New Year's Eve Celebration at Burj Khalifa

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Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world started it's spectacular fireworks display in the year 2010. And since then, people flock there to welcome new year and to view the awesome show. 

This is the video of the 2011 new year's eve, i'll post the 2012 a little while. 

For those in Dubai or other Emirate, it is suggested to be at Downtown Dubai before 10pm, expect traffic and parking shortage. But those are just little inconveniences in exchange for free out of this world experience.

Christmas Decors in Dubai

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You really cannot see any Christmas decorations on the streets of Dubai but some malls and restaurants have theirs.

Let's take a look on some of the places I spotted with a Christmas Tree or other decors.

St. Mary's Church, Oud Metha

Diera City Center

Al Ghurair Mall

Nando's, Al Ghurair Mall

La Mesa Restaurant, Asiana Hotel

Whether there are a lot or few Christmas decors, Christmas is still very much celebrated here in Dubai.

Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah

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This is the Arabic greeting for Merry Christmas.

As I've mentioned before Dubai or the United Arab Emirates is a Muslim / Arabic Country but is open to other cultures and religion. They do not of course celebrate Christmas and thus Christmas is a regular day here. It depends on the company if they will give additional holiday for their Christian employees, which most do so. My company allows their Christian employees to have their Christmas Day leave but on the condition that it will not affect the operations for the day. Unfortunately, I was left in our department since my colleague went on vacation. So I am here blogging in the office, boohoo! My first time working on a Christmas Day!

But it's not bad at all, I am still grateful for my job and the company that recognizes my efforts and pays my bills. Back to work.

Again Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah (Merry Christmas) and Kul 'am wa antum bikhair (Happy New Year)!

St Mary's Catholic Church at Oud Metha Dubai

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Today marks the Feast of Immaculate Conception, Catholics celebrates the belief in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is celebrated on 8 December, nine months before the Nativity of Mary, which is celebrated on 8 September. 

From St. Mary's website:

The Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved from the stain of original sin in the first instant of her conception in the womb of her mother. This was a singular privilege and grace of God, granted in view of the merits of Jesus Christ. By her conception is meant not the act or part of her parents in it, nor the formation of her body, nor the conception of Christ later in her own womb; from the moment her soul was created and infused into her body, it was free from original sin and filled with sanctifying grace. Her soul was never stained by original sin, nor by the depraved emotions, passions, and weaknesses consequent on that sin, but created in a state of original sanctity, innocence, and justice. She had at least the graces of the first Eve before the Fall and more. This privilege was befitting the one who was to be mother of the Redeemer.

Even though UAE is a Muslim country, diversity is exercised and respected here including religion. Thus we have 2 Catholic Churches in Dubai, one is in Oud Metha and another in Jebel Ali. 

Here are the Mass Timings

Pictures of St. Mary's Catholic Church

UAE Celebrates 40th National Day

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Dec 2 is the official UAE National Day but the government announced that it would be celebrated from Dec 1 to 3 (since 2 and 3 fell on Friday and Saturday which is the usual rest day here). 

This marks the 40th year after the union of 7 emirates or shiekhdoms formally joined as United Arab Emirates. The picture above shows the rulers of the 7 emirates.

A lot of programs are lined up for the said festivity. Even on the streets you can see their love and pride for their country as they put large flags, pictures, balloons, lights, etc on the buildings, highways, cars and almost everywhere is colored red, green, white and black.

Race to Dubai

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I thought it was a maratton, but it was actually a golf tournament, sorry for being naive. I got an invite from Fitness First to join their promo for a chance to get 2 VIP Hospitality tickets.

Dubai World Championship is part of the European Tour and will be held from Dec 8 to 11 at Jumeirah Golf Estates' Earth Course. It will be attended by 60 top golfers around the world.

It will definitely be a hole in one, if ever I win those tickets! I don't play actual golf but on game consoles I rule!

Dubai Desert Safari

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A must-to-do activity if you are in Dubai. A lot of travel and events agency offers Desert Safari packages depending on your needs and budget. Usually ranges from 120 to 180 AED, includes:

1. Pick up and return from agreed upon place
2. Dune Bashing
3. Camel Ride
4. Henna Tatoo
5. Arabic Dinner
6. Belly Dancing

Location: Al Aweer, Dubai or Hatta, Oman Rd.

