Around Dubai

Our travel consultant assigned us a chauffeur/tour guide to take us to wherever we wanted to around the city. She turned out to be another kabayan, Heidi, who is actually in the catering business but was free on that day. Our first stop of the day was the Central Souk in Sharjah. We chose to go there first since it was the farthest from the city. Central is their version of 168. Pero what a market it turned out to be! Endless rows of clothing, furniture, table linens, perfume and everything else under the sun. But since I was assigned to accompany Mom, we only made it to 2 stores while the rest of the group was able to walk the whole mile. At least I was able to buy the kandura Reymond specifically asked for. For those who may not know, the kandura is the traditional attire worn by the men of this region. It consists of a white gown, a white knit cap, a scarflike hanky worn on the head topped with a black 'lasso' to keep the hanky in place. Reymond fancies himself a sheikh -- ewan ko lang ha. I don't think he can have that harem he's fantasizing about! Moving on....

Mom went crazy at the Gold Souk. Apparently, gold (jewelry in general) is cheaper in Dubai. Most of the shops were managed by Indian nationals. Mom has this thing about asking each and every Indian around if they are from Keralah (pronounced as ker-lah). Ang kulit. Ang laki laki ng India and yet she has to ask them the same question each and every time. Sa ka-ka Keralah niya, nabola tuloy siya. Because of intensive over the counter negotiations, we had lunch at 3:00pm na! But it was well worth the wait. Mercato was serious eye-candy.





The Mercato Mall on Jumeirah Road was our lunch venue. The mall had European/Italian influences and if you close your eyes for a few seconds, you would actually think you were walking in some street in Europe. I made a declaration that it was the most beautiful mall I had ever been to! But that was before I stepped inside the Madinat Jumeirah.



This particular mall is in the vicinity of the Burj Al Arab, Wild Wadi and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Although most people will opt to have their pictures taken at the beach with the Burj as their background, MFV (feeling local) suggested otherwise. And although I hate to admit it. she was right once again. The view of the Burj from Madinat was breathtaking! The Burj is jumungous! As you all know, it is a 7-star hotel and the cheapest room rate is $3,000 a night. Each room has 2 floors and you are assigned a personal butler for the duration of your stay. MFV had the opportunity to enter the Burj last February and even dine inside (Tita Nini L. had a contact inside who got them in for free). For us cheapos who refused to spend 250 dirhams to enter their premises, we contented ourselves with her stories of lavishness and gaudiness. Truth be told, she was not very impressed with the interiors of the hotel. With its red, yellow and blue color scheme and diamond shaped tiles, it reminded her quite a bit of Alice in Wonderland. Kahit na, I told her. It's still impressive!

While at Madinat, we had the opportunity to meet up with family friend Fernan (and fellow kabayan) who was scheduled to start his first day of work at the Burj in the coming days. Fernan had just graduated from DLSU and he, with a group of 18 of his classmates, had entered into a study and work program with the Burj and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Galeng noh? His mother had sent him a few items thru us and we all had coffee at Costa with the imposing view of the Burj as our background. We really wanted to stay longer but we had to rush back to Deira to catch our 8pm pick-up for the Dhow Cruise along the Dubai Creek.



It wasn't all that great and the food was not exceptional BUT since we were in Dubai, we went on with the cruise lest we regret not having gone! It's a two-hour sail around the major landmarks surrounding the Dubai creek. You're served drinks and dinner plus you have the option of getting a back rub pa! Oh ha! We were even offered the services of their henna tattoo artist but we politely declined. Our cruise ended at 10:30pm with all of us dog tired. Time to rest our aching feet for another day in Dubai....

Adventures in the Desert

Being given the opportunity to travel to the Middle East for both business and pleasure comes but once in your lifetime. So when it does, you grab the bull by its horns and let it carry you to wherever it may be. Such was my experience when broached with the idea of travelling to Dubai and Abu Dhabi to attend an Educational Exhibit. While there, I would also be given the task to organize the alumni of PATTS in both cities. On the side of course, I would be given the chance to explore this wonderful region. And so it was set, I would be travelling with my boss MFV (who also happens to be my mom) and our Vice-President for Academic Affairs LNJr. (whom i fondly refer to as Naval).

To start the trip right, Naval was upgraded to the Business Class of our Emirates flight by virtue of the PATTS graduate on duty at the check-in counter. This was his first air travel and so you can just imagine the excitement on his face when he saw how spacious and comfy the left side of the plane was. It was also my first time on an Emirates flight -- business pa! What a treat!

