Dubai – Day Zero: The Carlos Ott Connection

(From the left, clockwise: Torre de las Telecomunicaciones, Aeropuerto de Carrasco and National Bank of Dubai)

Our onsite office in Montevideo is in the area where Torre de las Telecomunicaciones (or Antel Tower), the country’s tallest, is almost always visible. It is designed by Carlos Ott, an Uruguayan, who became famous after clinching the prize in an architectural design contest for the Opera de la Bastille in Paris (more of him here, and more of Antel Tower here). If you look at it, you’ll be reminded of Dubai’s iconic 7-star hotel Burj Al Arab. It could be the boat-inspired (to be accurate, abra or dhow, a kind of boat found along the Dubai creek) upper part of the building that resembles it but there’s no connection in terms of who did the architecture. Not entirely. Carlos Ott was also commissioned to design some buildings, mostly financial centers, in Dubai. The famous one is probably another iconic building along the creek, the National Bank of Dubai, which is literally golden during sunset.

On my way to Dubai last July 9, Saturday, Carlos Ott was like waving goodbye at me and wishing me luck through Aeropuerto de Carrasco (another impressive structure he designed). Luck was all I needed that time as Pueyehue volcano in Chile was starting to get mad again after days of being calm and poised. I don’t exactly remember how I managed to survive my last day of work then as the news about flight cancellation broke out early on that Friday morning. I thought it was all a joke from our boss. I even informed my friend Mike (Fyodor to some) in Dubai that a cancellation of the whole shebang was possible. I’d rather go straight to Manila than stay in Dubai for a shorter period than planned. Gladly, Pueyehue was gentle the next day.





For United Arab Emirates, a visa is required for a Philippine passport holder like me. The tourist visa period varies from 96 hours to close to a month, I think, and it is valid for 60 days upon approval. I applied mine through the internet barely two months before my flight, specifically through Emirates Airline (which, from experience of their service, is very much deserving of its international awards). In the Emirates website, just go to Manage a Booking (of course, your flight should be through them but I guess there are options other than this) and click on the Apply link next to UAE Visa Application under Additional Services tab. You’re required of four things: (1) completed application form that includes the place you will be staying at, be it a hotel or a relative/friend’s place, (2) an updated photo to be posted in your visa which will be sent as an email, (3) scanned images of your passport, just five of it, if I remember it right and (4) credit card payment of USD 373.25 (where USD 272.50 of it is just a deposit amount).

Some tips. I heard that they are very particular with your Dubai address so make sure that the details there, needless to say, are correct. For the scanned images of passport, just choose the significant ones. Prioritize the page that is stamped with a US visa if you have one. Based on the notes prior to the application, there’s a criteria that if you don’t have a US visa yet, a financial document is expected to support your application like a bank statement or probably credit history. In case of rejection, the deposit amount is returned. For successful application, the amount will be refunded days or weeks after leaving UAE. As per experience, I got approved after four business days. I am not sure if you need to consider but weekdays in UAE start on a Sunday and end on a Thursday. There’s an initial notification that the documents are OK then after that is the actual email containing the visa as a file attachment. I think it was saved as a different file type for security reason. I just renamed it to .doc. The deposit amount, by the way, was refunded to me two weeks after my departure from Dubai.

My Dubai trip, my first Arabian adventure, was not a backpacking trip. I stayed in my friend Mike’s place, a kababayan from Lopez, Quezon, so I did not bother checking out the best B&B’s in the city. My transportation budget was waived as well as Mike has a car (a BMW to be exact).

If there’s one more tip that I could add, the local forex centers do not accept old USD bills. They will advise you to have it exchanged instead in a bank. Optionally and more conveniently, you can just pay it in some stores (I consumed mine at a local Virgin Store). And when the travel books say that you should avoid Dubai during summer (July – September), believe them.

Dubai – Day 01: The Arrival and That Old City Charm

I passed through the immigration and all at around midnight. The queues were long and I wasn’t a Gold Skywards member (yet). There is a big sign there that leads to “Eye Scan” which I dismissed and went directly to the queue; only to find out later that I needed to accomplish it first as prompted courteously by the immigration officer (the only lady at that time). There were only three people ahead of me for the scan. My initial foolish thought then was that the process is used for health purposes. I was told by my friends that it’s more of an ID. That means, according to them, I already have a record in most Arabian countries. Some pictures of my touchdown here.