I already tried Al Aweer twice and yesterday the Hatta trail. I really enjoyed Dune Bashing, it's like a roller coaster on the Desert, but not for the faint-hearted (I warned you guys!).

Some of our pictures at the Hatta, Oman Rd Desert Safari.

Flash Mob @ Dubai Airport

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Want to share this video, wish I was part of the mob or just there to watch.

Complimentary Entry to Al Ain Zoo on 11th and 12th of November 2011

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This offer is for First Gulf Bank Credit Card holders.

Actually not really in Dubai but around an hour drive. Aside from the Zoo, a lot of other interesting places to visit in Al Ain like Jebel Hafeet, museums and parks.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi

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I haven't been there, but I really want to!

It’s Your Turn to experience Speed Week at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi!

4 – 14 November 2011

Shift into high gear and experience our new Speed Week event with fun-filled live shows and family entertainment in addition to the thrills of 20 Ferrari inspired rides and attractions.

You can save up to 40% on regular admission fees with our special Speed Week package*

General admissions two-day pass AED 299

Premium admissions two-day pass AED 599

Buy your tickets now!

Call Ferrari World Abu Dhabi on 02-4968001 or email sales@farahleisure.com

Terms and Conditions

· The Speed Week Package Pass is valid for entry on any two days during the period 4 to 14 November 2011.

· The Speed Week Package Pass is valid for one person only. The above rates apply for both 1.5m & above and below 1.5m ticket categories.

· The Speed Week Package Pass allows unlimited use of all rides, shows and attractions at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi except for the two advanced Scuderia Challenge simulators, which require paid timed tickets that can be purchased at the attraction on the days of your visit.

· The Speed Week Package Pass does not provide access to the Yas Marina Circuit or any of its facilities.

Hump Day $50 Giveaway 11/2

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Another giveaway for our loyal followers! But hurry this is only for today November 2, 2011.

For the first entry pls put either of my blogs Get Lost in Dubai or It's Not Always About ME as referrer, pretty please?

Dubai Global Village 2011

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Dubai Global Village opens today Nov 1, 2011 and ends till March 3, 2012.

Shops & Shows

Shop till you drop with 27 pavilions from around the world to satisfy your shopping needs.

Shows from around the world, specially created for you will be performed live. Pavilions from more than 30 countries present cultural experiences like no other. The whole family can have a good time together at the fun fair and for the food lovers, there are restaurants catering cuisines from across the globe. All this and a lot more is what Global Village plans to deliver this year.

Foods

Feast on dishes and delicious delights from around the world.

Hungry from all that shopping and walking? Eat your way around the world with Global Village's offering of 25 restaurants and cafes spread throughout, catering to a hundred different tastes and nationalities with delicacies from all over the world. Whether it's Arabic kebabs, Indian curries or even just some fast food, you are sure to be spoilt for choice.

You can also taste cultures – literally – throughout Global Village, with pavilions offering their respective country's traditional snacks and sweets to their visitors.

Rides

Providing all-round family entertainment, Global Village offers its younger visitors an unforgettable fun fair experience. From roller coasters to horror rides to sliding races, Global Village has it all.

60 rides offering thrills, chills and enjoyment to children of all ages, as well as kiosks with a variety of games and prizes to be won. Give your children the time of their life, and don't hesitate to join in!

Here are just some of the super-fun rides you can find at Global Village this year:

Brocumela Crazy Worm

Crazy Wave

Disco Star Bumper Cars

Flavio Slide

Flying Carpet

Fortress of Fear

visit globalvillage.ae

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Eid Al Adha was officially announced to start from Nov 5 to 7, that means only a 4 day holiday (including Friday) for us not 5 days as I previously blogged. Sad but we just have to enjoy what is given.

Amazing UAE Resident Rates for Aquaventure and The Lost Chambers

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Experience more for less at Aquaventure & The Lost Chambers. Save up to AED 60, with our special UAE residents rates, available to purchase at the gate only:

AQUAVENTURE

Adult: AED 140 (was AED 200)

Child: AED 115 (was AED 165)

THE LOST CHAMBERS

Adult: AED 75 (was AED 100)

Child: AED 50 (was AED 70)

* Special UAE rate tickets can be purchased ONLY at the Aquaventure ticketing plaza and The Lost Chambers prior to entry. Guests must prove UAE residency by a form of identification, Driving Licence, EID, or passport.

for more details visit the official site.

