Thursday 18 February 2010

Layali Dubai

Last weekend we spent a whole evening at the Global Village. As you are aware of….oh you were not???? You are kidding……simply everybody knows!!!! You don’t…..Ok then I’ll start at the beginning –

Dubai is a shopper’s paradise alright, but a month-long extravaganza more famously known as the Dubai Shopping Festival[DSF] has millions of visitors flocking to Dubai between January & February every year. What started off as an initiative by the government to boost trade in the country has now transformed itself into an annual event; almost every shop, every Mall and souq in the city participates enthusiastically by announcing genuine sales and exciting promotions with the intention of enticing customers into emptying their pockets then and there .

And mind you its not all about shopping, there are also carnivals, street shows, concerts, children’s entertainment, fireworks, film festivals, extravagant raffle prizes and the famous Dubai World Cup horse race all offering a welcome break from the shopping frenzy.

And one of the major attractions is the Global Village[GV] which in 1996 was a small area along the Dubai creek which housed a mere 10-12 stalls selling handicrafts & wares from different countries. The novel theme gained so much popularity that now 14 years later around 45 countries from all around the world participate to showcase their merchandise, culture and cuisine. Like they say here; it’s probably the only place in the world where you can buy an intricately-woven Indian pashmina shawl, a Japanese bonsai and fresh Canadian Maple Syrup all from the same place.

Since the Global Village opens only in the evenings[4pm-1am] it is simply not possible to cover all the pavilions & enjoy the entertainment provided all in one day…..unless ofcourse we hurry really fast but then you end up more tired than a happy tourist.

The most popular pavilion - Chinese Pavillion
The most widely- accepted among all the pavilions are the Chinese and the Indian pavilion, which ofcourse is always crowded; people throng these pavilions like as if they’ll never get to see anything like it again. Though Africa, Thailand, Iran, Vietnam, Egypt and UAE do come a close second in terms of popularity.
The African Pavilion; the cheetah's mouth was their stage where they performed their traditional arts
It’s really fascinating, once inside a particular country’s pavilion you are sort of transported into their world. If one side of the pavilion has traditionally dressed traders selling clothes, handbags and footwear, from the other side yummy and exotic aromas will be enticing us to try the special dishes from their country. Another corner could be selling anything from paintings, dried flowers, intricately carved furniture or cleaning mops. And the outside of the pavilion will have a stage where performers will showcase their country’s traditional dances or arts.
They had these lovely Egyptian paintings on papyrus here, ready to be framed
Even though the Indian Pavilion is a must-see place we give it a miss due to lack of time or leave it till the end as we are familiar with most of the merchandise they display. And the fact that many media channels lie in wait to thrust their mikes into people’s faces to ask silly questions & riddles, all the more make us want to stay clear of the place;-P. Every year my mum will ask “I watch the DSF special on tv everyday and I keep searching for u. Everybody is there except u" she accuses me. And I’ll be like “Ma puh-leeeeze”!!!

A traditionally dressed tea- seller outside the Syrian pavilion

The children ofcourse start out enthusiastically from home but run out of steam half-way thru because of the amount of walking we have to do. Luckily there is this huge amusement park right next-door with all the wild rides & games which succeeds in rejuvenating their tired spirits;-D.
I don’t shop much, usually am just content to soak in the electric atmosphere but there’s one thing I always end up buying in dozens every year……magnets…yeah those fridge magnets….they are a major weakness;-(. Half the time I end up buying the same stuff what I pick every year and then studiously avoid looking at the better-half’s wry expression the rest of the way home.
 
No clue which pavilion this is but the picture was looking so good I had to include it

And then ofcourse we all crib……about the outrageous amount[dh10 per person] they charge as entrance fees when in the initial years we could wander in and out as we pleased or the fact that a simple shawarma which costs dhs3.50 in the bylanes of Dubai is a whopping dhs7.50 inside the GV. But it doesn’t ever stop us from going there again and again. Honestly the DSF doesn’t feel complete without a trip to the Global Village.

