After the madness of Dubai, it was back to calm ‘ol Abu Dhabi and more time with family. My mom wanted to show me the sands of Al Ain. So on a Sunday evening, we hired our usual taxi guy and headed outside Abu Dhabi.
We were on the highway to Al AinTo my rightStopped to take this panorama (comprised of 10 shots)
After driving for nearly 45 minutes, we got off the main highway and I got out of the car.
The sands, once I got into them, were extremely fine and smooth.
They were so smooth that you could slowly slip in to the ground by just standing still for a few seconds.
The only life out there besides us
Even though I’ve had enough sand in my face growing up in the Middle East, being here really was quite a splendid feeling. There were plans to go dune bashing in 4x4s but due to my friends being available only on Fridays made it a little tough to cram it in my already packed itinerary. I didn’t want to opt for a tourist package either ‘cos it was too corny for me.
My father in the back, collecting UAE sand. He's being doing that for every country he's been to.
After listening to hearsay tales from our taxi driver about desert snakes and other ‘dangerous’ reptiles, my father insisted that I don’t tread any further into the sand dune and asked me to get back in the car. Plus it was nearing sunset.
We weren't far from Al AinAll the trees you're going to see out herePanorama comprised of 8 shots
Heading back to Abu Dhabi
The next day…
Since I wasn’t going to sit idle at home, after lunch I took a taxi and headed to Abu Dhabi corniche.
The skies were all grey that day
After taking two Nepalis-driven taxis back-to-back, I got down near Corniche Road.
Abu Dhabi's construction scene is... still happening
You'd take this underpass if you wanted to get to the corniche
But I decided to take a stroll through the park on the other side of Corniche Road.
This park is only meant for boring purposes
I crossed the road to get to the corniche.
Don't have a cycle? You can rent one at the corniche
Really appreciated the emphasis on fitness at this corniche
Abu Dhabi corniche plays host to many cultural festivals
After a coffee break from Cinnabon, I decided to head to Marina Mall for some shopping.
That's a restaurant on top
After seeing Dubai’s mall offerings, there nothing special to point out about Marina Mall. It has all the usual stores — that’s it. And a Carrefour.
First time I've seen a dedicated Vertu store
After spending an hour shopping at Centerpoint, I took a taxi back home.
Found this post boring?
Don’t worry, the next and final sightseeing post from UAE will make up for it, trust me!
In the 7 1/2 years I have been in Bangalore, I’ve never seen the annual flower show held at Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens leading up to August 15th (India’s Independence Day). So this time, I told myself I wasn’t going to miss it.
Also, I haven’t clicked in a while.
So on a bright Sunday morning, I actually forced myself to get up at 7:30am and made my way to Lal Bagh with my Canon 7D and Tamron 28-75 f2.8 lens in tow.
Lal Bagh had it’s usual early morning joggers but I wanted to make it here early before it got too crowded.
Lal Bagh on a rather calm Sunday morning
I paid the entrance fee of Rs. 40 (it’s Rs. 30 on weekdays and I didn’t qualify for the Rs. 10 ticket for children either). As I made my way in, first up was a vegetables.
Boring. Then I realized the main flower show was inside the glasshouse.
The Lal Bagh glasshouse
Every year, the organizers put up one big show piece all done up using flowers. Last year’s big attraction was a dinosaur but this year, the organizers paid tribute to our soldiers.
India Gate
And with that, I began clicking…
There were a lot of 1st prize signs, so I'm not sure who the clear winner was
From a distance, these looked like sushi rolls to meIndia Gate was sprinkled with water internally from time to time
This is a panorama comprised of 7 shots
With the dripping paint, more like 'Saliva'
I don't think this was real
If only sharpening pencils produced such beauty
Not to be confused with Bangalore Muncipality's 'malaria'
This was the most interesting looking flower they had at the show -- called the CockscombEverybody wanted to touch it
From a distance, this looked like cauliflower flower(?)*
The good old fashioned rose
Spent a long time shooting this bee
There were a LOT of photographers...... and I wasn't the only one enjoying macro photography If I had my Canon 10-22, I could have got this photo in just one frame -- but this is comprised of 8 shots
All in all, I was very happy with the photos I took. I don’t usually shoot macro, simply because before I bought the Tamron 28-75mm, I couldn’t have been bothered. But now, I’m hooked!
Man's best friend couldn't be bothered. Sunday after all...
*if you are wondering whether I often have food on my mind, the answer is ‘yes’
After a tiring previous day (and only hitting the bed at 4am), I got up early to receive my parents from Bur Dubai bus stand as they were visiting from Abu Dhabi. Since today and tomorrow were all going to be ‘family time,’ we were going to be staying with my father’s friend, in his nice, posh little flat in Karama.
Once we all landed at my father’s friend’s place post-lunch, we rested for some time before heading out.
