My Visits to the Land of Sand, Dubai (UAE)

Dubai International Airport

With all my travels abroad flying with Emirates Airlines I must have passed through Dubai's International Airport over a dozen times. But if Dubai's International Airport is anything to go by then one can only imagine the wonders that awaits you beyond it's walls. I think the people that designed Dubai had one common concept in mind "Go Large or Go Home". I say this because this city houses so many of the "biggest, largest and tallest" icons in the world. 


My visits to Dubai were strictly for business but I always made sure that I did as much sight-seeing as I possibly could. What immediately struck me on my 1st arrival was the efficiency of the airport staff and the airport shuttle service. I'm not really a fan of the Arab people, I find them to be very arrogant, but I am most definitely a huge fan of efficient service. Dubai is not a huge city so the ride from the airport to almost anywhere in the city is not really that long, and on-route to your hotel you can enjoy the sights of the amazing architecture that Dubai is famous for.

Dubai Mariner

Pic taken at the Dubai Mariner Mall

Me at the Dubai Mariner

View from the Radisson Blu Hotel at Dubai Mariner

On my first visit to Dubai I stayed in an area called Bur Dubai which literally translates Mainland Dubai. Its the older part of Dubai filled with many Souks, small markets, the Dubai Museum and a small port called Port Saeed. I stayed at the Arabian Court Hotel which was disappointing as a 4 star hotel. The hotel had all the necessities but was rather old and failed hopelessly with the image I had of this modern city. So if you're looking for a real 4 or 5 star experience don't stay in Bur Dubai. February is a good month to visit the city as the temperatures are cool and pleasant and to experience Dubai at night is an absolute pleasure. My second visit was in May, Do not visit Dubai in May month!!! The Souks in the area are a must see for great bargains in jewelery and fine watches so be sure to pay them a visit, I sure did. Other than that and a few shady clubs there's not much to see in Bur Dubai. 

View from the Radisson Blu Hotel

As a tourist you find yourself taking taxis everywhere which is not a problem really because they're so easy to find and not that expensive, but I think it would be taxing as a resident to be using them everyday though. When I stayed at the Radisson Blu Hotel on the Dubai Mariner I found this hotel to be of a superb quality all round and very well located. Getting around from here was easy and visits to malls were but minutes away. Definitely a hotel that I would recommend. I visited many malls in the city but 2 specific malls definitely stood out amongst the rest, firstly the Dubai Mall, being the largest mall in the world, is without a doubt overwhelming to say the least, and secondly the Mall of the Emirates being the first mall I had ever seen with a built-in Ski slope! Another spectacular sight at the Dubai Mall is the massive aquarium found inside the mall. Other than that, all the malls shared many similarities like indoor ice rinks, huge food courts and all the top brand named stores. The Ibn Battuta Mall, however outclassed the rest when it came to food courts. The mall was named after a Moroccan traveller and had 6 courts representing each country or region he travelled to. So you can imagine one would be quite spoiled for choice! At the Dubai Mall you'll also find the infamous Burj Khalifa (previously known as the Burj Dubai), the tallest building in the world. At 828m (2717ft) the Burj Khalifa towers of everything in the city. It truly is an amazing sight, so tall that I couldn't fit the whole building in my camera's view.The Burj Al Arab standing at 321m is the 4th tallest hotel in the world and most certainly in my opinion is the most beautiful hotel i've ever set sights on. It's also the world's only 7 star hotel and just for the record, even though the Burj Al Arab is only the 4th tallest hotel in the world, the buildings that hold 1st, 2nd and 3rd place can also be found in Dubai. 

Radisson Blu Hotel

Aquarium at the Dubail Mall

Ice Rink at the Dubai Mall

Aquarium inside the Dubai Mall

Aquarium inside the Dubai Mall

Aquarium inside the Dubai Mall

Exhausted after a day of shopping at the massive Dubai Mall

  
Other than the amazing architecture Dubai has a really cool night life. Malick and I checked out a few clubs in the city and "WOW!!!" would definitely be an understatement. Zinc, 360 and Sanctuary are but a few names of the hot clubs to checkout in Dubai. I loved 360 the most for its open air circular bar and perfect location with views of the Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Beach Hotel and luxurious yachts docked nearby.