Years back in 2000[I think] the better-half & I were at the Global Village watching the Red Indians in their traditional attires sitting around, idly strumming their curious looking musical instruments, when a group of Arab men came and stood beside us. The leader of the Red Indians quickly got his troupe together and they gave this impressive performance on the spot. Curious at what prompted the spectacular show we turned to look at the Arab men and immediately recognized the present Ruler of Dubai HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum standing tall and regal among the group of men. Although he was the crown prince then there was no fanfare or body-guards announcing his presence; he watched the performance for a few minutes and left like how he came…quietly and with no fuss.

This whole concept of the DSF and the Global village is actually The Ruler’s brainchild….he has pulled out all the stops to ensure that DSF remains a memorable occasion for everyone who participates in it. Every year there are more & more exciting events & prizes added; today it attracts more than 3 million visitors to Dubai every year. There is a lot more than I mentioned above like the Carpet Oasis where you’ll be spoilt for choice as you have over 150,000 carpets from different parts of the world to choose from. And the Gold Souq is a place you wont forget in a hurry, it is said that the Gold traders here sold jewellery worth Dh10 million each day and what’s more they give away 1 kg of Gold as Prize to a lucky winner everyday.

If any of you are planning to visit Dubai, do try to make it during this time when there is excitement in the air and the weather is at its best. I assure you that you’ll never go back disappointed.

Most Indians are familiar with the gulf countries but years back I remember meeting an American who never knew there was a place called Dubai. What about you, have you heard about the Dubai Shopping festival earlier???? Have you been here for it???? Are you planning to?????

*The title 'Layali Dubai' means DSF in Arabic
** 1 Dollar - 3.50 Dirhams

73 comments:

  1. I had heard of Dubai Shopping festival but forgot completely about it! Your descriptions are so vivid, I feel like I was there.

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  2. When Wannabe initially told me u may be coming here I thought u were going to be here for the festival. U missed it by a mere week right;-D

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  3. Who hasn't heard of DSF?? Back home we see a frenzy in travel plans to Dubai for the same. And like your mom said, most of the local channels will be covering the event. I had never felt tempted because I thought it was all about gold and I am not a fan. But your account proves it otherwise and I am thinking maybe it definitely deserves a look! :-) The timings are awesome though - 4pm to 1am?? WOW!! :-)

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  4. "Back home we see a frenzy in travel plans to Dubai for the same."
    LOL I know....seriously cant blame u for mistakenly thinking its all abt gold coz for an average Keralite it usually is only about Gold;-D
    "timings are awesome though - 4pm to 1am?? WOW!!"
    U knw they even have "only ladies days" and "family days" ;-)

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  5. Have heard of it. Very tempting. And I just might land up for the DSF someday. While you (and Suma) are still there :P

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  6. Oh u must!!!! Though its not so exciting living here all year long the DSF is a once in a lifetime experience;-)

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  7. I have heard about the DSF but never really thought that it would be as nice as you have presented.
    Now that I have known the specialities of it, I’m really looking forward to be there some time and enjoy it thoroughly :)
    **Thinking why actually there can’t be such shopping festival all year long???**

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  8. Wow, you ought to get paid for this piece, seriously.

    Actually, for me, there is only 1 reason to visit the GV every year and that is - Al Hajj Bundu Ke Kabab.

    This stall comes from Pakistan and I wait all year round to eat their awesomely delicious grilled chicken and imli chutney. I even tell them every year to open a restaurant in Dubai but they don't seem interested :P

    My wife though loves it, just like you do - to pick up stuff that we don't really need.

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  9. Thank U for the compliment Asif;-D!!!!
    "**Thinking why actually there can’t be such shopping festival all year long???**"
    Though the shopping festival is just for a month the global village is open atleast a month before the festival starts. Those who like to avoid the crowd usually go then.

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  10. Rakesh: Really!!! I've seen the place but never realised they were famous. Thanks for the tip, will file it away carefully for future use;-D.
    And thank u for the compliment...tho I did think it was bit too long to hold interest;-P

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  11. Sounds really good! You described it really well indeed. I had of course heard of DSF many times. In fact satish has been there also (he happened to go on work) and that was the time he bought some lovely jewellry for me as well :) (so i will never forget DSF)
    Let's plan a blogger meet in Dubai! :)

    Cheers
    preeti

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  12. All of us dubai bloggers have been looking for an excuse to meet...so U just tell us when u r coming and we'll work the bloggers meet around it;-D
    And thank U:-))!!!!!

