Yesterday, I made a statement that the Madinat Jumeirah was the most beautiful mall I had ever been to. Well, I take it back. IBN Battuta is the MALL of all malls. Just a little off Zayed road, this masterpiece truly caught me by surprise. To come here just to shop is a sin. You must experience this beautiful, beautiful work of art when in Dubai.
Through the power of the internet, I found out that the mall is named after renowned 14th century explorer, Ibn Battuta, a man who travelled over 75,000 miles during his lifetime. The architectural inspiration behind the distinctive design of the shopping mall is based around his travels. The mall is divided into six zones, representing key destinations visited by Ibn Battuta.
I had no time to shop! In fact, I was only able to make it to India, Tunisia, Egypt and Andalusia. We had no more time for China and Persia. I can't stop raving about this place. Visiting this mall was truly unforgettable and I hope I can make it back here one day to experience its beauty once again.
Other than the massive hallways and intricate designs of this mall, the other thing I noticed is the kabayans working in each and every shop. I kid you not! Ang daming pinoy sa Dubai. Talo ang Hong Kong, Singapore at Daly City combined! There is no way you can get lost in this city. Most of the kabayans here are very helpful and friendly. I even found myself looking specifically for a kabayan everytime I would enter a store.
The other mall I wanted to go to after IBN Battuta was the Mall of the Emirates. Since I am an avid fan of The Amazing Race (kahit Asia Edition), the Ski Dubai was a must see for me. I wasn't naman planning to ski nor was i going to engage Naval in a snowball fight. I just really wanted to see it.This attraction was built specifically to cater to the residents of this region who want to ski. Ok ba yon? As if they didn't have enough dirhams to travel to some ski resort! The place manufactures its own snow and you even have to go on a lift to reach the top of the slope. Amazing! Walang sinabi ang snow machine ng HK Disneyland! Heehee.
At the end of this vast highway is Wafi City, the venue for our mini-reunion with our PATTS graduates. The evening was spent reminiscing with eighteen of our alums based in Dubai in a get-together organized by Charisse. She chose Black Canyon, a new Thai restaurant right beside Bread Talk (which explains the background for our group picture). Since the place was new, we were the only patrons and it seemed as if the place was closed specifically for our party. MFV and Naval were like proud parents conversing, laughing, teasing and mostly praising our fine graduates who have made it big in Dubai. I only started working in PATTS in 2001 so most of them were not familiar with me. They were asking me nga kung anong batch ko. Heehee. But I too felt very, very proud to be in the company of these young, energertic and brave individuals. They were telling me that more of our graduates wanted to attend but were unable to because of the short notice. Sayang! Next time (naks, next time daw), we'll make sure we inform them earlier so that we can double or maybe even triple the attendance. After getting all their contact info, we promised to facilitate the creation of their yahoogroups with the attendees being the founding members. Little by little, we hope it will grow so that a strong bond can be established amongst them.
Since it was our last night in Dubai, I told MFV and Naval na dapat naman mag-happening kami. We were intrigued by the nightclub at the ground floor of our hotel so we chose this for our going away party. The club's name? MANILA 365 Taga-rito ka! Ano buzzzzzzzz. It was a mix of the Pussycat Dolls meets Lionel Richie meets Akon meets Various Artists. All I can say is that very versatile talaga ang mga Pinoy! They were inviting us to their Halloween party the next day. Sayang at paalis na kami.
We now close the books on Dubai as we enter the completely different world of Abu Dhabi.....
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