Mike was already at the waiting area when I got out. We went to the parking place which introduced me to the 40-ish degree Celsius Dubai weather. The airport is not that far from the city center (not a Heathrow kind of far) and we reached his place, a gated community in a manufacturing company area, roughly 20 minutes after. The concept of “area” as in IT area or media area was not clear to me then. We stopped at the nearby Mc Donald’s and I got myself my very first Arabian Mc Flurry (which is just the usual Oreo). That was also my very first encounter with Mike’s dog named Jacky, a bulldog from Russia, who is so huge and very active for its size. He ransacked my slippers the next morning, his way of giving his very warm welcome and his friendship.

My very first morning in Dubai started at around 7am. Got a quick shower (which, by default, is hotter than the usual) and readied my backpack and all for the 9am call time. Our plan then was Mike had to take a half day off in the morning and just report to work after lunch. We had breakfast at Subway (supposedly Mc Donald’s but the branch we visited had moved to another location) and off we braved the heat on our way to Dubai Museum.

Entrance fee is AED (United Arab Emirates Dirham) 3 which is around PHP 35 only. The museum (pictures here) is not that grand but it is housed in the historic Bastakiya or Old Dubai area. It was originally a headquarters and now houses a roomful of artifacts and dioramas. A big dhow, a boat, is displayed outside while a small traditional house with a distinct wind tower (seen almost everywhere in the area) is stalled near the entrance.



(Top row: all taken from the Dubai Museum; Bottom row: snapshots from Bastakiya)

From there, we walked along the small alleys of Bastakiya (pictures here) in broad daylight, armed with a bottle of water. The area is probably their version of Intramuros, only well maintained and will give you the feel what it was all about during the 1920’s. It was around 12 noon, very hot, and we’re the only ones strolling around and taking pictures. We stopped at Architectural Heritage Department, had a short break but still taking some pictures. The view of the creek and Deira is nice from the second floor while on our back is a nice mélange of wind towers and roofs in dusty cream hues.

Then we walked back to the Dubai Museum area and got through the textile souk (quick glance of the area here) on the right and reached the boat station. Through an abra, a small passenger boat, we crossed the creek for AED 2 one way. There are a lot of abras queued along the port. Just like the way with the jeepneys in the Philippines, they wait for the boat to be fully occupied before sailing. Upong-piso, so to speak. We had a short stop at Deira port, which is lined up with financial centers and some establishments, and headed back to Bur Dubai. More of abra ride pictures here and a short video here.


(From left to right: taken from the perfume souk, gold souk and spice souk)

Still sweating at around 2pm, we left Bastakiya. Mike had to report for work so he dropped me in the gold souk area in Deira. Nothing much to do there but be amazed with the gold jewelry being sold in the stores similar to those in Ongpin. Some didn’t mind having their wares photographed but some put a warning by the window. Aside from the gold souk, there’s also a perfume souk and spice souk (more pictures here). From there, I took a cab heading to Wafi Mall (AED 35). That’s where Mike and I will be meeting up at 5pm.

The Egytian-themed mall (more pictures here) was very quiet when I got there it. Locals were probably taking a nap or at work. I took some pictures of the sphinx and the mummies and looked for a good lunch. The food court with four or five stalls is not that easy to find (still not busy at that time). There’s a Timezone arcade area beside it and closest to it is a Chinese restaurant called Chinese Palace where I got my spicy Kung Pao chicken. Not surprisingly, the staff who entertained me is a kababayan. There's a short video here of my escalator ride from the food court down to the ground floor.

Energized, I went to the mall’s gold souk which is very charming with its dim lighting and still very quiet. There are other things to buy there but I didn’t bother checking out. I spent the rest of waiting time exploring the nearby stores and took a break at Wi-Fi-ready Rose Café on the top floor with a big artsy piece in the middle that resembles the one in Berlin City Hall. I had a white cheese and honey crepe served with a chilly fruit cocktail drink, a relief for somebody who was adjusting with the weather and still coping with jetlag. And there went my first “This is life!” moment in Dubai. If Mike was late even for a couple of minutes, I would have probably dozed off.

