Around the World in One (1) Day

1996 was the year when Dubai Shopping Festival began and it was a huge thing back then. People from around the world would visit just to go shopping. It was held from Feb – March however currently it’s being held for months. One of the concepts for Shopping Festival was to have ‘Global Village’.

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It’s one of my favourite places to go for food shopping. Why is that you say? Well because distributors and traders bring unique products from housewares, clothes, food, equipment’s etc. from all around the world.

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When Tim moved to Dubai, I recommended that we should go and check it out because he loves trying out  food from around the world. We bought Zaatar (dried thyme) from Palestine, teas from China, Lattes and Sweets from Japan, Nuts from Iran, Apple Tea and Coffee from Turkey and the list goes on and on…..

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Last year, we took my mother in law and my brothers around the world for 1 day. We had a great time, watching live performances and trying out food samples.

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Global Village opens in November and closes beginning of April. So visit anytime in between. February and March are the perfect months to visit because the weather won’t be cold and won’t be hot and doesn’t rain much.

Bon Voyage 🙂

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Under the Sea – Dubai Aquariums

Tim and I have seen the best two aquariums in Dubai. The first one we visited is located in Dubai Mall which is one of the top 5 biggest aquariums in the world and is located in the biggest mall in the world. The place is called ‘Dubai Aquarium and Under Water Zoo’.

http://www.thedubaiaquarium.com/en/Default.aspx

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The second aquarium is called’The Lost Chambers’ and is located in the Atlantis. It’s one of the best resorts on the Palm Island. I PERSONALLY LOVE THAT PLACE. The aquarium has really awesome interiors and you’ll feel like you are in a Sci-Fi movie. The resort also has an amazing water park and offers an experience of a lifetime, swimming with dolphins which I will blog about separately.

https://www.atlantisthepalm.com/marine-water-park/lost-chambers-aquarium

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I highly recommend you visit both, there are activities such as diving with sharks, feeding fish and many many more…

There are other aquariums located in the UAE however those are the best ones so don’t miss it if you visit Dubai.

 

 

 

 

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UK- The Bellions and the Deadly Hallows

Tim and I took a flying car to Warner Bros Studios and as we got there, we were welcomed by the Half-Blood Prince, who led us to the Chamber of Secrets, we were amazed and mesmerized by the magical world of Harry Potter.

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We both purchased the package tour which included the ticket, souvenir guide and the digital guide that explained the set in detail and included videos. We spent almost 4 hours in the studio and looked at the costumes, behind the scenes, green screens, every single detail from each and every movie. They entertained the Gryffindors (WUHUUU *High 5 if you are one), Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws and the Slytherins into wand competition and broom riding lol (I’m not quite sure if that is what it’s called)

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As we got to the platform of nine and three quarters, we ran towards the Hogwarts Express to escape the Dementors. We safely reached our destination, called the FOOD COURT and decided to take a break and have some Butter Beer.

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We continued our mystical journey through the world of the Dark Lord. We truly were shocked by every single detail and work that was put into the movie. Especially the drawings and architectural planning. We ended the tour with our mouths open staring at the 3D Model of Hogwarts.

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Before ending our adventure, we stopped at the Souvenir Store and bought wands. I’ve got Lord Voldemort’s and Tim’s got Dumbledore.

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That’s it for now..Oh well then …

Evanesco

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Philippines – Fun times with Familia in Manila

Philippines – Fun times with Familia in Manila

People think Manila is another typical city but Naaaahhh you don’t know my Manila. I love it there and so does Tim. Yes, it does depend on the area you visit but there are wonderful areas in Manila to see.

Visiting the capital means hang outs and fun times with my cousins. Gosh! It was such a family affair to see all my cousins and their kids. We are like the brady brunch but cousins LOL, if that made sense. Lets say a Full House but Fuller.

Tim and I visited Manila accompanied by my brother ‘Mohammad’ who visited the Philippines after 19 years to spend some time with the FAMILIA GRANDE.

Here are the places we spent time together with the pinsans (tagalog word for cousins)

East Wood:

It was the perfect place for dining and shopping for  any international brands. Tim bought t-shirts from a Japanese store and we grabbed coffee from Costa.

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Tiendasitas:

The place has a selection of Filipino restaurants with the traditional/ cultural ambience and live band and of course the PET VILLAGE. So many cute dogs to play with.

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Bonifacio Global City: 

Beautiful area of Manila and extremely posh. We visited my cousin’s condo and most of the cousins met and had a great time playing games and chit chatting.

