Monday, 12 May 2014

10 must see places in Dubai

Dubai though has made a name for itself as the Shopping centre and the land of architectural achievements, tourist tend to miss out of many other places that are unique only to Dubai. Here are the list of must see 10 things that you will experience in no other country other than Dubai.


1. The Dubai Mall
     As the name suggest, this is the ultimate Mall of all the Malls. If you are planing to visiting just one mall while your stay here then this it the IT mall. It  has every top notch brand under one roof. Even if you arent a shopping buff, this is the place where you will be able to see one of the worlds largest Aquarium. Other things to check out are the Waterfall and the musical fountain. 



2. Burj Khalifa
    Right next to the Dubai Mall is the worlds tallest building Burj Khalifa. Do take the elevator to the toppest floor to get a 360 view glimpse of Dubai. you may need to do prior online booking for the tickets to save time. 



3. Palm Jumeriah and The World Islands
    Dubai has no end to its architectural marvels. If the worlds tallest building stands here, then the worlds artificially created Palm shaped island also exists here. Do check out the only 7 star hotel, Burj Al Arab.


4. Dubai Museum
     Take a tour through the history of Dubai and see how this land of sand transformed itself into an cosmopolitan city of skyscrapers and flashy cars in just half a decade. Watch out for the satellite picture images displayed which shows Dubai during 1920s vs Dubai in 2010. 


5. Ski Dubai
    Situated in Mall of emirates, Ski Dubai is skiing arena situated inside the Mall. You have seen the sands of Dubai, come experience the snow of Dubai.



6. Gold Souq
    Long before the shopping bust, Dubai was famous for its Gold. Visiting Gold Souq will remind you it still is pretty much the hub to buy gold. Also the best place to buy duty free gold.


7. The Creek
    Take a stroll through Old dubai as you walk along the Creek. Situated next to Dubai Museum, this place also offers Dow Cruise a renowned tourist attention. While here do try the Hoookah joints availble along the Creek.




8. Desert Safari
    Dubai stay will be incomplete without its 4 wheeler Dune drive through its sandy desert followed by a buffet of Arabic cuisines and entertainment by Belle dancers. You may need to keep an entire day aside for this but its definitely worth the experience.


    
9. Jumeriah Beach
    Visit one of the most exotic beaches of Dubai. This blue beach surrounded by silvery sand gives a breathtaking view.  


10. Dubai Autodrome
      This place offers both indoor and outdoor Kartdrome. Offering you the unique experience of driving at the F1 race track like never before.
   
   

Saturday, 10 May 2014

Secondhand Bookstores in Dubai


                                         
The biggest dilemma of bibliophiles when they first arrive in Dubai is where to find second hand books instead of shelling out money buying all those new books?? Well, you have arrived at the right spot. Dubai does have stores that not only contain a jaw dropping collection of books but also offer tempting deals on them which will definitely keep you hooked for a longtime.

   Following is a comprehensive list of all the bookstores, fairs that sell or loan second hand books.

1.       House of Prose, Garden Centre, Jeremiah Plaza
Known to be the best place to buy second hand books, there isn’t an author or a genre you won’t  find here. Offers range from half price back on the books bought from this store to discounted rates on “bundle pack” to even 5DHS books from the basket.

2.       Book World, Satwa
This is a haven for secondhand books. Here, you will find a huge variety from Romance to Thriller to Self-help and even an exhausting collection of Indian authored books. If you bring the book back you will have half price off.

3.       The Bookstore Library, Karama
Situated behind Park Regis Hotel, this bookstore has both, sale of secondhand books and also a library. The deposit for library is 100AED and the book rental fees for quarterly is 75AED and annually is 100AED. The amount of books you can borrow also varies accordingly to the feature you select.

4    Book N Bean, Festive City
Whoever thought of finding books in an Hardware store?? But yes, that’s what you will get at Ace Hardware located in Festive City.  This place not only offers you books but also freshly brewed coffee to sip along as you browse through this enormous selection. Like Hose of prose and Bookworld, they too offer half price back for books bought from here.
A second branch of this store has been opened at Ace Hardware, Yas Island, Abu dhabi.

5.       Dubai Flea Market
This is definitely another place to checkout for your weekend. Located at Al Safa Park, Gate 4,  Dubai  Flea Market is a weekend sale where you will find people selling various things including second hand books. This is also a place to re-sell your books. Pre-registration is needed for selling at the Market.  You may have to keep checking the click below for the dates when the Flea Market is open.