From Wafi Mall, off we went to the world’s biggest mall, the Dubai Mall (pictures here). It is so huge that I can get lost easily (MOA is also big but the interior is not difficult to get familiarized with). To my delight, the first part that Mike showed me was the cinema complex of the mall called Reel Cinemas which houses 22 theaters (the most numerous I’ve seen, I think). There’s a digital bulletin board in one corner and there’s an announcement as to what cinema is about to open for screening, just like boarding a plane. In addition, the mall has an indoor giant aquarium with recognition from the Guinness World Records as the largest single acrylic panel. It also boasts of the biggest candy store in the world, the Candylicious, plus the posh Armani Cafe and a technicolored floor that serves as a runway during fashion events.


(Scenes from Dubai Mall)

There we purchased our tickets for At The Top (Burj Khalifa) for a 5:30pm visit on my last day (Wednesday, July 13). We paid AED 100 but feel free to visit the view deck’s website for more details and on how you can optimize your entrance fee. We also met Luis there, enjoyed the musical fountain (video here) a la Bellagio in Vegas just outside the mall and called it a day with an Asian dinner at the food court. Nightcap at home was a double treat of keeping up with my teleserye fix through TFC and playtime with Jacky. By then, the dog was very much eager to sleep on my bed.

Dubai – Day 02: Of Open Minds and Desert Safari

My second day started with noticing that Jacky’s already up. He was probably waiting for another round of rope war (on which we scored 2-2 the night before). I call him a CSI dog as aside from playing, he likes to sniff on my luggage and he makes it a point to observe what you are doing and where you are going. Too bad, no playtime for Jacky in the morning as we had to rush for the 10am “Open Doors, Open Minds” talk at Jumeirah Mosque (regularly done on Tuesdays and Thursdays, if I remember it right).

We had a quick Mc Breakfast (with two Pinoy crew in the house) then we reached the mosque on schedule. I don’t remember if we paid for the entrance but if we did, it’s probably around AED 2 to 3 only (including a complimentary mineral water in a small sealed plastic cup). We took our shoes off and entered the mosque which has a very peaceful vibe. For the record, as mentioned in the book (DK Eyewitness Top 10), that is the only mosque that is open to non-Muslims (the rest of the pictures here).

Latifah, the in-house guide, then asked us to sit comfortably on the floor. She, by the way, is a Caucasian who came from England and was once a Catholic before marrying her husband who is a believer of Islam. As a disclaimer, Latifah told us that she’s not a scholar or something so difficult questions may not be addressed well. The talk is primarily about the five pillars of Islam, which, in general, have similarities to Christian faith. First pillar, for instance, is about believing that there’s only one God. Second to fourth is about prayers and duties while the fifth, the most unique one I may say, is a visit to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. After the pillars and after a demo on how they pray inside the mosque, questions were entertained. The questions varied from the women’s all-black attire, men having four wives and the different factions in the Muslim community. In gist, Latifah was trying to erase the gritty images we see on CNN and the like. She’s trying to emphasize that Islam is not synonymous to suicide bombing and terrorist attacks, and I’m pretty sure that her point was not put in vain (at least for me).

The talk was over at around 11am. We had enough time to kill for the desert safari at 4pm so we headed to some short stops. First was at Mercato Shopping Mall (more pictures here) which is just near the mosque. It’s an Italian-themed mall complete with old Europe flooring and ambiance. I don’t know if it’s a bad thing that I visited a Virgin Store (that’s where I spent my old USD bill). I ended up buying some Arabian films on DVD, a CD and an Angry Bird shirt. Good stuff so no regrets.

From the mall, we drove to the beachfront then to Jumeirah Hotel and took some snapshots of Burj Al Arab from there. Then we passed by at Wild Wadi and Madinat Jumeirah and made a quick stop at the IT area. That was the time when the concept of “area” in Dubai was starting to make sense. The city is designed a la SimCity where all the offices are grouped by type or category. For instance, the IT area has Mc Afee and Oracle headquarters in the same way that the TFC office is just beside CNN or BBC. Pretty neat, I should say. I attempted to surprise my ex-Manila officemate Charrie but she was working from home that time. More pictures here.

