Giraffe-Feeding @ Al-Ain Zoo

one sweet weekend, we went to al-ain zoo in abu dhabi, and feed the giraffes! what an amazing experience to go up-close (but not personal haha) with these magnificent creatures!

i’ve written about al-ain zoo here – one of the best zoos i’ve been to for sure, in terms of cleanliness, beauty and comfort. well, there we were, at al-ain zoo and we noticed an eye-catching giraffe-patches booth with the signage ‘giraffe feeding’. wow! this should be interesting!

 

 

refer to your zoo map as you look for this interesting activity, but the booth is hard to miss, with ‘giraffe’ patches all over its outer wall. besides, with them being the tallest living animal on earth, who could miss the awesome giraffes wandering in their enclosures?

we pay 25dhs (it’s about rm21 only) for 4 person, and we’re given 4 sticks of carrot in a cup, which ended up being 6. i think khaleef charmed his way into getting another 2 sticks of carrots with his loud ‘assalamualaikum’ and ‘maassalamah’ hihi.

(moral cerita : bersopan-santun lah anda walaupun anda di mana jua berada. hihi.)

 

there are a few water pipes right by the entrance, as the do’s and don’ts clearly state that we need to wash our hands before and after feeding the giraffes. other rules include :

1. don’t pet or startle the giraffes as this could make them aggressive
2. don’t feed them any other food than the one you get from the kiosk
3. don’t harass the giraffes with yells of whistles or throw anything at them

…and a few more about rubbish and smoking.

 

how tall are you standing next to a giraffe?

 

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it was really a priceless experience. they were really close. we were reminded not to touch its head for any reason, but its head was VERY close as it bowed down to take our ‘offerings’. their fat green tongue waggling about to grab the carrot into its mouth! however, their tongue is not green, actually their tongue is covered with bristle like a brush – which helps them to digest food from thorny plants.

it was exhilarating! giraffes are really huge! their head is as long as a camel or horse but with that adorable antennae-like horns on their head!

do you know that those things on their head are really called ‘horns’, but looked ‘soft’ and covered with tufts of hair. these ‘horns’ are believed to be some sort of a cooling system for the giraffe’s or to protect their head from harm. whatever it’s for, it does give these giraffes a distinct appearance!

maybe they’re the real life version of the mythical one-horned unicorn!

 

 

my boys were SUPER EXCITED. enough said. even THAT is an understatement.

kahfi was screaming shrilly with a big amused grin as he felt the touch of the damp tongue on his tiny fingers when the giraffe eats his carrot. khaleef called one of the giraffes ‘melman’. urm, from madagascar? *wink*

when they’re older, i hope they appreciate this chance of seeing a giraffe so close like that! i don’t think they quite realized how incredible this is to see a wild animal LIVE right in front of your face. and not just ANY animal, but the tallest living animal on earth!

kahfi probably thinks it’s just like petting a cat or seeing a shaggy dog pass by!

 

 

as i stood there looking at them, i observe their calm face, and soft beady eyes. they’re so big and tall, yet they move gently and gracefully, slowly swinging their long necks as they move.

i run my eyes across their long slender body, admiring the lovely patches of their fur. the patches are really special, unique only to giraffes. really beautiful.

their fur is not long at all – it’s just a very soft covering on their skin. you can’t even call it fur, rather they’re just very short hair – so i imagine running my hands on their skin, it would feel soft and velvety rather than furry like when we touch a cat.

i looked at their very slim feet and clean hooves. imagine seeing them run! but right now, standing tall and majestic in front of me was enough to cause awe and amazement. mendongak tengok!

suddenly i was imagining tall dinosaurs…

 

let’s learn a thing or two about giraffes!

 

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i won’t bore you with too many pictures of the animals we see – except for these two awesome creatures – the white tigers, and the cheetah.

the white tigers are the main attraction at al-ain zoo, and many come for a visit just to see these rare mammals in action. interestingly, white tigers ONLY exist in captivity, that means ONLY in zoos, wildlife park or preservation centers.

the white tiger is so beautiful, like a character in the magical land of narnia! it’s just a wonder to see!