Me at the Burj Khalifa

The Burj Al Arab Hotel from Jumeirah Beach

The Jumeirah Beach Hotel

View from Mina A Salaam

Inside the Ibn Battuta Mall

Me at the Ibn Battuta Mall

My friend in Dubai, Masnoena and I

 As said before, every time I've visited Dubai it was for business but I always managed to squeeze in as much sight seeing as possible. I still feel that there's still much for me to see here, and since Dubai is always changing, I don't think I'll tick her off my "been there, done that" list just yet. 

Still to come:
Desert Run
Wild Wadi
Buddha Bar
The Address

Combining multiple Jpegs into one PDF using Preview

Ever had to complete and sign quite a number of documents and then scan them in only to have your outgoing mail filled with endless attatchments? I have this endless problem. So over the weekend I posted a tweet asking for a way to combine a number of jpegs into one PDF. So with the help of a few guys on Twitter and a quick search I managed to find a simple method to answer my question. The guys at Macworld recommend using Preview as the default application to do so. Ofcourse you could use Keynote from iWork or create your own Automator workflow, but I felt that Macworld's recommendation was surely the simplest.

So the first step is to select all the images and open them into one Preview window. Then click Edit->Select All. Once all the images have been highlighted in the side panel click File->Print Selection. In the Print dialogue box click the PDF button in the bottom left hand corner. Then select Save as PDF-X item. You'll be asked where to save the file and once this is done your PDF document is complete!

Having this simple feature embedded proves once again that Apple's OsX is with out a doubt the way forward!!!

Enjoy! :)

Goa, India (2009 - 2010)

Today I have decided to blog about a city that is without a doubt one of my favourites, Goa in India. I love this city so much that I visited it 3 times in 6 months. The great advantage to my recurring visits was that I was fortunate enough to experience Goa during both the Monsoon season and the peak tourist season, winter. Now for those who don't know the history of Goa, Goa was colonized by the Portuguese in the early 1500's so you'll see lots of churches amongst the temples and mosques, also areas and roads names show proof of Goa's previous rulers. 

@ Dona Paula

Church in central Panjim

My first trip to Goa was during the monsoon season and as you obviously know, during the the monsoon season it rains almost all 24 hours of the day. The humidity is extremely high to a point of being unpleasant, but I'm generally a happy traveler and didn't really mind. I think I was far too consumed merely by the excitement of being there that I wasn't really bothered by the weather. I landed in Mumbai after an approximate 13 hour flight via Dubai and was pleased that the flight to Goa was just 45 minutes. However I soon realized that I was in India when my flight to Goa was delayed for almost 4 hours. I eventually landed in Goa in the middle of the night and due to my flight delay, my colleague whom I was visiting in Goa had decided to meet with me the following day and was I forced to stay at the "Palacio De Goa" for that 1 night. A word of advise... If you ever decide to travel to Goa do not stay at the "Palacio De Goa". I won't elaborate on the hotel and I think my warning/advise speaks for itself. The very next day I moved hotels to the Vivanta by Taj Hotels. Absolutely amazing would be an understatement as this hotel was top class in every aspect. And being that the monsoon meant "off-season" the rates were extremely well priced. I loved this hotel so much that I booked it for my second trip to Goa and was given a free night by the manager. Now that accommodation was sorted it was time to explore.

