed1 – if you have a good eye for cheap things.

..and who has a good eye that I know of? my mother-in-law. she has been to the safa park flea market countless times whenever she comes visiting, and came back with beautiful frames, gorgeous antique treasure boxes, and cheap abayas and dresses.

and how many times have I been to the dubai flea market at safa park in my 5 years here? this was my FIRST time. word.

 

mr. khairul setting up camp right by all the actions at dubai flea market, safa park.

 

yeap, this was my first time ever at a dubai flea market, and I was thoroughly entertained! it was definitely NOT just about business. it was a festival! people of all walks setting up tents here and there, and some spread out their picnic mat, snacks ready and just lie down reading that aed5 book that they just bought.

they’re planning to stay till the flea market closes!

 

I caught this amusing moment : my eldest khaleef, always the reliable son helping bapak set up camp, while my youngest kazim looked on to see what he can help with. my second boy kahfi? relaxing on the picnic foldable chair, enjoying the view. hihi.

 

the boys hanging out in the tent while mak went bargain-hunting with their grandma and aunt.

 

kazim chillaxing on the picnic mat, munchin snacks

 

my mom-in-law fixed a delicious spicy fried noodle. simple gile tapi pedas so sangat menyelerakan~

 

my mom-in-law played out her bargaining cards and got a good deal on lots of tops and dresses. bravo!

 

I think the key is to always smile, asked nicely for a bargain, and be politely persistent! haha. it’s definitely worth it if it means spending as little as possible.

also, learn to read the expression and body language too – when the seller seemed hesitant about the price, you might end up paying less; however if the seller seemed firm and adamant on the original price, she/he would most likely to stick to it – so just move on, there are many other stalls! good luck!

 

happy bargain-hunters!

 

flea market. in the beautiful green safa park. among tall palm trees. crowded. bustling with buying and selling. but windy. a nice day to be rummaging through other people’s junks to find that one treasured item! haha.

 

mr. khairul’s aunt mak lang and his mom. and his sis tina on the picnic chair. tired but satisfied with today’s catch! berbondot-bondot plastik bag! kih kih. to me, our best catch of the day would be a big white bowl in the shape of a sampan that we got for just aed15, and an elegant, looks-new abaya for aed30. can’t wait for the next flea market!

 

not everyone was ready for this family photo but I kinda like it. us in shades of green, spontaneous laughter, genuine smiles, full tummies, clear boredom in one (hihi) and just a peek of me; but enough to see how incredibly grateful I am to be surrounded by my loved ones.

 

my eldest khaleef getting wacky with his aunt. alright, gate 4 y’all. come and join dubai flea market at safa park, on the first saturday of the month!

 

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dubai flea market will be held:

• on the first saturday of the month at al safa park
• on the second friday of the month at uptown mirdiff.
• on the second saturday of the month at ibn battuta.

the next dubai flea market in safa park is on the 5th of april, the usual time from 8am to 3pm. entrance is aed3 to be paid at the at gate 4.

other flea market around dubai :

• 11th april at uptown mirdiff at promenade courtyard, between starbucks and fitness first. from 2pm-7pm. no entrance fee
• 12th april at ibn battuta mall, tunisia parking rooftop with the big ‘geant’ signboard. runs from 1pm-5pm.

click this link to find out how you can participate in the flea market as a seller!

Malls in Dubai Open 24 Hours : The Good and The Bad

do you like the idea of shopping malls open 24 hours a day?

yes, millions of dubai shoppers will be able to flock the malls 24 hours a day, during these 3 consecutive weekends around hari raya haji. wanna start shopping for groceries at 1am? hungry at 4am? thinking of looking for a nice dress at 3am? the mall is open 24 hours – for 3 weekends, starting from 18th oct to 2nd nov.

rise, night of the living shoppers!

 

shot courtesy of kak marliza : thanks!

 

 

click here to read more.

I’m weighing the good and the bad of malls opening 24 hours for these 3 weekends :

the good :

• this idea is appealing for people who work long hours during the day, facing traffic going home that there would be no time to shop at night, and on weekends mall would be too crowded during the day. they would love the idea of shopping after midnight
• people who works in shifts sometimes finished work at 3am, can catch a quick bite or still be able to walk around in the mall at that time
• this also benefits travellers/tourist in transit at the airport – they can escape boredom to the nearest mall
• last-minute shoppers on eve of raya would appreciate the malls being open past midnight
• coincidentally at the time of writing, I am waiting for mr khairul to come back from malaysia. he is scheduled to arrive home at 11am. tomorrow, he needs to leave home at about 1pm to catch a flight to cairo. he told me, having malls open past midnight is the perfect time right now, as we could still go out to stock up the fridge after he comes home tonight!
• to encourage people to visit the malls after midnight, a lot of stores are offering past-midnight discounts eg: if you bought an item around 10pm – 6am, you’ll get a 30% discount as opposed to only 10% when you buy during normal hour!
• of course this means that you simply CAN go ANYTIME you want. ANYTIME of the day!