As we landed in Dubai, we were immediately met by familiar faces. There were also PATTS graduates on-hand working at the airport. Galeng noh? We also were able to go through immigration and customs efficiently by virtue of the Fast Pass issued to the Emirates Airlines patrons. Sarap ng buhay. That was until we saw our hotel.

We booked the Ramee Guestline Deira hotel through one of our graduates based in Dubai working as a travel consultant. She chose that particular hotel because of its location and for the price of $200 a day, we would be getting a 2-bedroom apartment complete with a dining room, a living room, a full service kitchen, 2 1/2 baths and may washing machine pa. Ok naman. On paper, it's definitely something you grab at because it's really a steal. Kaya lang, it wasn't my idea of a hotel in Dubai. And because I'm the type of person who puts handgel every 5 minutes and who actually asks her mom/hubby (depends on who I'm travelling with) to clean the airplane bathroom before I enter, talagang it wasn't the hotel for me. We arrived at 11pm on a Saturday and as soon as we checked in, crappy mood na ako. My mom, forever the optomist, ordered me to get out of my funk so that we could enjoy a midnight snack at the coffee shop downstairs. Naku, the chinese resto turned buffet area with matching pizza parlor on the side did not make me feel any better. Inisip ko nalang, tulugan lang 'to. I can handle this. (Charisse, if you're reading this, PEACE! I loved every aspect of your well planned itinerary EXCEPT this. Sorry)




To make ourselves feel better, we planned our desert safari on our first full day here. Our driver Natheer (a Sri-Lankan) was very courteous up until his tour director asked him to pick up two additional passengers in the Burj Dubai area. Since he was not familiar with the area, we were going around in circles for 1 hour. In utter frustration, he referred to his tour director as BAKLA. Tawang tawa kami. We asked him where he learned that word, he then began a litany of bakla, tomboy, isa, dalawa, tatlo.....bwahahahahahaha!

The actual sand dunes were 45 minutes away from the city. When you get there, you are made to wait for maybe 9 other cars so that mayroon kayong ka-rally. It started out fine naman. Nung una, tawa tawa pa ako. After awhile though, I could feel my head spinning and then after a few minutes, I was grabbing my Mom's shopping bag and emptying its contents so that I could use it as a barf bag. Yes, it's true. Katrina, the alleged world class traveller, still gets dizzy on airplanes, cars, elevators, roller coasters and especially on desert safaris!!!! I felt so kawawa pero of course smile pa rin for the camera. Ito naman si Natheer, na-high ata sa aroma ng yucky suka ko, drove even more wildly which made me throw up a second time. Are you guys grossed out na? Sorry. Basta, I told myself, you can make me ride all the crazy rollercoasters around! But you can never make me go on another desert safari again!



At the end of the rally, we were treated to a feast of grilled chicken and lamb and to a night of all-out belly dancing! The audience was even asked to step in and wiggle! Mom and Naval were extremely game while their cross-eyed photographer was still trying to get her bearings back. Fun, fun activity - regardless! In fact, we still had the strentgth to have a drink with Budjing, my NFF in Dubai. He happens to be the brother of our buddy Weng in Manila. Budjing has been based in Dubai the past two years and even if we were not really close when he was still living here, he made it a point to meet up with us. He brought us to the Irish Village where we had Irish beer, finger foods and listened to a fantastic crooner. Kuwento lang kami ng kuwento while enjoying what little breeze Dubai had to offer. Budjing had the next day off so I convinced him to join us to make pasyal.

To the Island and back

I've been to Boracay a number of times and each time, the trip has always been safe and hassle-free. So when Joanna asks me to join her at the wedding of her little brother in Boracay, I willingly obliged. We were going to stay at the very posh Discovery Shores and it was going to be my first out of town wedding. How could I say no? Even if it was raining a whole week before the wedding, it didn't stop me from pushing thru with my 'no husband and no kids' weekend. I was super excited and was looking forward to my rendezvous with Jo!

It was bright and sunny that Friday afternoon and so I had no idea what lay in store for me. I was offered the 3:30pm flight and I agreed to leave earlier so that I could get to Boracay before sunset. A few minutes before landing in Caticlan, the plane was shaking violently and it was rocking up and down. I was very nervous and I was so tempted to grab the hand of the (cute) boy beside me. Takot lang ako na masampal ni girlfriend. But I was really scared and I felt so alone at that precise moment. Thankfully, the plane landed without a hitch and I was thinking that the worse was already over.