 

 

mind you, these white tigers ARE NOT found in the wild. ONLY in captivity, under human care.

so then i was thinking : the normal orange-with-black-stripes tigers are now considered endangered because illegal poaching still continues and their habitat disturbed by human activities. well, what if a hundred years from now – our great-great-great grandkids will know the WHITE tiger as the original tigers because they see them often at the zoo (since white tigers ONLY live in zoos far from the harm of hunters), while the orange ones have become extinct – they became the rare one seen only in museums, old documentaries and history books!

long live the tigers!

 

 

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…and then there’s the cheetah!

i love these shots because the cheetah was SO CLOSE to the boys – right smack in their face! without the glass, kazim would’ve mounted the cheetah and ran off somewhere hihi. or, instinct would suggest, the cheetah would gobble up the visitors for his meal…

but yeah – it was an exciting experience seeing a cheetah that close – even though it’s through a glass. observing them move that close just got me to one conclusion – they’re nothing but a big cat. with dots. and killer instinct!

 

amazing closeness. i SO wanna hug one! thank you for hanging around on that table long enough for me to take this shot. hihi

 

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we took this chance to visit al-ain zoo because the weather is still cool and cozy.

you might notice my boys’ change of clothes. they first wore long-sleeved t’s because of the cool morning, but eventually got extremely sweaty as the day progressed, and after much running and jumping around excitedly at the zoo. so they changed to short-sleeved after that!

al-ain zoo is definitely one of the cleanest zoos i’ve been to and i’ve been to our national zoo, melaka zoo, taiping zoo, spore zoo and the ballarat wildlife park in aussie – al-ain is one of the top ones in terms of cleanliness of the animals’ enclosures (tak busuk!), beauty and comfort.

• there are ample sitting area, drinking fountain and food kiosk
• the walkway is very spacious
• and most importantly, the toilets are clean! (bab ni singapore pun menang jugak!)
• there are also zookeepers and guards everywhere we look to assist us, and ensuring the safety of visitors
• and there’s also a mosque inside the zoo (not just a surau!), and azan will berkumandang sepelusuk zoo bila masuk waktu.

the boys love looking at animals, and i enjoy al-ain zoo. this is definitely not the last time we gonna visit.

Best Fish Mandi Rice @ Al-Yahar, Abu Dhabi

i’m a mandi-addict. a big fan. but i’ve never liked mandi rice with fish because i don’t think they go well together. turns out that i just haven’t found the BEST fish that can go with mandi rice!

 

 

on our recent trip to abu dhabi, we had lunch at ‘al-yahar modern restaurant’ in abu dhabi, on the recommendation of a friend. we asked where is the best place to get mandi rice in abu dhabi and he guided us here.

it’s located near al-jahili fort – you’ll meet a roundabout, turning into a park, and then be on a lookout for al-yahar modern restaurant. i apologize but that’s as far as i can remember! if you ask the locals, they would probably be able to guide you there. just remember al-jahili fort as your landmark.

 

 

it’s a long 2-storey building, with blue signage – but coming from the fort you might see the back-door of this restaurant first. be on the lookout because at the back there is a signage too. when you see the back-door, just drive slowly on and you’ll find ample parking space at both side of the road.

 

the seating area for men

 

as customary of most arab and indian restaurants in dubai and abu dhabi, there would be separate eating area – for the men, and for women or family. i really appreciate this custom as it would be more comfortable for us without having to berasak-asak with the dudes!

for family area, we need to go up the stairs, to another spacious seating area and a few closed space with carpets for those who prefer eating sitting cross-legged on the floor.

 

the carpet had a distinct unpleasant smell that’s not too bad, but can be distracting as you wonder how long since they last clean the carpet…

 

the tents at my favorite mandi restaurant in dubai, al-tawasol still has the best, clean and most comfy ‘tents’, but this one at al-yahar tries to instill that ‘arab tent’ feel by putting up this stripey cloth on its ceiling. the stripey-patterned cloth is so typical of any arab restaurants around the country.

 

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we ordered our usual favorites – chicken and lamb mandi rice. however, with strong recommendation from our informer-friend, we ordered the fish too. fish for mandi rice is usually grilled, but sometimes just fried. this one is grilled, and looked mighty tasty when the order came. and as you can see, the size of the fish is pretty large!

 

the chicken for the mandi rice was fine – plainly delicious like any chicken mandi rice would taste like. no disappointment there, yet no wow-factor either. janji kenyang!

meanwhile, mr. khairul as a lamb-mandi-fan reported that the lamb meat was not juicy, not as fresh as it should and was just a mediocre attempt.

