DAY ONE IN DUBAI

While we felt like Zombies the previous night because of the time difference, we took our own sweet time in the morning despite an early 7AM call time.  This is because it was already 11AM in Manila by that time.

Sweet.
It felt like we gain extra four hours to spend!

We had time to cook breakfast and actually eat it too! 

We had a full schedule ahead of us including an out of town trip to a nearby emirate that is why we really needed to have a full stomach and a high dose of energy.

Before we left, our special tour guide for the day came - ROMMEL!
He was Mom's Dialysis Nurse here in ATC before he migrated to Dubai.
He helped us in arranging for Mom's treatment there.

Together again!

Our first stop was the Jumeirah Open Beach Park for some morning sun.

The lovely place was bustling with Joggers and Volleyball players as we were
there on a Friday - Dubai's official day of rest.  Pretty much like our Sunday.

Meet the rest of the party.  Not in this picture is Jon, Ate Lyn and yours truly. 

After we had our dose of  Vitamin D, off we went to a place that's enjoying much publicity since Kris Aquino featured it in her morning program -

The place, which is open only during the "cool months" is such a sight to behold.
It has lots and lots of flowers which I so love.

The following pictures have no need for captions as the images say it all.

After visiting the fabulous garden, we were all set to go to Al Ain - it is an emirate of United Arab Emirate (UAE) just like Dubai.

But before hitting the road for almost two hours, we asked our driver to bring us to a fast food restaurant along the highway.

He brought us here where a vast desert could be seen in the background.
Amazing!

One does not need an English translator to know that we were in Burger King!

And remember when I made mention of the many Filipinos in Dubai?
Jon even found a friend from his Badminton circle.  Small world indeed huh?

Meet Christian!  He is the Manager of that BK Branch.  Astig ang Pinoy!

At mabuti na lang at ibinaon namin ang left over rice nung breakfast.
Parang nasa Jollibee lang ang asawa ko.
Busog!

After that hearty lunch, we continued our long trip to Al Ain.
An hour of driving after, the view has become more and more picturesque.

Huge rock formations such as this makes you wan'na pinch yourself.
We are indeed in the middle of a desert!

After a few minutes, our driver announced that we were already in Mubazzara Park.

Apparently, this is a famous spot for Picnics.  It also has hotsprings where it is said to be "therapeutic" to tired legs and feet.

Syempre pa, hindi nagpahuli ang tropa.

Especially my Mom who, days before the trip, had difficulty in walking.
Go go go agad siya!

At, habang feel na feel namin ang kanal na para bagang kadugtong ito ng River Jordan, aba eh nagpakalayo layo naman ang asawa ko.

Eh di ano pa nga ba?  Walang pakialamanan ng trip.  Kanya kanya lang yan.

Aba eh kung di pa namin pinigilan eh balak pa yatang tawirin ang kabilang
bundok.  Jonnnaaaaaattthhhhaaaannnn!

 Then it was time to go to  on top of a mountain named Jebel Hafeet.
Click this link if you want to know more of this famous tourist attraction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jebel_Hafeet

While the mountain itself is spectacular, the road going there is more interesting.
Ito siya:

Just recently, this road has been included in the 10 roads you need to drive on
before you die list (or something to that effect, hehe).

Well, bukod sa nakakahilo paakyat at pababa, awesome naman talagang maituturing ang view while going up.  Medyo na afraidy aguilar lang kami ng kaunti dahil nangamoy ng bonggang bongga ang clutch ng sinasakyan namin.

The only structure on top of the mountain is an Accor Hotel - Mercure!

At habang ang lahat ay namamangha sa ganda ng tanawin, naloka naman ang
asawa ko sa magandang view na nasumpungan niya. Hayyyy.

After spending a considerable amount of time at the top of the mountain, it was time to descend and visit the nearby Zoo if only to fulfill our promise to the little boy.

And it did not disappoint!
The animals were lively and the variety is amazing.

After seeing some of the animals, Mom and I broke away from the group to go back to the main entrance for some serious shopping while the rest of the gang continued their tour of the zoo.

And, after satisfying our need for retail therapy, napagtripan naman namin  and dalawang arabong ito.

Parang Jollibee Mascot lang ang peg.  After that, other Tourists followed suit.
Kami na ang dakilang tagapag pa uso. Hehe.

On the way home, we dropped by the much raved about outlet mall.

And, true to its claim, MURA nga ang mga items.
Jon found his favorite brand of shoes at half the price here in Manila.

Sayag lang at hindi ko masyado nakarir ang pagsa shopping because I went around with Mom the whole time and let her do the purchasing.

The little boy was so happy too because while there, we left him inside a ig play pen where he had the time of his life playing.

That ends our hectic Day One.
Hindi na kami makausap nyan when we reached our Apartment.
Aba eh halos alas dos na ng umaga kami nakakauwi Manila time.