By lunchtime, we were already at Ibn Battuta Shopping Mall (pictures here). In case you haven’t noticed it yet, all the malls that I’ve been to have a theme (probably due to competition). Wafi Mall is Egyptian. Dubai Mall is record breaker, period. Mercato Shopping Mall is Italian. For its share, Ibn Battuta Shopping Mall is conceptualized with all the places that the Arabian traveler where the mall is named after had been to. It’s one straight mall divided into different sections for China, India, Persia, Egypt, Tunisia and Andalusia. We had lunch at KFC somewhere in between those countries.

We waited for the Desert Safari guys to call us for pick-up at 4pm. From Ibn Battuta, we went straight to Emirates Towers (where Mike’s office is located in the office building of the twin towers) and had a frap at Starbucks there (more pictures here). We got a call at close to 4:30pm and had us picked up in the hotel lobby part of the twin building. I remember seeing a silver camel artwork there while one of the passengers was taking a picture of it. We were a total of seven clueless passengers in the SUV: the driver (which I forgot the name), two young Danish ladies, us, two Pinoys, plus two more ladies (Japanese) who we picked up at a hotel.

Our driver is a fun guy. He should be, especially for those who are just dragged to take on the desert adventure. All throughout the trip going out of Dubai city center, he was making us feel at ease with his techno Arabian playlist. I’m not sure if he was hitting on one of the Danish girls but I enjoyed the wit. Roughly after 20 minutes of driving from the city center, we stopped at a junction to freshen up and flatten the tire a bit for a more sand-friendly drive (most of the SUVs for the desert safari were there, too). From there, it took only five to 10 minutes to reach the first part of the desert. Just like the other SUVs (from other tour agents), we stopped again to take pictures of the area and be really ready. I took that as a sign for point of no return.

Mike and I were seated at the back part of the car, the Danish girls in the middle plus the Japanese girl then the other Japanese in front (check out the video here). I don’t remember how fast the drive was but surely seatbelt is a must. Then we drove through the desert, going uphill or the opposite, in an unimaginable speed as if you’re in a rollercoaster ride. Let me rephrase that, as if your car is about to turn upside down! It’s a total experience, something that I haven’t felt in any theme park ride. In one instance, the driver even got his upper body out of the window with his right hand still on the steering wheel. We did stop again after 30 minutes, this time in the middle of the desert. That was a call to take pictures and gather self after a dizzying ride (a 360-degree video here). The SUV ride wore down one of the Danish girls on which the driver took a chance to poke fun and comfort her at the same time. I shared a picture with the Japanese, complete with that famous Asian sign.


(Snapshots from the desert)

After 15 minutes or less, we were already on our way to the desert then back to the highway. From the highway, we turned right somewhere leading to another sandy area only with some plants and all, had a gentler version of the crisscrossing drive then finally, a Bedouin village where we had our final stop for the trip. That’s where I had my first camelback ride, my first sheesha, my closest encounter with a falcon and my first desert sunset. There are, of course, other things happening in the village. There’s a free Henna tattoo (where I had a scorpion on my right arm), a buffet dinner, some beer and a cultural show with Tanoura (a video clip here) and a belly dance (check out the video here). All six passengers of us were sharing the same table while sitting on a mat, eating, chitchatting and most of the time enjoying the breeze. The experience is simply for the books and I can conclude that the desert adventure is the highlight of my Dubai trip (proof here).

We got back to the city at past 9pm and strolled for a little bit in the financial district (same location as the Emirates Towers). Mike reminded me about the film shoot that Tom Cruise did in one of the streets for the upcoming “Mission: Impossible” franchise. Back to the apartment, it’s playtime once again with Jacky.

Dubai – Day 03: The Palm, the World’s Tallest Building and a Warm Filipino Send-Off

(Top to bottom row, from left to right: stamps for the postcards (taken from a post office in Karama, Madinat Jumeirah theater, a beachfront taken from the monorail in the Palm Jumeirah, two pictures from Mall of the Emirates, the Emirates Building taken from the metro and three pictures of the Burj Khalifa)

At six in the morning, I sensed the urge from Jacky that he wanted to sleep beside me. I gave in. Maybe it’s the dog’s way of saying goodbye and that he was acknowledging the time we played and bonded. He slept on my blanket and I myself went back to sleep for two or more hours.

