Friday, March 30, 2012

The Dubai Fountain, one of the world's most spectacular fountain


Dubai is a home to so many superlatives. the Largest man-made island in the world -The Palm Island, the largest mall in the world by total area - The Dubai Mall, one of the very few 7-star hotels in the world - Burj Al Arab, and for Burj Khalifa (take a deep breath..) - the Tallest manmade structure in the world, the Tallest Building in the World, the Tallest free-standing structure in the world, the Highest number of stories in the world, the Highest Occupied Floor in the World, The Highest outdoor observation deck in the world, the World's highest residential floor, the World's highest Mosque, the World's Highest Restaurant, the World's highest Night Club, the Highest Swimming pool in the world, Elevator with the Longest travel distance in the world, the Tallest service elevator in the World and one of the fastest elevator in the world! whew! Dubai is so much into record-breaking!! But wait, here's another one.. one of the world's most spectacular Fountain .. The Dubai Fountain!


As of this writing, out of 82 tourist attractions in Dubai, The Dubai Fountain (also called the Dancing Fountain), is the #1 most voted by travelers (TripAdvisor) as the the best attraction in Dubai. It is located at the center of the Downtown Dubai set on the 30-acre manmade Burj Khalifa lake. The fountain is 275 m (902 ft) long and sends water over 150 m (490 ft) into the air. A breathtaking extravaganza of water, sound and light. More than a thousand unique water expressions accompanied by a wide range of tunes,with over 6,000 light and color projectors. And the best of all?? It is FREE!

Let me share photos I have taken of The Dubai Fountain:




from the background is Burj Khalifa, right side is The Dubai Mall





Dubai Fountain Schedule:

Every 20 minutes, from 6:00pm to 10:00pm every Sunday  to  Wednesday, and 6:00pm to 11:00pm every Thursday to Saturday.




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Sunday, March 25, 2012

Vivi's First Elephant Ride at Ubud, Bali Indonesia


Elephants are the  largest living land animals. We can see them often in a zoo or sad to say, a  circus. They are calm and gentle nature despite their size.  

Have you tried riding an elephant? I had my chance so many times but I keep on saying no,  I even missed my chance of exploring Angkor Archaeological Park riding an elephant, that would have been a great way to explore an ancient place. One reason is that I'm scared of heights and secondly I don't know what to expect, I always fear the unknown. Elephant Park at Ubud was included in our Bali Tour package so off we go, my companion loves to try riding  an elephant  I don't know how she did it but she was able to convince me to try it too!

Checkout my first elephant ride photos:

seatbelt on!

yey I'm riding an elephant!
then comes my first shower....

Pls ignore my facial expression, I think I smelled so bad the elephant showered me with more water.. haha or maybe that is his way of teasing me to let me know that they are not scary!


then check this out!! Cool right?

Sometimes It's good to just set aside your fear and try things, you'll never know, maybe it is not that bad! You may even end up realizing that there is nothing to be scared of...




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Not just Any Cab


Have you hailed a cab lately? Whether you are a business or leisure traveler, at some point, you will need a car to be able to roam around. It's not all the time that we have friends/ relatives to drive us around; sometimes, we just have to do it on our own. 


Whenever I travel, I research about the place where I'm headed. If the feedback is good about hailing cabs anywhere, then well and good. If not, then I always arrange to get picked up by a cab from a taxi company, or I book one together with my hotel or travel tour. 

I have this phobia with cabs in Asia and since I am always on the go, I always try my best to plan ahead. Travelers are concerned about a lot of things: luggage, money, travel documents, and of course, TIME. One thing I don't want to happen is to see myself losing any of my valuables – this will ruin my holiday! So, I always make sure to have someone trustworthy to drive me around.

I'm planning for my trip to UK in a few months. My relatives have been nagging me to pay them a visit because the last time I've been to Italy was more than a year ago. They felt bad that I did not even drop by.  So, I'm presently in my “planning mode”. My relatives there are juggling 2 to 3 jobs and my grandmother is not driving anymore, so I've been researching about transport services within London.

My boyfriend just went to London for a wedding a few months back and being from New York with over 13,000 cabs, it’s safe to say that he has had his own fair share of cab drivers. He is definitely more knowledgeable about cabs than me.  He told me to check anycabs.co.uk based on his last trip to London, so I did.

It's interesting because Any Cabs will provide you options and rates in an instant, based on your pickup and drop-off point. You will be the one to select which one is best for you based on your personal criteria.

