Emirate Hoppin' in UAE (Part 3): Dubai's Culture and Cultural Theme Parks

- December 28-31, 2016, Wednesday to Saturday.

- The morning after our fantastic desert safari cultural experience (click here), we had a free day from the tour. Since I realized that we hadn't really explored the historic part of Dubai, I suggested to my family that maybe we could explore more of Dubai's old quarters. After all, most people only think of Dubai's modern side, and more often than not, they don't know much (or anything at all) about Dubai's culture and history.

- Dubai, believe it or not, has been around for millennia. Despite its proximity to the desert, there is a natural salt-water creek that has been bringing fish to the emirate. The creek has even been called "the blood of life" since it not only provided some source of water to the emirate, but also a source of livelihood (i.e. fishing.) Since plenty of civilizations rise near bodies of waters, it is no surprise that the commercial and cultural center of Dubai is located by the Dubai creek. One of the interesting places to go in that area is the Al Bastakiya, also known as the Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood. It is a 10-minute walk from Al Fahidi metro station. Bastakiya is an area with restored traditional houses, and is perhaps the best way to feel Dubai in the late 1800s. These houses are currently used as small museums, shops, cafes, and hostels. Al Bastakiya also reminded me of Spain's Cordoba (click here.)

- It is best to stay here for half a day if you're interesting in going to all the museums and shops. Since we were pressed for time, we stayed there for around an hour.

Al-Fahidi Roundabout.

Fake camel outside the coffee shop.

Wind tower. The wooden poles are used as a kind of support for the tower.

Old Dubai Wall.

Inside the architectural museum.

View of Bastakiya from the second floor.

The mosque in the neighborhood.

Falcon!!

Aladdin anyone??

Example of an old Arab house/tent.

Another wind tower with small UAE flags.

- A short walk (around 2 minutes) from Bastakiya is the Dubai Museum, also known as Al Fahidi Fort. Now one interesting trend I noticed in UAE is building national museums inside forts. Another example is the Ras al-Khaimah National Museum (click here.) The Al Fahidi Fort is the oldest structure in Dubai, dating back to the 1700s. It opened as Dubai's national museum in the 1970s. It is a fairly small museum, and without the crowd, it would take a person 15-30 minutes to finish everything. That's how small the museum is. It shows dioramas of early Arab life, and of course several artifacts like musical instruments, coins, and shards of old pottery.

The dhow (the big boat) outside the museum.

A colorful traditional harp.

Armor.

An old abra.

Not sure what kind of bird this was.

Old Arabs hanging out.

A woman sewing inside her house.

Bedouin woman.

The fort from the museum's open area.

See how tiny I am.

- Had I more time and had I traveled alone, I would have also gone the extra mile (literally) to see the Al Shindagha District, which is geographically beside the Bastakiya Area, though it would take a long walk to get there. Since I was with my family, and they don't share my joy of walking and exploring, I went straight to the textile souq. I was sort of OK not going to Shindagha since the main attractions there are currently closed for renovation, like the Heritage and Diving Village and the Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House.

- From the museum we walked around the corner and through the textile market to find the abra station. Apparently we went to the wrong abra station, and we should have gone to the western station. Currently, there are two main abra routes, the Dubai Old Souk Station that goes to the Sabkha Abra Station (the one we got on,) and the Bur Dubai Station that goes to the Deira Old Souk Station. I think I got mixed up because of the similarities in names, but the good thing was the Sabkha Abra Station was not too far from the Deira Old Souk Station (where we were supposed to go in the first place;) it would take a good 5-10 minute to from one station to the next.

Through the textile souq (aka "Old Souk.")

Abra ride.

- We went through the spice souk and the gold souq to take some time in buying some souvenirs. Personally I think that it was best buying souvenirs at the gold souq compared to the spice souq or the textile souq. The prices of the souvenirs seemed better at the gold souq, and the choices/designs had more variety. The textile and spice souqs, however, had interesting things as well that may also serve as souvenirs, like Arab-style lamps and pashminas, apart from spices and textiles.

Spice Souq.

Gold Souq.

Belhul Mosque just outside the Gold Souq.

