Brunch with Books and Coffee at the Book Munch Cafe in Dubai

I love Books and I love Coffee. Add “a quaint colourful coffee shop” to the mix and viola – it’s my perfect mix for spending a lazy sunny afternoon.

Thus on a recent trip to Dubai I was researching quaint cafes to visit when I came across this article on “How Cool are these Dubai Cafes”.  A quick read of the article and a run through, of the name, through my cafe filter test (basically checking the menu for maximum vegetarian options) I decided to visit the Comptoir 102 and the Book Munch Café. While I wasn’t able to visit Comptoir 102 (I reached late and they had closed for the day), I managed to visit the Book Munch Café for a lazy Sunday brunch.

Book Munch Cafe, Dubai

Photo Essay – Night Views of Dubai from “At the Top” of Burj Khalifa

I travel a fair bit for my official work and in November last year I had a chance to visit Dubai for our office offsite. As I had been to Dubai for a holiday once before, I had seen and done many of the typical touristy things. But my travels have taught me that even repeat trips to see the same sights can be fun – you can see things that you missed in the excitement of last time or try new ways of experiencing the same sights. And I tried re-experiencing “At The Top” in Burj Khalifa, but this time in the night and by learning more about this architectural marvel.

The Burj Khalifa, Dubai

5 Must Visit Places in Dubai

Everyone associates Dubai with just world-class shopping. But during my trip here, I realized that but there is so much more to see and experience here than just wandering around in one of its many malls. This city has something for everyone – be it culture, art, history, architecture (modern and traditional), food, etc etc. And based on my own experiences, today I am sharing 5 must see places that should definitely be on your travel itinerary for your next trip to Dubai –

The Dubai Skyline

Weekly Photo Challenge – Eerie

I found the topic for this week’s weekly photo challenge – Eerie to be slightly tough. The challenge was to post black and white pics that have a mysterious, otherworldly vibe where the viewer wonders what lurks in the shadows. Something eerie that has a story to tell — one you aren’t quite sure you want to know.

So I kept hunting through my photograph gallery and just couldn’t find anything that was apt for this topic. And then I stumbled upon two pictures that I had clicked of Jellyfish at The Lost Chambers Aquarium in The Atlantis, Dubai. I somehow found their hollow fluorescent look and the movement of the umbrella-shaped bell and the long tentacles quite eerie and mysterious. Somehow I wouldn’t want to know as what is this jellyfish thinking.

Dramatic Jellyfish

Top 10 Unique and Unusual Things to See and Try in Dubai

Writing about my Dubai visit (November 2012) has been a lot of fun, and with each of my posts’ I have kind of revisited my entire vacation. However as all good things come to end, this is my last post for that particular Dubai trip. Though I am sure I will travel there again, but for now I couldn’t think of a better way to end this series than with a post on some of the unusual things to see and do in Dubai.

So do read on for my list of the most unusual things that you must see or do in Dubai –

• Try flavored / normal camel milk – We saw this in a department store and just had to try it. It was slightly salty, very filling and is apparently very healthy. Though I must admit that I can’t drink this everyday. 🙂

Try Camel Milk

Top 10 Unique and Unusual Things to See and Try in Dubai

Writing about my Dubai visit (November 2012) has been a lot of fun, and with each of my posts’ I have kind of revisited my entire vacation. However as all good things come to end, this is my last post for that particular Dubai trip. Though I am sure I will travel there again, but for now I couldn’t think of a better way to end this series than with a post on some of the unusual things to see and do in Dubai.

So do read on for my list of the most unusual things that you must see or do in Dubai –

• Try flavored / normal camel milk – We saw this in a department store and just had to try it. It was slightly salty, very filling and is apparently very healthy. Though I must admit that I can’t drink this everyday. 🙂

Try Camel Milk

Top 5 Malls to visit in Dubai

Dubai is definitely the land of malls where you can’t drive for 10 minutes and not come across a mall. However malls here are not just for shopping, but they are more like an experience (including a cultural one). For some reason it seems like malls here intend to be a means of shopping cum entertainment cum sightseeing. Like the city, nearly every mall in Dubai has something unique to offer from ice rinks to skiing to themes to souks. And each one of them has its own unique charm and attraction.

As far as the actual shopping is concerned, while you find pretty much all the brands here (including the high-end ones) – nothing is cheaper. The only thing we found cheaper were TVs (as compared to India), rest everything was pretty much as it is in India.

The Dubai Mall

The Palm Jumeira and the Atlantis, Dubai

During my trip to Dubai I felt that this is one city which does not believe in being content with what it has; but is a city which must have everything possible in a place – skiing slopes, completely new islands in various shapes, 7 star hotels, water parks in a desert, the tallest structures in the world etc etc. This city has to have everything exotic that money can buy.

And I think one of the biggest examples of this attitude, are the artificial islands of the Palm Jumeirah and the World. While I havent seen the World Islands, I saw the Palm Jumeirah during my visit to Dubai last year. The Palm Jumeirah is an artificial cluster of islands, created and arranged in the form of a giant palm tree – complete with a trunk, a crown, 16 fronds and a crescent to complete the outline.

The Palm Jumeirah – photo courtesy – http://www.dubai-architecture.info

“At the Top” with Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Fountains

No trip to Dubai can be complete without a visit to one of its iconic buildings – Burj Khalifa. This tallest man-made building in the world, took 6 years in construction and has numerous designing, engineering and architectural feats associated with it. The design of the building is in the form of petals of a Hymenocallis flower (which is a regional desert flower) and you can see the actual petal formations from the observation deck. There are numerous other interesting facts and figures associated with this building and you can read more on it here.

Burj Khalifa

So when we were in Dubai, there was no way that we were missing out on a chance to actually see this building or Dubai from such heights.

Finally one curiosity satisfied – Inside the Jumeirah Mosque

Our curiosity always pushes us to know more about the unknown, even more so when it’s forbidden. And this is quite true for me too. One of the things that I have always been curious about is – what’s inside a Parsi Fire Temple and a Mosque? While I am yet to actually see the insides of a Fire Temple (as peeping inside one from a bus does not qualify), I finally got to visit an actual mosque i.e. the Jumeirah Mosque in Dubai.

As a quick background, in 1998 the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU) was set up under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoumin to raise awareness about the local culture, customs and religion of the UAE and to thereby increase cross cultural dialogue with guests. About a decade ago, under their “Open doors. Open Minds” philosophy, they opened the doors of the Jumeirah mosque to public and non-muslim guests (including women). Please note that this is the only mosque in Dubai which is open to public.

The Jumeirah Mosque, Dubai