Basic questions are asked: you pick-up point, your drop-off point, your pick-up date and time. You can even request for "now" and you just have to indicate if you want the cab to pick you up after 10 minutes, 20, 30, etc. You just have to identify how many passengers and how many bags you have, whether you need a return journey or not, or if you need extra trips. They will ask for your London mobile number too so they can SMS outright to verify your booking.

So how does http://www.anycabs.co.uk operate? Any Cabs is accrediting taxi providers and they are pooling all these cabs sources to offer passengers with as many choices as possible.  Which means the operators will be providing their best rates, too, considering how they are aware of the competition.

What's interesting is they also provide benefits to frequent passengers. So the more you book, the cheaper the rates. You just have to join by being a member and they provide a mile system to monitor your bookings with them.

So, for those staying in London or those scheduled to travel there, be sure to check Any Cabs for your cab needs.  Yes, you will find a wide variety of cabbies without them, but one thing is for sure: nothing is more important than your safety and your time.




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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Souk Madinat Jumeirah, The Hidden Gem of Dubai



Souk Madinat Jumeirah is a part of the 5 star resort in Dubai, the Madinat Jumeirah the Arabian Resort which is also the largest resort in Dubai.  The resort is located along one kilometer of pristine, private beach and  adjacent to Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the World's 7 star hotel- Burj Al Arab, and Wild Wadi Water Park. It has 44 world class restaurants and bars, and is considered to be one of the most luxurious resorts in the world. 

Souk Madinat Jumeirah is one of the prime places for shopping in Dubai where you can expect traditional Arabian souk, some of the best restaurants / bars in Dubai , with an amazing landscapes, gardens and a man-made lagoon. 

Enjoy some of my shots of the lagoon:






the 7 star hotel- Burj Al Arab
Souk is an Arabic word which means an open-air marketplace or a commercial quarter.  Souk Madinat Jumeirah is a marketplace which has around 95 specially selected boutiques and shops, a beautiful labyrinth of narrow alleyways with souvenir shops, carpets, arts and crafts, jewelries and clothing.

Check some photos I took of  the mall:














Here's the map of the mall:

to view a more detailed map with shop names, click this link.

Opening hours is 10:am to 11p.m daily.


Souk Madinat JumeirahPO Box 75157, Dubai, UAE
Tel: +971 4 366 8888, Fax: +971 4 366 7788
Email: souk@jumeirah.com


Check also my other Dubai posts here.



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Sunday, March 18, 2012

Ski Dubai, the first Indoor Ski Resort in the Middle East



Ski Dubai is the the first Ski Resort in the Middle East with 22,500 ski area. It is a part of the Mall of Emirates which is one of the largest  shopping malls in the world. The facility is maintaining a temperature of −1 to -2 °C .




You don't have to worry about ski clothing, ski equipment and locker room rental, they are provided by  Ski Dubai  already included in the ticket price!






Ski Dubai is for the whole family, you may enjoy skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, or  just playing in the snow. You may also want to try watching the Snow Penguins, or by rolling down the Giant Ball run, tube slides or just relaxing over a hot coffee.


tube slide
the Giant Ball Run
Their Latest Attraction: Snow Penguins!





Standard Ticket  Price: 


  


What's included in your Slope Pass:

  • Ski Outfit (Jacket and Trousers
  • Skis
  • Ski Boots
  • Snowboard
  • Snowboard Boots
  • Ski poles
  • Disposable socks
  • Helmets for children

General Price List (AED) 


Snow Park
Adult 130
Child 120


Ski Slope (2 hours)
Adult 180
Child 150


Ski Slope Day Pass
Adult 300
Child 275
Locker Rental 20
Refundable keycard deposit 20


*Adult = 13 and above, child = up to 12 


For more info please visit Ski Dubai's official website:  http://www.theplaymania.com/skidubai


Pls check my other Dubai posts:
Burj Khalifa, Dubai - The Tallest manmade structure in the world
The Dubai Fountain, one of the world's most spectacular fountain
Jumeirah Open Beach, Dubai
-  Atlantis The Palm, Dubai
Souk Madinat Jumeirah, The Hidden Gem of Dubai
Vivi's Dubai Desert Safari Adventure at Hatta, Oman Rd.
Dhow Dinner Cruise Dubai Souk Al Bahar, Dubai
Global Village, Dubai




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