- After having lunch at an Indian restaurant, we went to Al Ras metro station to go back to our hotel to rest before our evening destination. I can tell that they were all exhausted, which made me think how fast I travel when I'm on my own, and how far I usually walk when I travel. I was honestly thinking of how many items on my list I had to cross out since my family was complaining that we were walking too much and that they were already tired - and then there's me who thought that we were going too slowly. I think I had gotten used to traveling on my own. Come to think of it, I am encouraging everyone to travel alone, if there is an opportunity to do so, at least once in their lives. It is such a liberating experience that tests how well you know yourself.

- That evening we rode a cab to Global Village, an international-themed theme park that only opens from September to some time April the following year. The opening/closing dates vary per year so it's best to check the theme park website. It is best to go to the theme park by taxi, and the park also assures that there are a ton of taxis waiting at the parking lot for people who want to go back to the main city center. The theme parks (not just this one) are usually located at the far-flung areas of Dubai which are currently not yet reachable by metro. Each theme park might have shuttle schemes that bring people to certain stops in the city or metro stations, but again, these vary. depending on the theme park.

Where in the world am I??

Italy beside UK.

The Eiffel Tower seemed to have crashed into a house of some sort.

I am the man of the world.

One of the three fake Taj Mahals I've seen  (read through this post to see the other two fake Taj Mahals I encountered in Dubai.)

Kuwaiti culture.

Believe it or not, this is made of different spices!!

The Eastern-European pavilion.

I'm pretty sure that's not where those two go.

- The Global Village theme park opened in 1996, and its opening season is in line with the Great Dubai Shopping Festival (i.e. sales everywhere) that happens during November to January. Apart from the pavilions that replicate famous landmarks (ex. India's Taj Mahal,) and the opportunity to go around the world in one night (is is open from 4pm to 12 midnight during the weekdays, and 1am during the weekends,) what makes it a go-to destination for both residents of Dubai and tourists every year is that the lineup of the pavilions change annually. Mainstays of the theme park include the China, India, and Egypt pavilions, but some of the smaller pavilions may change. Inside each pavilion is a mini-bazaar that sells things from that country and probably small exhibits that show aspects of the country's culture. Of course the highlight, for me, are the pavilions of the countries that I will most likely not have the chance to visit (though I want to) like Syria, Afghanistan, or Saudi Arabia. Also, apart from shopping, there are live cultural performances and a wide array of food from across the globe. Needless to say, this theme park is one of the highlights of my trip in Dubai. The best part? The entrance fee is a mere 15 dirhams (as of 2016)!!

Oh the glory of the Persian Empire.

Different miniature Iranian landmarks.

One of my favorite pavilions.

KSA = Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

That's the Indian Pavilion at the right.

Of course this should be here.

Tsaminamina-e-e. Waka-waka e-e.

My beloved, and of course my favorite pavilion.

Harambe. Too soon?? So 2016?? Whatever.

Of course.

Inside Qatar.

When will I go to Afghanistan?? Well honestly I'd LOVE to visit Afghanistan, especially the Bamiyan Buddhas (or what's left of them,) but of course, I'm a bit scared to go there.

Afghan weaving.

Afghan music.

 - The Global Village is around 1.5 square kilometers. However, since one portion is reserved for the amusement park (with the usual rides,) and the open area (to watch performances at the main stage) is quite big, going around the pavilions in one evening is very doable. Of course, this will also depend on how long you want to stay in each pavilion, or how many things you'd want to buy, or if you'd like to go to the amusement park area (which I don't really suggest since you can do the rides anywhere else anyway.)  

Would love to visit Algeria some day.

Don't be alarmed. It's just a mannequin.

Palestine. Hmmm, interesting. And of course, we all know what's happening in Syria.

I think this dude sells tea. Saw him outside the Palestine pavilion.

Of course, we didn't enter this pavilion anymore since we had been going around the UAE the past few days.

Interesting Pakistani truck.

Not sure if it was coincidental or made as a joke - the USA pavilion placed beside the Russia pavilion.

The (fake) Taj Mahal at night.

Another impressive pavilion.

Again, people, the Trojan Horse is in Turkey, not Greece!! (It's in Canakkale.)

Turkish kaftans.