6.       Online : Dubizzle.com
If Dubizzle is the answer to the job seekers to house hunters to car sellers, then it is also the answer to second handbook buyers and sellers. You may need to keep checking this place regularly to find your favorite authors.

7.       Online: Readers Paradise
An online library, where books will be delivered to your doorsteps. The collection mostly focuses on children and comic books. Though the collection isn’t as varied as the other bookstore but whose to complain when you have books delivered to your home and collected back at just a click of a button.

Tourist Transortation around dubai.



Dubai may be well know as the of the worlds most loved tourist destination as it offers its guests world class shopping malls, marvelous architectural superstructures, desert safari to sea cruises. But along with all these,  it also offers a variety of hassle free transport options to go backpacking around this region. One of the toughest hurdles a tourist faces when visiting a new country is the commute. Usually a city tour bus or a hired taxi driver is the most sort after option which are an expensive option. Dubai Transportation option connects you to every nick and corner making sure you donot miss out on any place during your stay here.

NoI Card: This is a one stop solution to all types of transportation in Dubai be it Metro Bus, Trains or Water taxi. NoI is the Arabic word for “fare”. If you are looking to travel via public transportation around Dubai this card is a MUST as most of the transportation don’t accept credit card or cash. You can purchase this card at Metro stations and Bus terminals.




There are four types of NoI Cards available.
Red Card: This card can be used for only one type of transport service, like Bus or Metro etc. It can be loaded upto maximum 10 times.
Silver Card: This card can be purchased for 20 AED and you can top it upto 500AED maximum. This can be used for all types of RTA (Road Transport Authority) transports.
Gold Card: Same features as the Silver Card except with this card you can access the Gold Metro Seats.
Blue Card: This is a personalized card in which you can retrieve money if you lose the card.

Metro: This is the heartbeat of Dubai transport. Residents use this mode of transport to escape the traffic jams and move about quickly in Dubai. There are two operating lines, Green and Red which connect you to extreme ends of the city. BurJuman and The Union are the intersection stops which you can change your trains. The usual wait time for the next train is 4 to 6 mins. There are special cabin for women and children travelers and Gold, Silver class NoI Card travelers. At the metro station you can also purchase tickets for one way travelling. The websitehttp://wojhati.rta.ae/ offers help in planning your iternary not only with the metro but other public transportation option. Recently, an app version was also released. 

            


Taxi: For places not close to the Metro stations, taxi is the second mode of transportation widely used around Dubai. Taxis are both privately operated and government owned. Cream colored Taxi with “TAXI” sign over it are operated by the Dubai Transport Corporation while other privately run companies are National Taxis, Metro Taxi, Cars Taxi to name a few. Online booking or prior reservation of Taxis can also be done. The minimum charge for these is 10AED. You will also find pink colored taxis which are operated exclusively for women travelers and have women drivers.


Bus:  Operated by the RTA (Road transport Authority), the bus system cover over 193 different routes on weekdays and transports about 30million people on weekly basis. It is a high quality bus with individual seats, different seating are for family and children and Air conditioned, electronic display of the Stops and NoI card punch ups.  NoI cards can be purchased at Bus stops, RTA outlets and Metro stations. The frequency ranges from 8 mins to 12 mins at the max.  Dubai is divided into five zones and the bus fares vary from one zone to another, depending on the destination. The bus services in Dubai connect residential, industrial and business districts.
                


Water Taxi: These taxis are well equipped with LCD screens and air conditioners. They connect to several locations along the creek and also move along the waters of the gulf. Passengers are required to make advance booking, fares can be from 50AED to 570AED depending on the location of travel.


                       

Abras: This is one of the oldest water transportation in Dubai. Abras are motorized wooden boats that are used to cross the creek. It is quite popular among tourists as it gives the feel of Old Dubai. The fare usually ranges from 1AED to 100AED. The operating routes are Deira Old Souk to Bur Dubai and Dubai Old Souk and Sabakha.
                        


Water Bus: Marine Transport Agency, a part of Road and Transportation Agency, implemented the Dubai Water Bus System. The payment can be done either by NoI Card or cash. This is more of an upgraded version of the Abras.

               

Trams: The tram will connect between the Dubai Marina to Mall of Emirates and Burj Al Arab. It will be connecting to the Red Line of Dubai Metro. It is expected to start operating from November 2014.