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  13. oh, very vivid description of the global village. Haven't visited this year though. Love the fridge magnets from the Egyptian stall with the pharaoh's head.

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  14. sounds like fun...no i have never heard of Dubai Shopping festival before reading about it here...but Dubai is definitely on my to-go list of places :D

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  15. Its all so wonderful - the pics, the festive look and the showarma - OMG, I want to come to Dubai now !!!

    How I wish to go during DSF, but the schools here are going full speed for annual exams - where will I take off and come ??? Maybe, when my daughters finish school, I'll put them in a college hostel and come to Dubai and enjoy the DSF, esp the showarma !!! 7.5 dhirams - its Ok, Nancy, its the best !!!

    Glad you all had a great time !! LOL @ fridge magnets !! Maybe you call tell him, that all the similar ones are going to Uma, during the next visit to India !!! Howz that idea !!!! ;) ;) ;)

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  16. we are yet to go inside GV, this wkend maybe n most prob coz we have been wanting to go there for so long and its end date is approaching fast too.. i someone dont like the 4pm starting time.. its kind of limiting.. why not have it from morning till past midnight? have they been doing it like this since the beginning? I would have loved spending the whole day visiting the stalls now that the weather is so kind.

    i noted rakesh's tip too :) & yes your article on DSF/GV is indeed very good..

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  17. I am new to this news...but of course I know Dubai...It was a delight to know about such cultural stuff. thank you for the lovelly post...As far as the fridge magnets are concerned, I empathise with u...

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  18. This sounds exciting and I am disappointed that the timing will never coincide with our holidays.... One other thing I noticed in blogs from Dubai is the love and respect expressed for its current ruler. Thanks for the links and I hope one day we will get to enjoy the splendor of this festival.

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  19. I never thought it would be fun to 'experience' the festival when you dont intend to splurge on the expensive goodies.. :)

    ur post almost transported me to dubai :)

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  20. My Parents are galavanting in Dubai at the moment..my dad has some business stuff there to do with the Global village (handicrafts in particular) and so yes, that is a very familiar term for me:)
    I have to give th DSF a shot..although i think its slightly over rated.
    Nice pics btw!

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  21. Sounds like the Disneyland of the Middle East.

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  22. Although I've never been to the Dubai Festival, I had a stop over there when flying Emirates and the festival was on, i shopped so much at the airport and wrote my address on 100 odd tickets for 1 kg gold! :D and religiously waited for the happy news! Never got it! Do you know anything about ppl who win? I suppose its genuine..

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  23. Lady, beware. If you write peices like this you'll be appropriated by Sheikh Mohammed as the official author of all tourist literature of the Emirates. Despite having a pathological dread of shopping, I read the whole piece with rapt attention. For me though, the best part of the period is the Dubai World Cup .....

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  24. Oh! This post brought back so many of my memories from last year. And guess what I have the same pic of the tea-seller outside the Syrian stall! It was one of my biggest regrets this year to have missed the DFS, I so so loved the place and wanted to have a go at it. And your post told me so many things I had absolutely no idea about... the factual details that is, I just enjoyed being at the global village.

    Loved this post Nancy, I had wanted to and never did my global village post, and now I am happy I didn't, because your is just super duper. And yes, about your question, I do know DUBAI!
    PS - I so wish we had met before I left.

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  25. Are you the official promoter of the Dsf?:)Well, if you are then you have done a real good job in enticing readers to come to Dubai?So as Preethi has asked are we having a bloggers meet in Dubai?Then I can hope to meet my fav blogger...