Care to join us for Day Two?
Oh please do. :)

DEFINITELY DUBAI

Hello everyone.
I will not even begin to apologize for the lack of posts.
I guess it will be like this forever - sporadic posts from time to time.
If only I could blog directly from my mind, then there would be a gazillion of entries here!

Anyhoo, you must have known from my Facebook posts that we recently visited Dubai.
This trip (as in all my biyahes naman), took almost a year of planning.
As usual, thanks to Cebu Pacific promo fares, I was able to score an uber cheap fare to this Middle Eastern destination.

We were traveling with the AZARCONS - our travel companion for several years now.
For this trip, they were bringing with them Glenn's 84 year old mother Mommy Toning.

And, just like in Japan last November, I am so happy to have brought along my Mom again in this trip.
You see, she is in need of dialysis twice a week so I had to find a renal center who would accept her in their clinic as a medical tourist.

It took a lot of papers not to mention the energy and time before we finally got accepted in one of Dubai's premium hospitals.  Well, more on later posts.

For now, let me tell you about the long road we took to get to Dubai.

Mommy and the Kiddo on our way to NAIA Terminal 3.  

Cebu Pacific flies to Dubai several times a week.
Taking off at around 3:15 in the afternoon and arrives in Dubai around 9 in the evening Dubai time.

We were stepping foot in the Middle East for the first time!

As you may already know, Philippines is 4 hours ahead of Dubai so we arrived there 'pupungas-pungas" as it was already around 1AM at least for our body clocks.

5J 7944 uses Cebu Pacific's newest aircrafts. A huge A330 that had internet
service on board.  That's for a handsome fee of couse. 

Despite the long time allowance, we did not have much "idle" moments in the airport.
Immediately after passing through Immigration, we only had a couple of minutes to spare to buy food before boarding began.

And, as soon as the "fasten seat belt sign" was off, we wasted no time in munching our early dinner.
We were on a long haul flight so we came in prepared with all sorts of things (gadgets, snacks, etc.) to keep us busy.

Here is my busy boy deciding which among the many "time consuming" things
I bought for him shall be opened first. Hehe.

Since we were crossing time zones, we all found it weird that it was still very bright outside at 8PM Philippine time.

Oh no, the sun is still up in this part of the planet!

The Pilot did mention that we were to pass through Vietnam, Myanmar, India etc. so we must be over India at around the above picture was taken.

Midflight, Jon and  best buddy Glenn were mostly "catching up" while the rest of us were either sleeping or eating. Hehe.

Mom was engaged in her Solitaire.

While the little boy was busy making donuts, snakes and balls. Hehe.

While I, on the other hand brought WORK!
It was a good idea though as I was able to accomplish a lot that night.

With only a few minutes of delay, we arrive at Dubai International Airport.
Good thing we requested for Wheelchair service for the two Seniors in our party.  The walk from the plane to the Passport Control is a good kilometer away!

We met the hotel representative and rode in their shuttle.

The trip took no more than twenty minutes and voila, we were already at AL NAWRAS HOTELS AND APARTMENTS - our home for the next five days.

The hotel from across the street.

It was clear from the moment we checked in that I made the right decision in booking this hotel.
We took a two-bedroom suite for each of the families.

We had our very own living area.

Our own dining space.

And a fully functioning Kitchen to boot.  Yipee!

Jon and I took the Master's Bedroom with the little bub while Mommy and Ate Lyn took the other bedroom.

I favored this kind of set up against hotel type of accommodations because of the space and the convenience on checking in on Mom several times during the night.

We both got a luxurious toilet and bath complete with bath tub and bidet.
Happy happy happy indeed!

The Azarcons, who were occupying a similar apartment as ours were also satisfied with our booking.

After settling down, Jon and I thought it wise to survey the hotel's environs.

We found two supermarkets nearby where we bought all our necessities from.

One thing we also realized, totoo pala na napakarami ng Filipino sa Dubai much to our delight.
Almost all the employees of the two Supermarkets we went into were Filipinos.  It is as if we never left home.  How cool is that?

Para lang kaming nasa SM.  We should not have brought too many food in
our luggage.  Everything we need is here!

Another thing, Dubai is indeed an "open" city.
It is not too strict on Islamic traditions and it respects People from every nation.

As SM would say, "We've got it all for you!".

Too many realizations and we were not even started with our Dubai Tour.
Join us in our Arabian adventures in the following posts.
Thanks heaps!

HIROSHIMA: A DAY OF REMEMBERING...

When I decided to finally book this trip to Japan, there is one place that I would not dare miss for the world. -HIROSHIMA!

It is the site of the very first atomic bomb attack on August 06, 1945.

I have learned about this in High School and ever since, I've got my eyes set on visiting this place,

The opportunity came on our Second day in Japan.

From Shin-Osaka, we boarded a SHINKANSEN ( Bullet Train) that would bring us to Hiroshima.