 

mr. khairul’s appetite was saved by this delicious dish of grilled fish. the portion is huge, and looked so tantalizing with its juiciness and steam still coming out from its freshly grilled fish flesh. upon tasting the fish, we both concluded that this is THE best grilled fish ever, surpassing the famous ‘aden’ in sharjah, and even in ‘chalet’ jumeirah. (click on the link to read my reviews on both restaurant.)

it’s all in the marinade – it’s salted to perfection with a hint of some sort of spicy herb or powder that went really well with the taste of the fish. delicious! i don’t do this often (sebab aku mmg tak minat dan tak reti meratah lauk) but i actually ate the fish on its own – that’s how tasty and fresh it was!

 

as always, a dish of mandi rice is accompanied by this yummy condiment made of blended tomatoes and chillies. i’ve tried many, MANY mandi rice and this is by far the most spiciest of their ‘sambal’. usually it’s just slightly spicy with a lot of tomato taste. but al-yahar’s is really pedas!

 

also a familiar partner is a plate of veggie – leafy ulam, cut-up tomatoes and cucumber, plus sliced lemon to taste. fresh and in acceptable portion.

 

overall, it was a delicious lunch at al-yahar modern restaurant in abu dhabi, and surprisingly cheap too. the taste of the grilled fish is certainly memorable – too bad it’s too far away for us to eat it on regular basis! how far? 2 hours away! sometime soon, yummy grill fish!

War Horse, A Separation, Carnage & Dragon Tattoo

watched four great movies this past week. three of them are nominees for the upcoming academy awards; ‘war horse’ for best movie award, ‘the girl with the dragon tattoo’ for a couple of awards including best actress, and ‘a separation’ for best foreign film award.

the movie ‘carnage’ is NOT a nominee, but the powerful cast of four, are all academy award-nominees and winners.

 

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this movie left me with such a good feeling, you have to watch it. it is one of the contenders for best movie award for the oscar, and when you know that stephen spielberg is behind this movie, the more reason you have to watch it. it reminds me of the book ‘black beauty’ by anna sewell, also a story about the ups and downs in the adventurous life of a horse.

this movie follows the life of a young man and his horse whom he painstakingly trained to work in his family’s farm. the horse named ‘joey’ was eventually sold off to be a horse for a high-ranking soldier who vowed to take care of the horse. and so began joey’s life as a ‘war horse’ – from working at a farm, to being strapped as a war horse, to being captured by the enemy, taken away by a couple of brothers, then adopted by a sweet village girl – the adventure seemed endless. and just when you think this is IT, the end will lead you to cheer and cry at the same time.

will joey be reunited with his original owner? well, forget that – watch out for the scene where joey is stuck in the barb wire in the middle of a war-zone. absolutely loved it!

like dolphins, i feel that horses are one magnificently beautiful animal. they’re mighty strong with pure muscle, but with so much grace in their movement. even if you’re not a fan of horses, the multiple storyline (which are all interesting) will keep you glued to know where joey will end up in.

the pace might be slow for some people (like mr. khairul!) but i promise you it will be a dramatic ending; so touching with happy and sadness all in one. a definite must-see.

 

 

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‘a separation’ creates history as the first foreign film to ever be nominated for best screenplay at the oscar. it is also the nominee and a favorite to win the best foreign film award at the oscar. this iranian movie had already won numerous awards internationally, so it was hard to ignore the temptation to watch it to see what’s all the fuss about.

the synopsis is simple enough – wife wants to leave the country and take their only daughter, but husband wants to stay because he has a father suffering alzheimer. result – they decided to separate. at first i thought this was just another regular drama about conflicts in a family – divorce, custody battle, courtroom scenes – oh, boy was i wrong.

the movie is addictive. from the very first scene, the words, acting, camera-work and plot pace already got me glued to know what happens next. when the wife left the house, the husband hired a religious woman to take care of the household chores which includes taking care of his ill father – but on one fateful day, something happened that started a domino effect that will change everyone’s life…

this movie is NOT just about the separation but so much deeper than that. issue of religious practice is obvious; one is depicted to be modern, out-spoken, taking charge, while the other is seen to be demure, soft, living life according to the do’s and don’ts of Islam. and in the middle, the daughter, trying to make sense of things; weighing between the good, the bad, and loyalty to her father.

all the actors were fantastic in their role – the words spoken, the expressions and emotions. excellent. especially impressive was the character of the daughter, ‘termeh’ was played by the director’s own daughter! and she did really well. a highly recommended movie, if only to immerse yourself in the hiruk-pikuk justice system of iran.