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  26. I have heard about it so much and its on my to go (not the to go of US:) list..you are so lucky to be living there:)

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  27. ah the grand DSF! I've always wanted to be there, been to Dubai twice, missed it both times. Really enjoyed reading your description, I could totally feel the excited energy through your post! haha :D

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  28. Yes yes I hv heard abt it and nw that u hv given me a wonderful journey thru it, I really want to be there ;) Magnets, carpets and all this sight-seeing .. thatz a superb experience. What more, we get to see Nancy too :P So, I mite join Meira on that trip ;)

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  29. All the pics r beautiful Nancy ..esp. the Chinese Pavilion and the one u don't know abt ;)

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  30. yeah u are right, it is a must see. I can't remember when I saw it last though.

    Are u still buying magnets? Is the fridge visible at all.

    I always wonder when u will call me and tell me that you won the million or 1kg gold. :D I hope u do and somewhere I have the gut feel that u will!! :D

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  31. I have heard a lot about the Dubai Shopping Festival. But your wonderful narration of the global village almost transported me to Dubai :)

    Lovely pics Nancy. I'd love to visit Dubai someday during the DSF for sure :D

    Keep up the good work.

    Cheers!!

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  32. First of all, Nancy, I loved your answers on Preeti's post. Also loved the way she introduced you :)

    Of course, I have heard of the Dubai Shopping festival, husband is pretending never to have heard of it ;) Hopefully one day, I will convince him to hear of it :) The pics look lovely! I so want to go there once.

    Fridge magnets - you too? I am a sucker for fridge magnets - I just cannot have enough :) I will need to buy more fridges to fit in all my magnets ;)

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  34. Heard a lot about DSF and every year M and I keep saying we should visit it this year, but....
    The pictures are beautiful!

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  35. Dont know when i ll be able to make it to DSF..
    but here in hyderabad, around the same time every year in jan-feb, we have a numaish an all indian exhibition which we enjoy with shopping and eating all the while :)

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  36. my cousin is there 4 the DSF...hope he gets me something ;)

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  37. Nancy, I`d heard about it. But your descriptions are so live! :) So glad you had a wonderful time! No plans of visiting Dubai anytime soon, but if I ever do, it`ll be when the DSF is on! :)

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  38. b4 i even read this post leme say i jus read ur share in preeti's blog.... tht 400 posts ka thing...

    1stly way to go preeti/preeti di!!!... sry! dono how to address her... guess - she is wrkin her magic in blogsville... shd probably visit her sometime...

    n shd i say am a lil biased... cos i remem only ur replies to the quesns :P (preeti di, i rly am beggin ur pardon for this...)

    was loling for the 1st reply...

    flabbergasted for the 2nd...?!! still am..

    i fell for ur defn of love... the bil is vry lucky ;)

    bowing for the 5th...

    ps. loled for the intro as well... i dono y u do... what u do... n i take it as humility, shall i sis... cos how can 1 be a wndrful blogger n still wanu remain under cover...

    pps. i think i wil go for the 'readin minds' ka thing to unravel the mystery to ur blogger fans ;) wat say...

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  39. I thought you weren't going to come at the Dubai bloggers meet??? At least that's what you told me... But you're inviting Preeti for it?

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  40. U must be kiddin right? Shawarma costs dhs 3.50 now? When I was a kid we used to gorge on them for dh 1 and the vendor used to give unlimited pickles...sigh!! and yup when the Dubai fest started it was free and all of us would hang out there after school to hunt for good looking guys :)

    Your pics are great and same pinch on collecting magnets. I think if I go this way I will have to buy an extra fridge just to display the magnets!!

    lolz your question reminds me of my American neighbour who believed that Dubai was a part of India and was astonished when I corrected her..

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  41. were there stalls from canada and japan? we went there yday n had a great time.. must have been walking for 6-7 hours and by the end were totally dead but still wanting to stay there for longer, husband ofcourse was dying to call it a day right after eating at the al hajj bundu(tasty but very oily/greasy stuff though)
    I loved africa for everything they had, iran for their carpets and intricate carpet paintings, egypt & nepal for their brass stuff, masks etc. The performances were good too AND the funniest was special honey for married in Yemen pavillion :D did you happen to pass by that?

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  42. Elizabeth: Thank U:-)!!!
    There's just 7 days left...hurry up, hehe not my words I just got an sms about it;-D.