Things to do and Places to visit in Dubai

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With Eid Al Adha falling on November 6, 7 & 8 we are heading towards a 5 day holiday for Private sector and a 9 day holiday for Government sector. So what are we gonna do on those days?

My next posts will cater more on things to do and places to visit during those days.

We can always just stay home and relax but that would be a waste, isn’t it?

Shokran, a TY Note

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A big Thank You to all who joined the Blog Blast Mini and followed me thru Google Friend Connect. Congrats to Karrieann Warr for bagging the $50 Paypal Cash Prize from among the 6293 entries.

Shokran, arabic word for Thank You

For the 15 days duration of the contest I gained 268 new GFC followers! Woot woot!

Stay tuned for more contest, I joined a few more as co-sponsors.

Blog Blast Mini - Win $50 Cash!

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Easy $50 with just a few clicks, who could resist this chance? Entrants can do as many (or as few) entries as they'd like! But with just 10 links, it shouldn't be that hard!

First giveaway of Get Lost in Dubai, don't forget to follow thru GFC (1 point) and while you're at it, click my FB page and G+1 buttons (no extra points but i'll return the favor)

Special Reminder:
· The giveaway is open Worldwide
· One winner will take home $50 Cash paid via PayPal
· The giveaway ends at 12:01 AM EST on Tuesday, October 25

Hurry and Join!

Burj Khalifa, Tallest Building in the World

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Burj Khalifa opens it’s door on January 4, 2010 with grand festivities only fitting to the holder of several world records.

World Records from the official site burjkhalifa.ae

Currently Burj Khalifa with over 828 meters (2,716.5 feet) and more than 160 stories holds the following records

. Tallest building in the world

. Tallest free-standing structure in the world

. Highest number of stories in the world

. Highest occupied floor in the world

. Highest outdoor observation deck in the world

. Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world

. Tallest service elevator in the world

Heavy Fog in Dubai Roads

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This is a warning to motorists.

Be careful on Dubai roads, thick fogs are prevalent due to the changing weather. I am happy that it’s gonna be winter soon but these fogs causes accidents, because of poor visibility. Remember to drive extra carefully.

Picture from gulfnews.com

GITEX 2011 Dubai Airport Expo

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How to get to Dubai Airport Expo and get the best deals on the GITEX 2011

Metro
Take the metro to Rashidiya and Etisalat (Green line - Ghusais) Metro Stations and hop on a free shuttle bus to and from the venue.

By car - Easy access to the venue
Park at Sheikh Hamdan Mosque, Garhoud and use the free shuttle bus service. Please refer to the map below for details on free parking at Sheikh Hamdan Mosque:

Getting to GITEX Shopper is made much easier with the metro, so there is no reason to miss out on 8 days of unbelievable offers at the region’s biggest technology shopping bonanza!!

from gitexshopperdubai.com

Charmed Badge Meme #01

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I am joining Charmed Badge, a weekly badge-link-(semi)review exchange.

Rule is to grab the badge of the last participant and tell something about the blog.

Aliz Travel Zone is about Aliz' escapades and travel stories around the Philippines. Her love for writing, travelling and eating can be clearly seen on her blog. Visit her here

Get Lost in Dubai is Joining BC Bloggers!

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BC Bloggers is Back!

A new blog (blogs in my case) needs all the link exchange it can get. And luckily another round of BC Bloggers are in works courtesy of Mommy Paula. So Simple to join

1. Click the badge and register

2. Put on your sidebar the BC Blogger badge

3. Create or reserve a space for the BC Bloggers list and

4. Submit your links

Done all the steps.

The more blogs to join the merrier!

The Irish Village in Dubai turns 15!

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And because of that all wines and spirits are only 15 AED just for tonight October 6, 2011. Party at the Irish Village in Garhoud Dubai.

My friends are all set for a night of drinking and partying! See you there!

For more info, visit their website.

I Choose Etisalat

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For years Etisalat was only mobile service provider in UAE. We don’t have any choice even with the unusual high cost of a sim card and annual renewal fee. When I came here in Dubai five years ago, a sim card costs 165 AED ($ 45) and a 100 AED ($27) annual renewal fee without any free calls or minutes. Later on, a new player came and little by little our burden with the annual renewal fee lessened and now it’s free. I don’t know about the sim card cost now since I don’t intend to change mine.