- The following morning was our last day of the tour. Continuing with the theme parks theme, we started the day by going to the Ski Dubai, a massive indoor ski resort inside the Mall of the Emirates that was opened in 2005. (You can reach by riding the metro to, you guessed it, Mall of the Emirates metro station.) For those who want to ski, an advanced booking is needed and additional charges apply. Since our tour group were pressed for time, we were't able to ski. However, we were allowed to enjoy the other activities like sledding around or going to the ice slide. My family decided to ride the ski lift just to experience riding one and go back down.

It's not as cold as I had hoped it would me. Maybe I'm just too used to the cold (and it's strange because I live in a burning hot country near the Equator.)

I find it impressive that they were able to create a giant ski slope inside the mall!!

While at the ski lift.

With an ice dragon.

- We rode the coach after our hour inside Ski Dubai and proceeded to see the Miracle Garden at Dubailand. Dubailand is the district where most theme parks are (including the Global Village.) Being the largest natural garden in the world since it opened in 2013, it is indeed a "miracle" since the land used to be part of the desert. With more than a million flowers, it is a heaven for flower lovers. Yes, the whole park smelled like the forest (or personally, a wedding flower centerpiece) because it smelled of flowers and leaves. There were many flower-covered sculptures, from an upside-down castle to an Emirates airplane, but my favorite was the part where they had replicas of famous landmarks covered with flower (and this includes the second "fake" Taj Mahal I encountered.)

I'm hereee.

Looks like something you'd see in Alice in Wonderland.

To the sky.

Possible the weirdest installation in the theme park.

Flower-adorned abra.

Flower Emirates.

With yet another fake Burj Khalifa.

The dopest flower flamingo ever.

A flower peacock.

Fake Taj Mahal 2 in Dubai: the flower Taj Mahal in the Miracle Garden.

Flower-adorned houses.

Flower pagoda. 

On the way back to the city proper.

- After our brief 30-minute visit, we rushed to have lunch and sent the others to the airport since our actual tour ended on that day. Only my family and another mother-daughter tandem stayed behind for a few days extension. My family rested for a while, and my parents and I went to Al Karama while my sister met a friend elsewhere. Al Karama is known for inexpensive shopping; it is reachable by riding the metro to the ADCB metro station. The main shopping place is the Al Karama Shopping Centre. However, due to my carelessness, I overlooked the fact that there was an Al Karama Shopping Complex (the big bargain mall) and the Al Karama Shopping Centre (a small one-floor shopping place closer to the metro station.) Needless to say we went to the smaller one, and was puzzled since I was expecting a proper mall and a "wide variety of shops" according to the reviews online. The interior of the shopping complex also resembled the shopping complex so I didn't question. Our agenda was to supposedly buy more souvenirs. Well my dad was happy because there were cheap but good-quality "Dubai" shirts in the small shopping complex (around 10 dirhams,) and it was exactly what he was looking for. Also, there was a "Day to Day" store right across the street and my dad and I were able to get more bargain-priced souvenirs. Looking back I think it was also better for us to go to the smaller shopping centre since my dad has a difficult walking long distances, and the bigger mall was a bit farther down the road from the metro station. (As of now I haven't told my parents about this small mistake, since I think I won't hear the end of it. Heehee.)

- In the evening, my parents and I had dinner at City Centre Deira, the big mall behind my hotel. It was a normal mall with normal brands. My favorite part of the mall was the big Carrefour at the second floor since it had all sorts of reasonably-priced things - from food (both everyday food and specialty food/delicacies,) clothing, toys, appliances, etc.

- The following day was initially planned as a wildcard day for the family, meaning we had no plans since we think that we were already able to visit the places that we wanted, or buy the things we needed. Though I initially wanted to visit the souqs again, I couldn't since they weren't open until the late afternoon since it was a Friday, the 30th of December. Fortunately, I saw a random sign while riding the coach several days earlier about a certain "Bollywood Parks Dubai." This got me interested and thought that I could probably pay a visit to this theme park. It was also located in Dubailand, and as mentioned, most theme parks in Dubai are located in that area. As for this time, going there is best by taxi (or to UAE Exchange metro station, then get one of the few cabs parked there, and go to the theme park.)