Shinkansens are awesome.  They are like airplanes only they are not flying. Hehe
You could get to far places in such a small amount of time.
I wish we have that here in the Philippines.
Imagine a trip from Manila to Tuguegarao which would normally take 12-14 hours by Bus, it is just going to be three hours (or less) via these Bullet Trains.  Hanep di ba?

The Shinkansen Central Gate is literally a few steps from our Hotel.
Talk about strategic location, eh?

The way leading to the Platforms are clearly marked making it impossible for one to get lost.

Our train is arriving soon!

Transportation in Japan is very efficient.
Trains (as do buses and ferries) arrive and leave as scheduled.

There goes our speedy train!

This is how it looks like inside.

The seats are soft yet firm, the legroom is sufficient and best of all, it was squeaky clean!

Food is available inside too.

Coffee anyone?  Naku, tulog na tulog pa si Sir. Hehe

I have not fully enjoyed the ride and already, we were at our destination. Pffft.

Notice the signs.  They are everywhere!  Very Tourist friendly.

On our way out, we saw many students on a field trip.

Naturally, Hiroshima is the center of History in Japan.

They look so cute!

We decided to have breakfast first at a Mc. Donalds inside the Station.

OMG! These cost a whooping 2500 yen!

When we ventured outside the station, I liked what I saw agad.

It was a picture of discipline and orderliness.

Walang pasaway eh!

There was just one thing that caught my eye.

Nagdadasal ba si Kuya o nanglilimos?

We bought a Hiroshima Day Pass for each of us and rode the Street Car.

Streetcars are different from Buses.  Both are efficient and friendly.

On our way pa lang, nakaka hyperventilate na ang colors ng leaves.

Whoa!

Gusto kong pumara nang makapag pa picture. LOL.

After a few minutes, we arrived na sa area ng Atomic Bomb Memorial.

All too suddenly, we got a bit serious and nervous at the same time.

Kahit na it happened more than 60 years ago, you could still feel the eeriness of the place.

More than ten thousand people perished here in just one bomb explosion.

Call me "maarte" but my heart was beating faster and faster in every step that I make.

Okay, I do not wish to recount here in this blog what exactly happened.

You could easily research about it on the internet.

But for "storytelling" purposes, here are some pictures for you to visualize the extent of the devastation.

On the morning of  August 6, 1945, a sunny day in Hiroshima, People were going about their daily duties.

Ito yung scale model ng aerial view ng Hiroshima circa 1945.

At exactly 8:15 AM, a deafening sound was heard.

Instantly,Hiroshima looked like this na.

As in only a few buildings were standing.  The rest were burned to ashes including people and animals in it.

For those who survived the blast, this is how it looked like thirty minutes after the explosion.

One of the building that was still standing was this building with a dome.

How it looked like after the blast

Eto na sya ngayon after 60+ years.

Took a photo with us on the foreground for remembrance.

The view of the building from afar.

On our way to the next site, we passed by a Japanese guy who spoke English fluently.

We later learned from the signboard he made that he was 3 months inside her Mother's womb when the Bomb was dropped.

 

He told us his story from the accounts of his Mother and from relatives.

His grandfather who died a few months after the blast.

Those who did not die instantly, later died pa din because of the atomic reaction.
Their skins were decomposing, they could not walk na, etc.

They said that they were turned into "guinea pigs" by the Americans.

Those who were pregnant at the time of the blast gave birth to babies who looked like these.

It was indeed very touching hearing it from a survivor himself.

We shook his hands and left with a heavy heart.

He was not there to collect fees he said.
He was just there to tell a true story.
His story was even featured in Time Magazine, we were told.

Another structure that did not collapse entirely was this building.

It was since converted to the Tourist Center and Souvenir Shop where Tourists could seat and contemplate.

Probably recover from the shock too. Hehe.

Teka, souvenir shopping ba ikamo?

Aba eh natural, nagka milagro na naman at nakalakad na naman si Madir. Hehehe

I push mo yan Mother! LOL

After some time, we continued our walk and arrived at the Paper Crane Memorial.

It is the story about a little girl who survived the blast but later developed Leukemia.

She wanted so much to live and as one of her therapy, she would make paper cranes.

She died a few years after and since then, children from all over the world send paper cranes in her memory.

DH was very touched too. I saw him scribbling on his Travel Journal...  

Photoshoot by the paper crane display panels.

A few steps away is the ETERNAL FLAME.

The fire was burning for years already in memory of that fateful day.

A closer view of the flame.

Then we saw the Cenotaph where ashes of some of the people who perished were entombed. 

Our last stop that morning is the Museum where hundreds of items from the blast were on display.

It was touching to know that the Museum was also holding a fund raising for the Philippines.

Thank you Hiroshima.

We spend quite a long time looking at each of the exhibits...

And, the most touching article I found there was this watch who stopped at the exact time the bomb exploded.

Let me leave you with these words most probably uttered by a little boy who was playing that time the bomb exploded.

He could be as old as my boy....

His future was robbed off him.

LET US SAY NO TO NUKES!