 

the bad :

• people sleep at night. the idea of shopping after midnight is just not normal. who is really gonna go out in the middle of 3am to look for shoes?
• isn’t 10am to 11pm long enough to shop? malls are open all day long, all week long – what’s so important to get, that you HAD to go out after midnight to get it?
• family with kids might not want to stress their kids’ bedtime by dragging them to go shopping way past midnight
• nearly 7 malls around dubai opened 24 hours? more electricity wasted
• tired staff forced to work extra hours may affect their performance in attending customers – kang banyak pulak staff buat muka seposen kan!

 

in addition, a good friend of mine in dubai wrote this in as her facebook status :

Dubai- sempena Eidul Adha ni, shopping center dibenarkan buka 24 jam dari 18 Okt-2 Nov..byk tarikan..jualan murah, pertunjukan sarkis, kraf utk kanak2, cabutan bertuah termasuk yg x pnah terfikir akan dibuat masa perayaan yg suci & penuh pengajaran mengenai PENGORBANAN ni..

kalau bershopping setakat keperluan okla, masalahnya bila bercampuraduk dgn unsur maksiat & pembaziran, umat Islam kena berhati2...wallahuaklam

nauzubillah..moga tidak terkeliru dan terkorban apalagi dlm 10 hari terbaik ini, amin

(dubai – in conjunction with eidul adha, shopping center will open 24 hours from 18th oct – 2nd nov..lots of attractions..sales, circus acts, crafts for kids, lucky draw, including activities that we wouldn’t think of will be held during this holy festival & full of lessons in SACRIFICE..

if we were shopping as needed it’s ok, the problem is when it’s mixed with immoral activities and wastage, Muslims need to be wary…wallahualam.

nauzubillah..may we not be confused and be sacrificed especially in these best 10 days…amin)

 

she has a point! well said, kak muna!

in addition to feeling overwhelmed by this 24-hour chance to shop, we must never get carried away with all the festivities and shop-till-we-drop 24-hour. keep our mind on the focus of this day – eid al-adha – to honor the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail, for the sake of Allah. sacrifice, in the name of Allah. an act of obedience to Allah. a remembrance of that honorable virtue.

may we never go astray.

 

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though I agree with kak muna’s point of view, mr khairul and i do find this 24-hour thing merely a CONVENIENCE – making it easy for us to go to the mall at anytime without wondering whether it’s already closing time.

well, we actually tried it last weekend.

you see – mr. khairul had just arrived from malaysia at 11pm that night, and we had only a few hours before he needs to rest because he’s flying out again to cairo the very next day at 1pm! so we just took the chance to roam the malls at 1am to stock the fridge before he travel again, had supper at california pizza kitchen, and started grocery shopping.

believe me, dubai people do come out to shop at 3am. the crowd at mall of emirates looked like it’s just 8pm. seriously.

also interesting to note, the staff at california pizza kitchen was just as friendly, despite having to work extra hours way past midnight. kudos to the female staff. I wish I had taken her name! she was in great spirit, all smiles and recommended us yummy dishes to try. hope all the other workers during this ‘past-midnight shift’ are able to face the crowd with smiles and positivity!

 

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so, use the 24-hour shopping time for your convenience, but don’t forget the real meaning and spirit of eid al-adha!

Cool Artwork & Stuff @ Gerbang Malam, Ipoh

‘gerbang malam’ is literally translated as ‘gateway of the night’. nama macam night club dalam citer p. ramlee je kan haha. this name refers to a ‘night market’ in the ipoh town, which is like our usual pasar malam, only without the food. the stalls there offer clothing, shoes, phone accessories, and even a massage service in a small makeshift.

apart from the dramatic name, it all sounds so regular and mundane, right? but one of the stalls really captured our attention – in a really *artful* way!

 

 

the ‘gerbang malam’ night market in ipoh is located at jalan tahwil azhar, along the bank simpanan nasional. you’ll recognize the stretch by its rather ‘grand’ entrance on each side, that says ‘gerbang malam’. it opens from 7pm to 2am.

 

 

i was there at ‘gerbang malam’, ipoh the night after my sister’s wedding reception. i actually tagged along with my youngest sister’s buddies who came and spent the night to attend the wedding. my kiddos were with my in-laws and my husband went out with my uncles – so i was feeling rather ‘young’ and very ‘free’! *wink wink*

it was an odd mixed-feeling of relief, freedom, excitement and at the same time ‘incomplete’ – being able to just stay out very late, walking around town with a bunch of youngsters, without pushing a stroller or screaming my kids’ name every 12 seconds!

azot, dylla, bell, dot, and faiz – appreciate you guys including this 32 year old in that night outing! 