- Bollywood Parks Dubai, I later found out, was one of the newest theme parks in Dubai, which is why not everyone knew about it. It was just opened in October 2016. It was so new that even my Indian cab driver did not know about it (because you know, many Indians have a strong affinity with Bollywood of obvious reasons.) Bollywood Parks Dubai is located in a mega theme park made up of smaller theme parks. What I mean about this is that is shares the same entrance with Legoland and Motion Gate (Hollywood-themed) Parks, but with separate ticket booths. These three (or at least, so far there are only three of them) right beside each other so much so that there was a promotion of buying a 3-in-1 ticket (three theme parks for the price of one.) Since my mom and I weren't interested in Legoland or Motion Gate, we just bought a ticket to the Bollywood theme park (the promotion ticket was 10 dirhams more than a single-park ticket.) I suppose the promotion is better for people who want to visit 2 or 3 of those theme parks. The entrance fee, by the way, was quite hefty - 285 dirhams (the 3-in-1 was 295 dirhams.)

Bollywood it is!!

Mudras.

- What welcomes people to the park is the Gateway of India look-alike arch with the name of the theme park. Once I saw this, I was like a 4-year-old kid at Disneyland. My mouth was open with wonder and excitement, and my eyes were twinkling with disbelief that such a place exists in the world. My mom, being the sensible one, told me to calm down using her "mom voice."

The entrance, based on the Gateway of India in Mumbai 

I can't believe there's actually something like this.

One of the most popular old Bolly films.

Indian elephants, of course.

- The theme park is the first Bollywood-themed theme park in the world. I have encountered an almost similar park like this in India called "Kingdom of Dreams" (click here) which I used to think was a Bolly-themed theme park. However, I late found out that India's Kingdom of Dreams and related theme parks across India are film/movie-themed, but not necessarily Bollywood-themed. This particular one in Dubai, however, was really based on Bollywood films (think of it as a Bollywood-style Universal Studios.) For example, the areas of the park and the rides were all based on some iconic films. They also have live shows that were excerpts from Bollywood films like the stunt show in Dabangg (2010). Apart from this, there is a main theater at the center of the park, called "Raj Mahal" (the third "fake" Taj Mahal I saw in Dubai) and is a giant theater that has nightly Broadway-style Bollywood shows. Tickets to this show are separate from the main ticket. Since I wasn't able to spend the whole day there, I wasn't able to see that night's show. However, I didn't feel too bad since I was able to see a similar kind of show at Kingdom of Dreams in India some years ago.

Taj Mahal?? No, it's the RAJ MAHAL!!

If only the Taj Mahal back in India were this people-less, then I'd have the perfect no-photobomb Taj Mahal photo.

- Beside the Raj Mahal is the Mughal E-Azam Shahi Dining (Indian royal Mughal-style fine-dining restaurant) and is based on the Mughal period-movie "Mughal E-Azam" (1960.) The building of the restaurant is based on the Amer Fort in Jaipur.

Brings me back to Jaipur.

My favorite heroes!!

Krrish!! Bollywood's answer to Superman and Batman. (and its prequel, "Koi....Mil Gaya" is Bollywood's answer to Hollywod's "E.T.")

Would want to grab hold of that mask!!

It's one of the nicest virtual attractions I'd been on. It's like flying through India with some action!!

Too bad this "how Bollywood films are made" attraction was not working well that day, so I wasn't able to experience it.

- The theme park was quite small if you ask me, good enough for maybe half a day, unless you're the type to experience all the attractions. Most attractions are virtual attractions since, one, it's based on films, and two, the park is small. It also has some Bollywood-themed stores and Indian restaurants. Since the whole park, as you may see by now, is highly pop-culture inspired, most of the people in the park were those who have a good knowledge of Bollywood - the Indians. My mom was joking that we were probably the only two non-Indians in the park and that morning, it seemed like she was right (if in case there were non-Indians around, it was most likely because they bought the 3-in-1 ticket  with either of the 2 other parks as a priority, and wanted to get the most out of the money so they thought of visiting the Bolly Park too.) Speaking of my mom, she was the only on who accompanied me to the park since she was quite familiar with Bollywood films because of me (though she doesn't know anyone else by name except for Aishwarya Rai); my dad didn't come with us since he was too tired from the day before, and so he planned to sleep until noon, while my sister was enjoying the beach with another one of her friends based in Dubai. 