    Titaxy: Dubai is a tourists delight but plan ur trip weel otherwise the weather is a plays spoilt sport;-P

    Umsreflections: LOL ok deal...all similar ones are urs;-D.
    We get shawarma's in India too, I had some in B'lore...just tht they dont taste the same.
    If u are planning a visit, hurry coz the festival is there only for one more week;-D

    Mindspace: So u made it in time huh;-D. The 1st time is always memeorable, infact in the beginning I used to go atleast twice...but now just content to go once. Nope didnt visit Yemen infact didnt get to visit a lot of pavilions. Thts the problem when we go with kids, they r not interested in the shopping and sight-seeing...so then we left half-way thru to the amusement park;-)

    Trendsetters: Its a pleasure!!! And welcome to my space:-))!!!!

    S: LOL u r right, usually it is not but once in a while just drinking in the sight is good enoff;-D.

    An Open Book: Have u been here before???? DSF atleast once will be a memorable but yeah if we see anything too many times it brings down the charm;-).

    Agnes: Something like tht;-)!!!

    Preethi: It is quite genuine...I mean the picture of the person and his background will be displayed in some newspaper or the other. That way Dubai had made quite a few people millionaires. But there also people like my father-in-law who lived here almost 25 years and havent ever won a pin[but he never lost hope;-D]. As for me, I won a spatula once;-P

    Ramesh: Hehe Sheikh Mohammed has more important things to do than read my itty-bitty post...infact if u read some of the eulogies people write abt him this article cd quite possibly land me in trouble[I havent centered the post on him u see];-o

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  44. Whoa! That was a nice post on DSF! Lots of stuff I didnt know in spite of living here! Haven't been to the GV this year, yet. Last year picked up couple of giraffes for the living room from the Africa pavillion... wooden ones, of course! hee hee...

    And looking forward to that Dubai bloggers meet....

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  45. Layali Dubai by Malayali Nancy!! Well-written .. with that personal touch:-)

    DSF doesn't tempt me b'cos Dubai is hot & shopping is boring. But your French Vanilla cake with chocolate frosting or the like would entice me more!!!;-D (I'm giving 'subtle' hints)

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  46. Did I read "Blogger's meet"" somewhere??

    Preeti........You are most welcome. As Nancy said, we are waiting for some excuse to meet! Pack your bag!

    Thanks for prompting! Click "Maddy"

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  47. Lan: Just noticed I missed ur comment while I was replying;-o. If u r not able to make it for the DSF then there is something called the DSS between July-Sept; its a sort of toned down version of the DSF but it happens mainly in the malls. No GV or street shows but still good if one is interested in the shopping:-).

    Passionate Goof: Thank U dear, u r really sweet;-))!!!!

    Sindhu: Yeah why not??? Just give a few months notice so tht everybody gets a chance to plan their visit accordingly. It will be fun dont u think;-D!!!

    Renu: Its a nice place really....and yeah the DSF is really grand. U must try to make it atleast once:-).

    Snow: It always happens around dec-jan-feb, try to plan ur visit accordingly;-).

    Swaram: Great, so many of u are thinking about it....just plan it with eachother & DO it. It'll will gr8 fun for sure;-D
    And thank U:-))!!!!

    Butterfly: "I hope u do and somewhere I have the gut feel that u will!!"
    Aapke mooh mein ghee-shakkar;-D!!!!

    Chatterbox: Thank U:-))!!!

    Smitha: Thank U:-)!!!! LOL abt hubby pretending not to hear, then u can pan a via Dubai trip when u visit India. Tht way u manage to see quite a bit tho it will be hectic!!!

    Wanderlust: Aha so it is on everybody's list...look above there was so many saying the same. If u guys plan it together, imagine how much fun it will be!!!

    Mystery: aaah it must be good fun huh...I love the hyderabadi biriyani. We've been planning a visit there but for some reason its not materializing;-P.

    Blunt Edges: I hope so too;-))!!!

    Piper: Thank U:-)!!! Do make an effort to visit atleast once...its quite worth it!!!!

    Sulo badri: Thank U:-))!!! Why surprised over the 2nd and u havent mentioned the 3rd;-D
    I'm not sure I really want to know anybodys mind and their thoughts...it could be quite disappointing also, have u considered that????