Filipino breakfast was served at Kape Korner in Karama (more pictures here). It’s a treat for us after visiting the post office to drop a hefty number of postcards for family and friends. I had tapsilog and Mike ordered some halo-halo for dessert. Everybody was attuned to the TFC show on the right. It’s the same building where one Chowking branch is stalled. That’s also the same building where we bought a couple of perfume as requested by friends. At 11am, we were already hopping to another building that sells souvenir items then to Madinat Jumeirah (no longer part of Karama) to visit one of the The Amazing Race pit stops (some pictures here). That’s also where the glamorous Dubai International Film Festival is held every December.

. The rest of noontime was spent with a back and forth ride on the monorail (check out the video here) in Palm Jumeirah (the rest of the pictures here). You’ve probably seen it somewhere. It’s the manmade spot in Dubai that looks like a palm from a bird’s eye view. To access the station, you need to go to Atlantis Hotel which, according to Mike is a replica of the one in the Bahamas. There’s another water theme park in the hotel but we’ve got no time to explore it. I think one of The Amazing Race challenges was done there, particularly the one where the teams had to do the steep slide with some sharks swimming on the pool below it.

From there, Mike drove to Mall of the Emirates which is another huge mall. The interior is more of Old Town feel and most stores are high-end (more pictures here). We took the metro from there, going to as far as the airport and then back. Mike said it’s relatively new and it was his first time to commute by train (he looked more excited than I). It’s good to note that the ticket ranges from regular to gold passes. The more expensive it is, the more comfy your seats could get. There are some officers who check the tickets from time to time and it is important to read the dos and don’ts before taking the train. Good thing that photography is not prohibited. By the way, I slept on our way back, something that I couldn’t do in a jam-packed MRT (the rest of the pictures here). We returned to the mall at close to 4pm, had a quick stop at Ski Dubai (the world’s largest indoor snow park) and then got dragged by the discounted Rip Curl travelling bag. Surprisingly, we made it to our next stop just in time.

Towering at 828 meters and 160 floors, Burj Khalifa is currently the world’s tallest building (pictures here). Imagine a few more meters and it’s already a kilometer! The view deck, simply called At The Top, is at the 124th floor. You can see the city in 360 degrees including the project The World which is another manmade set of islands that resembles the world map. It was dusty on that afternoon and the sun was still up. Mike said that there could be a sandstorm somewhere nearby. Usually, he said, the sky is all blue. There are some digital binoculars for rent in the area, a souvenir shop (where we saw the Japanese ladies again) that sells some delectable but expensive chocodates (chocolate plus dates) and a very nice rest room. Check out how fast the elevators are in Burj Khalifa through a video here.

Before we left the tower, I was already receiving some text messages from high school batch mates and friends that we will be meeting up for dinner. Mike then drove from Dubai Mall (where Burj Khalifa is located) to Bur Juman where Barrio Fiesta has a branch. The dinner was just perfect and very memorable. It was my first time to meet up a high school batch mate/classmate or kababayans outside the Philippines. I can name all of them and I wish I could thank all of them enough: Andy (who was alphabetically seated before me during high school), Luis, Mike (of course), Isol, Nerisa, Lovelle, Lobell and Carol (more pictures with them here). It’s one of those rare moments wherein no matter how mouth-watering the food is, it’s the warm conversation that stands out. We spent the rest of early evening taking pictures in another area of the mall. Some even stayed and joined me on our way back to Mike’s apartment, waited for me to pack up and take a shower and then proceed to the airport. Mike and Luis were even pushing my cart on our way to the check-in counter. It felt good when friends, whom I only got acquainted for a short period of time, send you off to that extent. There’s this sheltering sentiment of friendship and being important. And to top the day’s goodness, I got upgraded to Business.