It was back to Dubai Mall for me — but for my parents, despite having lived in Abu Dhabi for nearly an year, it was going to be their first time experiencing Dubai Aquarium and At The Top of Burj Khalifa.
First up, the aquarium:
My father really enjoyed being this close to sea creatures
That’s what a stingray’s face looks like
Well, hello there!
For more photos and videos from inside Dubai Aquarium, check out my first post. Next up, we waited for our turn to go up the Burj Khalifa.
My parents at the At The Top gift shop
200+ storeys; 95kms – from where one can see the top of the spire; 12,000 slaves… sorry, labourers; 57 elevators; 500,000 tonnes – weight of the empty building
I had booked for an evening slot for the At The Top visit, hoping I could see Dubai all lit up. But as we got up, the sun was still very much above the horizon.
Regardless, my parents loved the viewDubai financial centerThat’s how many floors there still are above the observation deckThe sun setting over the yet to be completed The World islandsWatching the sun set from atop the world’s tallest building is a great idea
For more photos and videos from At The Top, check out my first post.
We finished our tour of Burj Khalifa, made our way out and to the Dubai Fountain site. The $200 million-plus Dubai Fountain is an attraction built on the artificial (duh) lake just outside Dubai Mall.
Built by the same people behind the famous Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas, Dubai obviously had to up the ante. So these fountains shoot water up higher, 500 feet high (150 metres)!
Shows are every half an hour between 6pm to 10pm. Here’s the show I saw:
Since it’s free, and since I can’t afford to go to Las Vegas just yet, this was great!
Me and my folks in front of a massive concrete & steel Christmas tree
After the show, we made our way to the buses that drop visitors to the metro station.
Why, why would someone do that to a Porsche?Architectural beauty
The next day with my parents…
The next morning, I took my parents to Bur Dubai for some shopping and to show them around.
My father considering ‘post-retirement’ work
My father bothering some random Chinese dude for a photo
After showing them the souk station, I took them to the Hindu temple (photos of both can be seen in my first post).
Taking a break from all the walking
Pigeons by the creek
And with that, we were done. Took a taxi and headed back to my father’s colleague’s place. He offered to drop us off near Jebel Ali power station, where we had been invited for lunch by our relatives.
Inside Mr. Nandakumar’s Peugot
Once again, it was a drive on Sheikh Zayed Road.
Emirates Towers
Those guitars used to be where Dubai’s Hard Rock Cafe was
The view from my uncle’s flat near Jebel Ali power station, where he works
After lunch, we decided to check out Ibn Battuta Mall, which was nearby. This was the last major mall I had yet to see and the one my friends highly recommended, just because it was different.
The mall business in Dubai is, let’s just say, quite cut throat. For such a small state, Dubai has some of the largest malls in the world. And since just about every mall offers the same set of stores, mall operators come up with differentiators to draw the crowds in.
What’s the differentiator for Ibn Battuta Mall? For one (if you haven’t figured out already), it’s named after the great Muslim explorer Ibn Battuta. The entire mall is themed after his travels across China, India, Persia, Egypt, Tunisia, and Andalusia with a section dedicated to each zone.
We parked near the China entrance. Each of the sections have a lobby with a major attraction specific to that zone. This is what the China court looks like.
Panorama comprised of 6 shots
The main attraction here being a replica of a Chinese sailing ship supposedly used by Ibn Battuta in his travels.
Ibn Battuta Mall houses the only IMAX screen in Dubai
From China, we then moved on to India.
India Court’s big attraction
From India into Persia. Persia Court’s big attraction is a replica of a Starbucks Coffee outlet*.
*just kidding
From Persia, you have two paths to Egypt.
Both paths eventually meetThe Egypt Court houses a lot of history, facts and trivia about Ibn Battuta
And finally Andalusia.
Andalusia Court’s main attraction
With that, we had conquered all five regions of Ibn Battuta’s mall. So we made our journey back, passing by more displays.
Back in China Court
Ibn Battuta Mall truly is a must-see in my opinion. It was a good move on Nakheel Properties’ part to use a theme like this to set the mall apart from Dubai’s other shopping centers.
Once out of Ibn Battuta Mall, we wished our relatives goodbye and took the metro to Bur Dubai bus stand. I was heading back to Abu Dhabi.
After driving for nearly 45 minutes, we got off the main highway and I got out of the car.
The sands, once I got into them, were extremely fine and smooth.
They were so smooth that you could slowly slip in to the ground by just standing still for a few seconds.
Even though I’ve had enough sand in my face growing up in the Middle East, being here really was quite a splendid feeling. There were plans to go dune bashing in 4x4s but due to my friends being available only on Fridays made it a little tough to cram it in my already packed itinerary. I didn’t want to opt for a tourist package either ‘cos it was too corny for me.
I crossed the road to get to the corniche.
After a coffee break from Cinnabon, I decided to head to Marina Mall for some shopping.