 

 

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what can i say? there are simply only FOUR reasons to watch this comedy movie : jodie foster as an uptight mom, christoph waltz as the annoying workaholic hp-dependent husband, kate winslet as the sensibly patient wife (or so she was at the beginning), and john c. reilly as the peace-keeper turned obnoxious husband – all award-winning actors.

yeap, this movie is JUST about these four characters rambling on and on and on and on in one location. two parents decided to meet up after one of the couples’ son beat the other couple’s son. and they talk. and talk and talk and talk and talk. with a few awkward moments. many funny lines. and a lot of wit.

this movie is based on a play, which explains the one-set location, with just 4 characters. i can imagine this work being staged successfully.

the word ‘carnage’ itself really means slaughtering of a bunch of people like in a battle, or a massacre – in the case of this movie, when the parents meet, they started off really prim, polite and proper – but by the end of the movie, their whole sense of propriety is ‘slaughtered’! no more politeness, no more small talk, no more jaga hati – everyone says what’s on their mind, couples argue publicly, no shame and no inhibitions!

i consider this comedy as a ‘holiday’ for kate winslet, jodie foster and christoph waltz who are all known as character actors for powerful films. so this very light comedy gives them a chance to just relax, and make fun of themselves. give it a try.

 

 

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apart from the 18sx scenes, this is a pretty good movie. hey, i’m a sucker for romantic steamy scenes (haha) but in this case, i just think that the sex scenes are unnecessary (some unnecessary long), and distracting. disturbing even.

anyway, the storyline is interesting – a prominent journalist is hired to search for a missing woman, who is believed to be murdered. the journalist then hired another journalist (who is the girl with the dragon tattoo) with a knack for hacking computers to help him with the investigation. the investigative journey starts, with a lot of discovery and questions that needed answers as they searched through newspaper reports and old photographs.

the CSI-meets-criminal minds plot is riveting enough, and this very gothic character – the girl with the dragon tattoo played by rooney mara (nominated for best actress) is one to watch. her character is interesting, and what she does and capable of doing will be one of the high points of this movie.

oh, and someone please tell me why someone who is not really that good looking like daniel craig can be so HOT?? hihi.

 

 

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i’m watching a norway movie next…

Walk along Marina Walk in Dubai Winter

dubai marina is a nice hang out.

there’s dubai marina mall. there’s ‘the walk’ JBR with its endless list of cafes and restaurants, pizza places and boutiques, supermarkets too, and medcare just opened – you dine, you drink, you lepak and right opposite, the beach.

 

the marina walk – the lit-up cafes and restaurants along the marina

 

and then there’s ‘marina walk’ – which is basically a string of cafes and restaurants set along the man-made marina, with the view of the skyscrapers that mushroomed all around, the expensive yachts docking at the marina, and the occasional tourist boats passing by.

last weekend, we decided to hang out at the marina walk. we walked from our place across the walk JBR – from amwaj to murjan, cross the road, cross the bridge using the pedestrian path-way and arrive to the sights and sounds of dubai metropolitan. and it’s a LONG walk!

 

 

did i mention it was a LONG walk?

but walking in the cool dubai weather, under the beautiful moon-lit sky, with the excited shrills of the boys embracing the freedom the night brings, in the arms of my man – it was a wonderful way to spend the evening. the sight of skyscrapers light-up in little dots like the buildings in manhattan, new york just gives it an extra class.

the best thing about our ‘adventure’ on foot is finding out how pedestrian-friendly dubai marina really is – you can really walk along the marina without worrying about traffic or your kids running out into the street – it simply IS a walkway made for walking, all along the marina.

 

 

like i mentioned, there are plenty of choices to dine in – from exotic moroccan restaurant to chinese cuisines to your usual nando’s and subway sandwiches. we didn’t want anything too fine-diney, so we opted for nando’s. lagipun dah lama gile tak makan nando’s!

 

 

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dining amidst the view of the mushrooming skyscrapers, the calm waters of the marina, with the occasional passing of the beautifully lit-up boats carrying tourists enjoying a belly dancing or shisha.