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We also went to an area called Ortigas for a Karaoke night.

There are so many things to do in Manila but for us its more of catching up with the cousins and hanging out.

I SIMPLY LOVE MY MANILA AND CAN’T WAIT TO GO BACK

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Philippines – Trip to Laguna and Antipolo Windmills

My Tita* Marina and her husband Tito* Toni took us to Laguna and Antipolo Windmills with Tita Ester and  her husband Tito Ernie.

*Tita is the Filipino word for Aunt and Tito means Uncle. 

Hahhahaha I just realised how that sentence above is long, just so I can introduce you to my family.

Anyway we (referring to my Filipino familia) are originally from a place called Illocos Norte which is known for windmills so my Illocano family said since they can’t take us up north to see the windmills better visit antipolo instead which is closer to their houses.

Although it was a long drive to the windmills, the scenery was stunning. Surrounded by all the greenery and nature. We visited a small museum that displayed images on how a windmill works.

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Anyway we didn’t stay long so we continued our trip to a province nearby called Laguna. We wanted to go to Pagsanjan Fall* but the tour guide was ripping us off. So here’s the thing, we paid around PhP 1000 for Tagaytay for a whole boat but in Laguna they were charging us PhP 1000 for each person so HELL WITH THAT.

*Pagsanjan Fall: A famous waterfall located in Laguna and is a tourist destination. 

We were all starving so we went to a restaurant near the city gate that was built by the Spaniards. I sincerely apologise but I don’t remember the name of the place. It was really hot that day and I felt ill. The waiter at the restaurants gave me a bag of ice to place it on my head to be able to cool down.

Honestly, there are lots of places to visit in Laguna and so many adventurous things to do but I just wanted a nice quality time with my family and enjoy their company so unfortunately I cannot recommend anything about Laguna but all I know they are known for ‘Hot Springs’. Add Laguna to your Philippines list. You won’t regret it.

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UAE – Christmas Eve by the Desert and Beach

UAE: Christmas Eve by the Desert and Beach

Ever since we were children, Tim would celebrate Christmas with his family back in England while I celebrated it with my mum’s family in UAE. This year was a special kind of Christmas for both of us. Tim’s mum ‘Shirley’ is visiting us for the holidays and my uncle and cousin are staying in UAE to enjoy the festive season.

What more can you ask for than celebrating with the ones you love. We love everyone back home in England and Philippines but it was nice to have some of our families celebrating together. 2 months before Christmas, I made reservation at a hotel located by the Indian Ocean in another Emirate called Fujairah. We booked 4 rooms in Sandy Beach Hotel & Resort at a place call Al Aqqah which has a strip of amazing resorts.

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We took two separate cars, my brothers and uncle ‘Alpe’ accompanied my cousin ‘Mark’ and of course Shirley and I rode with Tim. We had an unfortunate moment when one of Mark’s tires broke down and found it difficult to find a tire shop open on a Friday morning. FYI, UAE’s weekends are on Fridays and Saturdays because Friday is a Holy day not HOLIDAY but HOLY DAY and the majority of the country attend the Friday prayers. Luckily they managed to find a shop that was about to close so they quickly got their tires fixed and we all continued our road trip to Fujairah.

It took us 2 hours to reach our destination however since check in was at 2PM, we decided to stop at a historical site. We visited Al Badiyah aka Al Bidyah Mosque and my brothers performed their Friday prayers in that ancient 15th century mosque. It’s the oldest mosque in UAE and was built with stone and mud. The view of the farms from the towers and area was spectacular and although you are surrounded by dry nature such as the rock mountains, the place is a must to visit. It’s located near the mountains and farms overlooking the sea.

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Anyway we continued our journey to check in at the hotel. Tim and I went kayaking around snoopy island * while the others went to nap because they needed the energy for the mini party we were going to have late night. At around 7PM, I borrowed Mark’s car and drove 20 minutes to another area called Khor Fakkan with my uncle and mother in law. We bought KFC and Pizza Hut family meals for dinner and also picked up a third cousin who lived there to join us for the Christmas party. The night lasted till 1:30AM after playing cards against humanity. My uncle won the game and YES he is dirty minded LOL. (google the game its hilarious)

The next day, we got up really early to have breakfast and also went for a morning swim and afterwards said our goodbyes and checked out from our rooms.

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*Note: it’s called snoopy island because it looks like snoopy laying down.

Below are the location maps of the hotel, the mosque and Khor Fakkan for your reference.