Even with those things said, I still prefer the service of Etisalat over the other provider. It has wider coverage, faster customer service assistance and not much hidden charges. Aside from mobile services, I also use their internet services which offers Supersonic Internet Speed.

Curious about Supersonic Internet Speed? Me too.

Supersonic Internet Speeds:
Superfast broadband in every room with internet speeds many times faster than before. Our amazing eLife high-speed internet product will let you browse like never before, watch internet videos without any delay and play live online video games all at new and affordable prices.
• Up to 30Mbps download & 3Mbps upload with more to come.
• Every home has equal capacity regardless of the location
• Connect several PCs at a time

I love the eLife service, though there are occasional downtime but it’s totally acceptable. We pay 350 AED ($95) a month but it’s all worth it.

Fly with Emirates Airlines

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The official carrier of Dubai, Emirates Airlines flies to over a hundred destinations worldwide.

I prefer Emirates Airlines because it flies non-stop from Dubai to Manila, Philippines. Less the hassle of connecting flights, hand luggage checks and waiting! But you can say with a price, nothing is free nowadays even one’s convenience. Emirates Airlines fares are a little pricier than other flights to Manila. Good thing our company provides Emirates Airlines ticket for our yearly vacation package.

The food, inflight entertainment and services are superb. Nothing beats flying with Emirates Airlines.

And I get skywards miles whenever I use their service. I exchange my accumulated points at Emirates High Street and got my iPod Nano at 50% the original price. That's a great bargain.

Dubai Mode of Transport: RTA Bus

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The main mode of transportation here in Dubai is still the Public Buses. And RTA or Roads & Transport Authority is the only authorized (or you can say monopolized) public transportation provider. Not that I complain of, because they really provide top notched buses (look at the pictures) and courteous drivers (maybe not all). They also use an automated fare collection, so even if you use the bus, train or the water bus, you will be charged for the distance and not by the times you use the service.

Sample RTA buses, the double-decker is usually used for inter-emirate. I already rode one going to Sharjah.

There are several bus stations and stands (pick and drop) around the city. You just have to memorize the bus numbers and routes, which I am not very good since I seldom ride buses (I am more of a Taxi lover). I only know 1 bus number going to our place. But if you have difficulty like I do, you can use the online Journey Planner.

WBFC # 24 Mega Follow Weekend

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Three in One! Follow via GFC, Twitter and FB Like!

Yipee! This is a new blog and I definitely need all the follows and likes. Thanks to this week’s sponsors: mumwrites, Hands Full of Life and Postcard Enthusiast.

All my widgets are on the right sidebar, thanks much! Will follow and like you back!

Want to join the fun? Head to OnlineBiz and Resources.

Why Dubai?

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I wonder why.

Dubai is home to

Burj Khalifa, currently the tallest building in the world with 828m

Burj Al Arab, the only 7 star hotel in the world

Dubai Mall, world’s largest mall based on total area

Ski Dubai, 3rd largest indoor ski slope in the world

Dubai Aquarium, one of the largest indoor aquarium

And many other interesting things only seen here.

Not to mention, I currently work in Dubai so I am more aware on the latest happenings, developments, problems it has than any other places.

A first hand expat’s experience.

Pictures not mine, found in Google search.

I Write, I Blog, I Share

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This is my entry to Techie She Lucky Blogger Weekly Giveaways Week 17. This week’s prize is $10 paypal credits from Mys of Written by Mys.



I declare September as my blog craze month. I already created 6 blogger blogs and with 5 more days I might make more. I do plan to transfer some to WP and host separately later. First the problem is what to write and how will I manage to update all 13 blogs.

Que sera sera.

But somehow I do manage. Like for this blog, Get Lost in Dubai being the newest of the lot, I already lined up topics and ideas. I plan to write tips and guides on how to not get lost in Dubai. Every little thing, street, shop, culture, name it you’ll have it.

I don’t or never really got lost in a particular place, I act as human GPS for my friends. I even know more routes than taxi drivers here (or they are just feigning ignorance so that they can get more millage).

Just excited on my get lost series (I told you more is on the works)!

Welcome to Get Lost in Dubai!

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This will be the first of my virtual tourist guide series on “how not to get lost” in a particular place. And first of course is Dubai which I happen to currently resides.

I will cover every little street, store, culture, negative or positive things in Dubai.

I am excited to do this! Where should we start?