 

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had my favorite lemon and herb 1/3 chicken – must be drumstick! with side dishes of fries and coleslaw. i love the coleslaw! but the ayam so kering right? takpe lah, alhamdulillah, rezeki!

 

 

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thinking of doing this again real soon, while it’s still cool in dubai. it was really, really cold when we walk that day, coupled with the cool breeze and the chill of the night. how wonderful to dress up in snugly sweaters, wrap shawls and put on winter caps for a stroll. that’s winter in dubai!

…which i hope will last for at least another 2 weeks…

Dubai Global Village : Our 4th Year Here!

for non-dubaians – dubai global village is the long-awaited annual cultural event in dubai. it opens only during winter, this year from 1st november till 3rd march.

 

 

it’s basically this HUGE area with a lot of items sold from all over the world (especially from asian, africa and middle east countries) cuisine from all around and also cultural shows. there’s also a fun-fair with kiddy merry-go-round to death-defying rides!

turkish delight from turkey, colorful silk from india, glorious honey from yemen and leather goods from pakistan – these are just the tip of the iceberg. you want magnets from egypt, tribal mask from uganda or silk pashmina from nepal – you can get it here.

everytime we come here, it just feels like visiting a huge museum of the world, rather than a shopping spot! our favorite country pavillion had to be ‘africa’ for its unique display of items sold, their exotic furnitures and utensils, as well as home decor. really love it.

 

 

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this is our fourth year to the dubai global village (can’t say fourth TIME because sometimes within a season, we went like 2-3 times by ourselves, or bringing guests from malaysia – like last year we went twice with abah, and then with mr. khairul’s sister teh).

so since we’ve been here many, many times before, we know what to look for, what we want to buy, where to get it and which country pavillion is a must-go must-see. dubai global village covers a HUGE land area, and if you’re JUST walking and looking around, it may take a while. focus on things you’re really looking for, and the trip will be smooth-sailing, and you’ll go back satisfied that you got what you came for – rather than getting tired tak tentu pasal.

we went to dubai global village to do 5 things :

1. to look for abaya at egypt pavillion, at the same time get the honey-coated cashew nuts
2. to buy yemeni honey at yemen pavillion
3. to buy turkish delight at turkey pavillion
4. to eat leqaimat (arab dessert) at the beduoin stall at the entrance
5. to let the boys play/get a kiddy ride at the fun-fair

 

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kazim LOVES the ‘leqaimat’!

 

our first stop is at the many beduoin stalls across the dubai global village. here the beduoin ladies sit cross-legged in the comfort of their ‘tent’, armed with hot wok full of oil, ready to fry up some delicious arab dessert called ‘leqaimat’. another stall has a hot pan to make some sort of savoury bread that looks like capati cooked with egg and fish sauce.

 

 

i’ve already written about ‘leqaimat’ when we went for lunch at the beautiful emirati restaurant al-fanar.

this yummylicious dessert is called 'leqaimat' – crispy fried dough ball coated in sweet date syrup – sedap sangat! my boys loved it! served hot and fresh with a generous pour of the sweet date syrup, and a sprinkle of sesame seed.

click here to read the rest of my review.

 

behind me is the beduoin stall selling all these delicious arab snacks, including our favorite – the ‘leqaimat’. the beduoin ladies were fully covered, wearing the ‘batoola’ – the arab mask. i wrote a little about batoola here.

 

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after we bought most of the things we needed – we made a stop at the fun-fair area. khaleef really rambang mata, and we let him choose which ride he wants to try.

we need to buy tokens at the booth, and with the token we pay for the rides. one token is aed5 which is very expensive – because most rides cost 5 tokens – that’s aed25 already! but for just two cheaper rides (kiddy rides are the cheapest – just 2 or 3 tokens) and the joy in khaleef and kahfi, we close one eye lah! haha. sekali sekala!

we went on the merry-go-round, and khaleef and kahfi went on the little centipede rollercoaster.

 

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before leaving, a pit stop at turkey pavillion to get the turkish delight. pistachio, chocolate, coconut covered strawberry flavored ones – the works!

 

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some people might get bored with dubai global village – like, what’s new? it’s the same thing year in year out – but to us, it’s an annual visit to cultured of the middle east especially, and for a few hours, we felt like tourists to their countries.

i think that’s pretty cool. *wink*

(check out my other postings on ‘dubai global village’ from 2008 till now)