The staff of Discovery Shores was on hand to pick me up together with 2 other couples. We were told that because of the stormy weather, we would be boarding the 'bangka' at the makeshift port and not at the regular port. We get to the port and the rain and the wind was getting stronger by the minute. As I was halfway through the wooden planks going towards the bangka, we were asked to go back to the shore. The coast guards were no longer allowing any ships to sail and so we grudgingly obeyed. Angelo and Tibang (law school friends) were watching over me the whole time since they saw that I was all alone. We waited under a shed na butas-butas yung sako roof for 2 whole hours. My dress was completely wet, I was freezing and the rain and the wind just kept getting stronger. I've never felt this helpless in a long time.

At 7:00pm, the coast guards lifted the restriction and we were going to be allowed to ferry to the island of Boracay. OMG. I thought I had it bad waiting in the shed for two hours. There were actually people inside the bangkas for two hours because they were not allowed to get off at the port. GRAVY. I'm so thankful to the staff of DS, to Angelo & Tibang and to a certain Ann (firedancer and owner of Footsies at D'Mall). They kept me sane during those very turbulent hours. And to think, di pa kami nagkikita ni Jo, my adventure had already begun!

When I finally saw Jo at 7:30pm, I hugged her and told her about my horrible experience. Since Jo is super sensitive and caring, she ordered me to change clothes (no time for a bath) pronto because late na kami for dinner. Bwiset! Hahahahaha. After a few ooohs and ahhhhs upon seeing our room, I changed quickly and headed off for Gasthoff where Lolo Cong and Tita Aleta were hosting a dinner for ALL the visitors.

While we were having dinner, the rain was so strong that it felt like a mist fan was aimed directly at my face the whole time. What an experience talaga. After dinner, we had drinks at Hey Jude! Ay salamat, something drinks! I had a dirty martini, amaretto sour and Jo's cousin even got us a round of Cosmopolitan. We ended at 3am! When we got back to DS, Jo wanted to have a few more drinks with Veron and Alana (Bacolod peeps). Naku, no thank you! I went up to the room, took a long hot shower and relaxed in my bed. Jo came in at 4am na. Yan ang grabeh!



We woke up at 9am and there wasn't much time to dilly dally as the wedding was at 3pm that day. The day was bright and we thought that the weather would remain sunny. Oh no, by 12 noon, the rain was pouring again and the wind was not letting up. Stress! It's a good thing the wedding was held inside the church. Despite the stormy weather outside, Jet and Alexis had a beautiful ceremony surrounded by their closest family and friends. I know its cliche to say that the bride is always beautiful on her wedding day but Alexis was beaming! She was radiant and she looked absolutely stunning. The weather outside did not affect her disposition at all. Whatta girl!



We had food and drinks overflowing and I must say, for a first wedding at DS, they did an excellent job! My favorite was the lamb chops with mint, turmeric rice and the beef kaldereta. The seafood served was also very fresh and I was going all-out at the buffet table. Hahahahahaha! It didn't help that tablemates Noel (law school friend) and his date Chichi were gorging as well. Other tablemates included Jo's niece Janna and Tita Aleta. We were the VVIP table! After dinner, we had drinks, listened to the reggae band (Lolo Cong had a guitar recital!) and was thoroughly amused with the firedancer a.k.a. ladyboy (term borrowed from Cheche Lazaro). Fun night! By 10pm, weng weng na ako. Jo, on the other hand, ended her day at 4am! Party animal.



Sunday was my last day so I texted high school chum Monica to join me for breakfast. She was on vacation with hubby James and this was the only time I had to meet up with her. Had a great time chit chatting and walking on the shore. James is now my favority hubby of friend because he takes pictures even without being asked to! I love it! Hahahahahaha! But our bonding was shortlived. By 10am, I had to run up na to my room and dress up. I left DS at 11am and was flying home to Manila by 1230pm.

News of Pacquiao's victory greeted me when I landed at the Domestic. Was very happy but of course the 'match' I was looking forward to was the DLSU-UE game at 3pm.

What better way to end my weekend than by DLSU beating UE to capture the UAAP Mens Basketball Championship! Galeng! But that's another post of course! Congratulations La Salle! You make us all so proud!

Uhmmmmmmm, diba Boracay post 'to? Well, anyway, it was a fun weekend regardless of how it started! God is good. I thank Him everyday for the life I have, the family and friends I'm blessed with, and for the small victories He allows me to enjoy.