    Rakesh: Its true I have this fear[too strong a word but cant think of another appropriate one] towards meeting bloggers but am loosening up a bit now;-D. Honestly Indyeah's recent post sort of sums it up for me;-P
    While I'm hesitant about meeting on a one-to-one basis I'm ok about a bloggers meet[heehee atleast 10 people or more] where I can hide in the crowd;-D
    2ndly I'm not interested in meeting with family and paraphernalia....not at the 1st meeting atleast. I mean we are the ones who interacted, so lets first meet up without additional baggage...hope I dont sound too confused or confusing;-P
    Preeti is somebody almost all of us in the blog-world have interacted with...so she is sort of a common ground for us. So thts why the hearty welcome;-D

    Sakshi: U lived in Dubai??? I never knew tht. Tell me more????

    Mindspace: Canada I think is combined with US and Japan was there 2 years back tho I dont remember seeing it this year.

    WannabeWriter: Africa is awesome really. I so badly wanted a big fan for the living room wall but somehow didnt like any of the ones on display;-)

    Lostworld: Shall I courier it;-D!!!

    Maddy: LOL...we both have invited her earlier too, remember;-D

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  48. Hi Nancy...
    howhaveyoubeen???I know long time since I visited you, been busy as my parents are here...will come back to read your missed posts inshallahh...

    yeah been to global village last two years but not this time, its a enjoyable experience and two hands a trolley doesn't seem enough to grab the attractive sale.

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  49. Wow ur parents are here huh....on tht basis alone everything is forgiven. Have a wonderful time:-))!!!

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  50. lovely photographs.. I have heard about the Dubai Shopping festival. Infact, one of my collegue came to Dubai for the festival.. The description is too good

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  51. Thank U!!!! Yeah lots of visitors this time. Even the papers were reporting tht it was quite surprising really with the recession and all;-)

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  52. Somehow till now we've never caught any of the DSF attractions. But speaking of GV, my aunt said that these days most of the stuff has a 'made in China' stamp ..... so its no longer really global. Have you observed the same?

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  53. i'll not in the wildest of dreams pick tht option for d 2nd quesn - so... ;)

    oh yeah - evn i wd go for invisibility but i went for the latter so tht i can read ur mind n figure out y you prefer to keep ur identity a secret despite bein a vry cool n widely admired blogger ... ;) got me?! :)

    n wat ws d 3rd quesn??!! tht death one rt.. well, am actly not bothered abt death - so don mind the quesn nor the answers... ;D

    ps. am not a shopaholic -
    actly, i don shop @ all... thts y din read dis post... sry!

    pps. love to u n to the nieces... muaah!

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  54. Wow, this sounds really fun experience, specailly with the way you described it. Would love to come and enjoy it some time,just don't know when !!

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  55. Great pics!!!! You should have been in advertising!

    Would love to attend the Dubai festival someday!

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  56. Will check out DSF soon hopefully! I am in Dubai now ;)

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  57. sounds like sooooooo much fun!!! i love it when u can interact and learn more about different cultures right in ur home town. i mean yeah shopping n all is good but when u described the country pavilions ...to me that was the best!

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  58. What a wonderful idea!! I loved the concept of the Global village- have been to smaller such ideas in different places- but this sounds really wonderful. I would love to stroll through and get a 'taste' of each region and country.

    As for Dubai- yes I know it well- and have had the pleasure of stopping over on a few occasions when I used to fly from Accra to Singapore on Emirates.

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  59. Shalom: Oh yes she's absolutely right....and the worst is when we pay a good price and pick up things from places like Debenhems or Bhs & come home to find tags stating 'Made in China'. Totally demoralizing I tell u;-P

    Sulo badri: Yes I got u...and the reason is simple. I like things uncomplicated;-D
    @death...u r between 22-25yrs, I dont blame u..at tht age nobody is;-). The reason why I particularly asked abt the 3rd is bcoz u being spiritually tuned I was interested in ur answer.
    U didnt read the post;-o!!! If u had read it u wd have known it was not only about shopping:-)).

    Nilu: Thank U!!!! And do make an effort, its totally worth it...atleast once:-).