In-Flight Movies # 001

I remember five years ago that my direct flight to the Netherlands (again, walang personalan, trabaho lang ‘to) took 12 hours and 45 minutes. No complaint on my end. That means more movies to watch. And for airlines like KLM (with on-demand in-flight screening), it’s a joy to take long flights. Four years or so after, that was outdone when I was tasked to work onsite in a Uruguayan project. For the record, that’s a total of three flights, one from Manila to Dubai (eight hours) through Emirates, then Dubai to Sao Paolo (14 hours, 40 minutes), also through Emirates and a domestic flight-like trip from Sao Paolo to Montevideo (around three hours) through TAM/Pluna.

My personal challenge there is to watch many movies given with a limited travel time. As of press time, I could only finish four for a 14-hour trip (ideally and if I were 10 years younger, the count could be as healthy as six). I need to catch up with sleep. Time difference in Uruguay is like the total opposite. I need to eat. Economy or business, food in Emirates is just tempting. And for the previous trips where I got upgraded to business (pure luck), you can’t pass up the comfortable seat that’s easy to recline up to 180 degrees. Swell.

Anyway, here’s a quick rundown from the two flights I had. One from Sao Paolo to Dubai, the first four movies, and another from the recent Dubai to Sao Paolo with only two movies (thanks to the sleeping habit I gained from the recent Cinemalaya). This also marks another blog series for in-flight movies (which I am not sure if I can maintain it that long).

The Lightning Tree (Ryuichi Hiroki, 2010) A star-crossed love story between Narimichi, an official from a powerful clan, and Rai, a young girl living in the forest. At first look, it’s a period drama with bits and pieces of samurai action. The musical score is a mix of old-school theme and some contemporary pop. The effect is slightly weird but maybe the film is trying to reach the younger crowd. The film runs for 133 minutes and I probably paused this in the middle, slept and waited for the attendant to wake me up when lunch/dinner was ready.

Exit Through the Gift Shop (Bansky, 2010) This documentary has a disclaimer in the summary tab: “could be a hoax”. The film covers the rise of an artist through his search for the camera shy graffiti artist Bansky. Just to burst the curiosity bubble, the title suggests the thing you should do when chased by a police officer after completing a graffiti art (which others may call vandalism). There’s a lot of interesting elements mentioned in the film. There’s this sense of adventure in “executing” your artwork, a sense of danger, as if you’re making love to a married person. Then there’s the evolution of art without being too heavy-handed. I think I finished this in one go (with a help of probably some crackers and orange juice). If there’s one turn-off, it’s the part where Andre, for crying out loud, declares “I am an artist.”

Tamara Drewe (Stephen Frears, 2010) I am not sure if I have seen a lot of Stephen Frears movies but this one is his attempt to try out an Almodovar-ish tale with multiple characters and a dash of dry humor (could be a Woody Allen at some point). This keeps me up for a couple of minutes though there’s nothing much to root for. I’m sure I’ve seen better and more effective films than this.

Young Frankenstein (Mel Brooks, 1974) The thing with comedies in black and white is that they look serious with their wit. This is supposed to be a spoof of Mary Shelley’s literary work but compared to the gag shows we see of late, it doesn’t try very hard to be funny. Thanks to Gene Wilder’s presence and humor. The first sequence alone is a riot, with the grandson trying to avoid the misfit of the old Frankenstein demands his last name be pronounced as “Frankens-teen” instead. There are some corny one-liners like the “Where wolf?” part but it’s the 70’s and that’s forgivable. I had a ball watching this as I was racing against time. The plane was on its descent and the images froze from time to time due to the pilot’s necessary announcements.

The Dilemma (Ron Howard, 2010) Best thing that could be said about this film is the cast: Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum and Queen Latifah. Ron Howard does something lighter this time but it was so light that I’m not sure if it’s even worthy of putting up into a film (a case of so-so take on a so-so material perhaps).

Fireflies in the Garden (Dennis Lee, 2008) Another great cast of A-listers: Julia Roberts, Willem Defoe, Ryan Reynolds, Emily Watson (!) and Carrie-Anne Moss (of Matrix’ Trinity fame). A predictable tale of a dysfunctional family whose redemption relies on revisiting the past no matter how painful. There are some great moments like the confrontation between the son and the father but there’s nothing new in general.

SIDE TRIP. Residue pics here from the last time we had a parrilla night with colleagues.