One of the early internationally-recognized Bollywood films.

Aamir Khan as Bhuvan (yes, there is more to Bollywood than "Three Idiots" and it wasn't the only film Aamir Khan was in.

At one of the shops.

Not an actual studio though.

There were scheduled Bolly-dance lessons.

Some outdoor performances.

- I highly suggest visiting the park from late afternoon until night since the big show at the Raj Mahal only happens at night. All the other attractions are open the whole day anyway, and the park was, again, quite small.

Fortunatley, I was able to catch this show based on Dabangg.

They're supposed to be lookalikes of Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha.

Photo op with the stars.

I think he's also supposed to be a Salman Khan lookalike. I saw the Shahrukh Khan lookalike but he had left the stage by the time my camera was ready. 

And of course, everyone's favorite.

- After having lunch at Indian restaurant beside the Dabangg stunt show area, my mom and I rode the cab at the hub to UAE Exchange metro station, and rode to Dubai Mall to meet my dad. I later left my mom and dad to go crazy with the great Dubai sale. I on the other hand went around on my own too, watching another fountain show by 6pm, until it was time for me to meet my friend Vy from Vietnam who is now based in Dubai. I met Vy in India 4 years ago during the 2012 ASEAN-India Exchange Program (click here to see). Vy and I had a long walk to the other side of the mall since the park area was closed in preparation for the New Year Countdown to be down the next evening. It was a good stroll and I was able to really feel downtown Dubai. It was also a windy evening, which made the long walk an enjoyable one. We reached the quiet side of the complex, across the park, without the massive Dubai Mall crowd. We had dinner at Assia in Wok, a modern East-Asian restaurant. Vy wanted us to have dinner there since it had a nice view of the Burj Khalifa and the fountain shows that happened every 30 minutes. True enough, the greater shows happened later in the evening.

While watching the fountain show. Can't get enough of this building.

Despite the serene view, this was the reality of the fountain show. the Dubai Mall needs to do something about this since it can be hazardous especially if something happens. People can actually die from suffocation or stampedes.

The Dubai Mall crowd is a contender to the Manila MRT crowd I kid you not (BUT....I still prefer the Dubai Mall crowd, sorry not sorry. This is because it's only crowded during the fountain shows, but not crowded at all during the other times. The MRT in Manila is crowded from day to night.)

Hello Vy!! Nice to see you after 4 years!!!!

I love how they're able to project different kinds of patterns to dress the tower.

With the colors of the UAE flag.

At Assia in Wok. The motif of the restaurant - apple green and orange. My attire?? Apple green and orange. Place me in one of the couches and you won't see me anymore.

- Before meeting my parents, Vy was nice enough to accompany me to one of the photo stalls in the middle of mall, near the Burj Khalifa's "At the Top" entrance. It was a chance for me to wear a Sheikh-style costume complete with props and backdrop.

Sheikh Ya'qoub.

Just some of the shots I had.

Khalif Bodder and the Order of the Falcon. *Cuckawcuckaw.*

 - I later found my parents having a later dinner, and Vy was nice enough to say a quick hello to them before she left. I can't believe how much energy my parents had since they wanted to go around the mall a bit more before going back to the hotel. I, on the other hand, was raring to go bed since I was really tired from the whole day.

At the Dubai Mall, on the way to grab a taxi. 

- The next day was our last morning in Dubai. We spent the morning by doing a last round at City Centre Deira before having lunch, and being driven to the airport nearby. Just like our trip to the American Southwest last year (click here, here, here, and here,) we spent New Year's Eve inside the airplane, and landed in Manila early morning of 1st January. Needless to say, I barely felt Christmas and New Year because we did not do the usual things people do during Christmas and New Year. Well, at least the holidays was another opportunity for the family to travel together. However, as far as the UAE is concerned, I know I wasn't able to fully maximize my stay there because we were part of a tour group for the most part. At least this gives me some kind of drive to perhaps go back to the UAE in the future!! (Please don't forget to read Part 1 here and Part 2 here!!)