    Dhanya: Enjoyyyyyy;-D!!!!!

    Limenlemons: Yes its really worth it....there's so much to see and learn if we are interested:-).

    Anjuli: Oh I know exactly wht u mean by stroll by and yearn to do that myself. But the problem is that its quite far out to reach there & most of us go just once and one evening is not enough to cover everything;-(

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  60. yeah of course..any literate person will know this;)

    have always heard abt this...but never been there!!...

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  61. probably u r rt.. cyber identity has its own pros n cons... bt i wd luv to see u some day...

    as 4 death - i din say am bothered cos of my age - i actly meant tht spiritually only... i would get to meet Him - u know :) again god as love incarnate n not as krishna, allah or jesus alone... thts the best part of spiru science u dont identify on the basis of religion... (u love this 'god' phenomenon n name it with forms - at the same time attribute it as formless...) its simply admiring n accepting its totality in the diverse facets of the ephemeral material world n also realisin that there is an eternal realm somewhre in the backdrop where this lovin god awaits jus to embrace us ...

    n yeah i seriously wont mind if my last day is tomo or watevr... i personally find death more romantic - cos of Him.. but this applies if the person dying is not attached to anything/any1... otherwise it mite be a hard task...

    oops - too much philosophy here.. ;D

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  62. Dil Se: Just realised I missed replying to ur comment;-o. And to answer ur question..yes it really is, do make the effort to visit atleast once:-)).

    Brocasarea: Hehe u'll be suprised at how many literate fellow-beings dont know;-P.

    Sulo Badri: Quite in awe[without being condesending] that a person as young as u is so spiritually inclined. Thanks for elaborating, I was really interested in ur answer;-).

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  63. I've heard of the Dubai Shopping Festival ...and recently saw few pics of the Global Village in a friend's album (mindspace)..one of the pics was of this interesting jar of honey that was only for married people :) LOL.......
    how much money does the festival collect every year and how much does an average person spent? any idea?

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  64. I dont knw abt 2010 since the festival isn't over yet but it is said tht a record 3.35 million visitors spent about Dh9.8 billion on average during the 32-day DSF 2009.

    And this year it was reported tht inspite of the recession there was a record-breaking turnout at the Global village. Honestly A when u stand in a serpent-like line at the cash counter one cant help wondering where the recession is;-o

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  65. Such a lovely blog! You know, I was all set to visit DSF this year, and a change in a family member's schedule has us cancel off. Oh well, next year perhaps. But thanks for bringing me these images:) I enjoyed reading your post.


    Sharon

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  66. guess u also din watch the 2nd one dayer vs south africa... totally j of al dos lucky ones who got to watch d match... sachin rocks doesnt he?! :)

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  67. Loved the photos and the write up Nancy. I have been to Dubai only for one day!, did not get to see much other than from an outside drive. This is something to keep in mind, to come during DSF.

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  68. Sulo Badri: LOL if I'd watched the match u can be sure India wd have lost;-D.
    Yeah Sachin ROCKED!!!!!

    Sharon: Hopefully ur plans for the next visit will be problems-fee:-).
    Thank U and welcome to my space:-)!!!

    Lakshmi: Do make the effort...infact now I thk Emirates has this offer tht if u travel with them they give u free visa. Dont miss it!!!!
    And thank U:-))!!!

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  69. No, please courier to & fro tickets. Cake I'll eat with Naina & Nikita :-))

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  70. LOL...tell u wht, I shd be making a visit to B'lore in April....how abt I feed u fresh cake on the spot;-D

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  71. see - i read :) guess aunty doesnt kno u as yet... surely u wont pose in the camera at some gbl festival, would you... but so cute of aunty - mommies are like tht na :)

    n u like magnets - lol - thts strange... well, i dono if i will come 4 DSF any time but if i do come i wil surely get those blackies for you ;)

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  72. I read this reply yeste but forgot to add mine. Shall ensure I don't step anywhere out of Blr in April. Like Sameer(Saif)says in Dil Chahta Hai -"Hum cake khane ke liye kahin bhi aajate hain" (or smthing on similar lines);-D

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