Hotel:

 

Mosque:

 

Khor Fakkan:

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Philippines – Island Hopping in Puerto Princesa

Philippines has 7,107 islands and out of all of them, we were so eager to visit Palawan. My brother ‘Mohammad’ and cousin ‘Marvin’ accompanied us on this adventure to Paradise.

Maldives can be Paradise but it’s nothing compared to Palawan.

Marvin organised the whole trip and as soon as we landed in Puerto Princesa which is where the airport is located in Palawan; our tour guide immediately took us Island Hopping, so we changed into our swimming outfits and got in the boat straight to Cowrie Island for lunch.

Below are the 4 islands we visited in Puerto Princesa.

Cowrie Island: The island is sunny and the sands white. We stopped there and enjoyed a delicious seafood buffet and walked around the island to digest before heading to our next island to snorkel and of course we drank lots of Buko which means Coconuts in Tagalog.

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Luli Island: We arrived on the shore of the island and took our snorkeling gears with us. While Tim, Marvin and I jumped in the snorkeling area, Mohammad decided to stay back and enjoy the scenery and he explored the island. Tim and Marvin were enjoying their time feeding the little fishies and I went back to the shore to relax.

Turtle Island: By far Turtle Island is favourite place to dive in Puerto Princesa. I’ve done snorkeling before but I’ve never seen such beautiful creatures under water. It was given the name Turtle Island because of the location and the huge turtle on the top of the board.

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Starfish Island: The last island we visited in Puerto Princesa was the Starfish Island, it was the perfect island to go for a swim and the island is filled with … yup, you’re right… STAR FISH.

If ever you visit Palwan, you should go Island Hopping and enjoy every moment of it. Never ever forget to take your water camera.

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USA – A Trip to Universal Studios Los Angeles

Although we’ve been to Universal Studios in Singapore, Tim and I agreed to skip all the theme parks in LA and experience them in other states or countries. Since Universal Studios originated in LA, we decided to compare it with Singapore’s theme park.

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So we took a tour train and Tim sat next to a crazy lady who didn’t know how to fix her phone and asked Tim to do it for her and she was very aggressive and pushy. As soon as we stopped I ran out and left Tim with her, it was hilarious. Tim walked away and we kept trying to avoid her but we just kept bumping into her. Anyway before getting the tickets, we were called by Mario Lopez (the guy from Save by the Bell) to be extras on his show EXTRA.

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As we got in, we studied the map of the park and figured they had similar rides like the ones in Singapore and extra ones too. Anyway I got extremely excited and dragged Tim to the MINIONS RIDE…IT WAS SUPER FUNNN….. We also watched a live show about the history of animation and green screen. The theme park is huge compared to the one in Singapore and the Jurassic Park ride was AWESOME…

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Here’s my comparison:

Universal Studios Singapore: Has less rides than LA and finish the theme park quite quickly. HOWEVER has more live shows which makes it more entertaining.

Universal Studio Los Angeles: Has more rides and outlets outside the studio HOWEVER not as alive as Singapore.

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We really had a great time but next adventure will be in Disneyland

 

 

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Singapore – Universal Studios and Sentosa Island

Tim and I were advised not to take the bus or taxi to Sentosa Island because we would have to pay tax. So we took the underground instead which is also known as MRT. When we got there, we explored the island by getting on the Tiger Sky Tower (it’s a ride that rotates 360 so you can enjoy a complete view of the Island) and we went on a Cable Car and managed to take awesome pictures of the island.

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We later ran to Universal Studios like little children and took lots of pictures with MINIONS LOTS AND LOTS OF MINIONS and that’s when Tim found out about my obsession lol. We were unlucky because the roller-coaster was under maintenance nevertheless we enjoyed the Mummy ride, we rode it like 3 times or more and also the Transformer ride was pretty awesome. We saw a line of people waiting for a ride and we assumed that the ride would be worth trying. After waiting for a whole hour, it turned out to be a childrens ride. It was so funny. We got on it and just couldn’t stop laughing at ourselves.

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If you ever visit which we think you should, well go for Transformer, Jurassic Park (get a rain coat) and Mummy (ITS THE BEST)

What’s awesome about Universal Studios in Singapore is that, you will experience lots and lots of live entertainment and always check the timings for the live shows. Trust me, it is worth watching. We enjoyed watching Water World, if you sit in the first 5 rows, you will definitely get wet.

Well watcha waiting for book your tickets NOW !!!!

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I would love to go back…. 🙁 🙁

WATER WORLD SHOW

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