 

me and my youngest sis azot looking at cheap, beautiful brooches. we got two big-big ones each to put on the front of our kebaya. nice, huh?

 

no food stalls, but i noticed this supermarket trolley filled with buns, egg tarts, and some other pastries for sale. there’s even a loud-hailer on the side for the seller to welcome customers to his trolley-stall!

 

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now THIS is the stall that captured our attention. it’s a stall that sells art – in the form of sketch portraits drawn in pencil. the ‘artist’s name is hamid if i’m not mistaken, and he’s been opening the stall in ‘gerbang malam’, ipoh for quite some time.

his portraits are bold, and beautiful in its simplicity, with attention to details – in just a pencil sketch! i know there must be tons of artists like him trying their luck at central market, KL but i was surprised to see such a unique stall in ipoh. and his drawings are really good!

from the first moment i laid eyes on his sketch of a very recognizable picture of the legendary p. ramlee playing the violin, i knew i had to buy some of his sketches for my home in dubai.

 

 

his sketches range from popular entertainment icons like p. ramlee, kurt cobain and audrey hepburn to historical buildings in perak like the menara condong (leaning tower – yes we have a leaning tower too in perak! haha) of teluk intan to kampung houses too! all drawn in such beautiful strong strokes of the pencil.

and yes, i ended up buying ONLY two framed sketches – the ipoh railway station (which is this really gorgeous old colonial building) and a rumah kampung (village house) with coconut tree and all. i would’ve bought more but i was thinking of the weight when i want to bring it back to dubai.

 

from left : dot in black tudung, bell and dylla in green T. azot’s gal pals bought some for themselves too – there are small ones drawn in color – quotes, abstract drawings and even cartoon characters; drawn on thin plywood that is perfect for a keychain or just to hang on your bagpack.

my sister and her fiance faiz negotiating a bargain. i would say i got a rather reasonable price for this wonderful artwork, and would definitely come again bringing mr. khairul so that we can buy many more drawings!

the artist is the dude in blue sitting down. i wish him all the best in his endeavour to share with the world on how he sees it – through his sketches, and his pencil.

Hunting Abaya & Shawls @ Blue Souq, Sharjah

dubai has ‘naif’, sharjah has ‘blue souq’. also called the central souk or central market, the ‘blue souq’ is THE place in sharjah to get endless choices of abaya, shawls, carpets, rugs, antiques, jewellery – the list goes on. it’s a beautiful building with blue tiles – hence the name ‘blue souq’.

(sharjah is one of the 7 emirates in UAE. it’s right next to dubai)

there are two long buildings actually, connected by a pedestrian bridge. from outside, it looks like a beautiful 1950s train station with an islamic architecture-touch, complete with wind towers on top – a trademark of middle-east houses. a combo between traditional souk and modern shopping mall.

 

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over 600 shops selling all things middle east and all over.

 

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i was there looking for shawls.

you know what, mr. khairul is truly the luckiest husband. haha. i’m the kind of person who does not like to go from shop A, B, C, D, E, F and then goes back to C and then changed her mind, and goes back to the first shop, and ends up to last shop back again, and then decides to go to shop D again. or F again. or maybe just look for shop G, H, I and J…

so mr. khairul can just kick back and relax while i shop at one shop and then we can head home. and not drag him to hundreds of shops. hihi.

 

 

i went to shop A, found a good bargain, and just shopped there! yes, there we like hundreds of shops selling abayas and shawls, and i stayed in ONE shop and bought all i wanted from there, because i already found what i needed!

next time can come again and go to other shops lah! hihi.

i know sometimes it’s good to go to many, many shops before you settle on what you want to buy – you can compare prices, and when you look at other shops maybe they’ve got different designs from the previous shops, and maybe you can get the best deals of the best stuff after going round the whole place.

but i just don’t wanna go through all the hassle! haha. malas kan. lagipun dah jumpa apa yang dicari!

 

the inner syria cotton that i’ve been looking for! thanks to lin for the info *smile* – i bought like SO MANY colors, and still felt i didn’t get enough!

 

 

blue souq is the place to shop for abaya and shawls, AND the place where bargaining and tawar-menawar is to be expected, so sharpen your bargaining skills here! kadang-kadang belum tawar harga lagi, orang kedai tu dah siap-siap turunkan harga. haha.

the sharjah blue souk (central souk) opens from 9 am to 1 pm, closed for noon prayers, and opens again at 4 pm to 11 pm daily, except on friday. location sila google ye haha. malas jugak nak tulis. let’s just say it’s on the way to sharjah aquarium.

happy hunting!