My Room at the Vivanta by Taj Hotel

Goa is broken up into a few parts, North and South Goa both lined with absolutely breathtaking beaches, Panaji (also known as Panjim) is the capital and CBD, and also an area called Vasco de Gama which is a smaller business district close to Goa's international airport Dabolim. Since I was staying in Panaji, I traveled to the northern beaches by scooter which was about 25km from my hotel. The beaches were quite deserted during the monsoon season so there was really was not much to see. So I spent the rest of the time visiting old churches and enjoying the cuisine in the city. I must admit that alot of the Goan styled food involves coconut as a main ingredient and even though I'm not a huge fan of coconut, the food was very tasty. As a South African earning in Rands you'll be pleased to know that in India our currency has buying power :-) Things are generally cheap and there's lots to buy so be prepared for a great shopping experience. From my experiences, Goan people are friendly, helpful and extremely hospitable. My local friend, Zahur, was kind enough to show me around as well, especially since riding a scooter wasn't really the smartest idea during the monsoon rains. Miramar beach and Dona Paula are tourist attractions in Panjim city, some what similiar to Seapoint pavillion back home but with an Indian twist (lol). Dona Paula is the Goan version of Romeo and Juliet if you may...

Dona Paula

My stay in Goa during the monsoon was a short one but even though short I was enticed on returning for the winter (December to February). So I returned to Goa in January of 2010.I was on business this time however, but was determined to spend some time exploring areas of Goa that I had not seen before. This is the winter season which in comparison is like Cape Town's summer without the wind. The weather is absolutely amazing and the beaches of Goa come alive. I spent 2 nights at the Royal Orchid Hotel in South Goa. A beautiful 4 star hotel and even though it was peak season, at R650 ($100) per night, I still found it well priced. The southern beaches of Goa are much more serene than those of the northern beaches which are considered to be the more party beaches similar to beaches in Thailand like Patong Beach. At the Royal Orchid I enjoyed a peaceful yet beautiful sunset over the Arabian sea. Truly a euphoric experience.   

Royal Orchid Hotel, South Goa

Sunset @ the Royal Orchid Hotel, South Goa

Enjoying the sunset, South Goa

After a brief stay in the south, I travelled to the northern beaches of Baga and Calagnute. I was eager to see how much these beaches have changed since my last visit during the monsoon. On my arrival I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. It was as if I was visiting these beaches for the first time! Baga and Calagnute beaches come alive in the peak season. Swarms of tourists from all over Europe, Russia, Iran and the USA. Malick, my friend from back home whom I was travelling with, managed to find the perfect accommodation thanks to TripAdvisor, The Baga Marina Beach Hotel. The rates were well priced and was matched by well-equipped rooms and great service. The hotel was a stone throw away from Baga beach and popular restuarants including one named Cape Town :-) The beaches were alive with bars, clubs, great seafood cuisine and endless water sports. I, ofcourse, tried and tested all that the beaches had to offer including water sports which were priced way cheaper than in South Africa. The Arabian sea is a warm ocean, perfect for swimming in and great swell offers great waves for all sorts of water sports. At night the bars on the beaches are converted into restaurants where one can enjoy various seafood dishes or even just a simple pizza. After dinner we enjoyed an Okka pipe with a cocktail (virgin Mojito for me thank you).

Baga Marina Beach Hotel

Baga Marina Beach Hotel

Seafood available @ restaurants on the beach

Sunset over Baga Beach

Sunset over Baga Beach

On my last night in Goa, Malick and I rented scooters and decided to take a trip through the 'jungle' to experience Goa's famous night market in a beautiful place called Anjuna. The night market was amazing! From scottitsh-stlyled bag pipe live bands, food stalls, stalls run by Goa's infamous Hippies and a Goan trance party up on a hill within the market. This was truly an unforgettable experience! Goa is famous for its trance parties and during high season there are tons of these parties happening on the beaches and in the jungle. If trance parties is your kinda thing then checking this out is highly recommended. 

Night market in Anjuna

So after an exciting time spent in magical Goa it was finally time to head back home. The time I spent in Goa during the winter was definitely the highlight of all my visits here. Those carefree days on the beaches of Goa is what will always have me yearning to return. This is exactly why Goa is and will always be one of my favourite places to visit, the people, the culture, the foods and the mesmerizing sunsets will remain imprinted in the back of my mind forever! 

Tweede Tol, Limietberg Nature Reserve (January 2010)

I have always been one to say that South Africans should not be so eager to want to travel abroad to experience new and different environments when we are so blessed to have such vast diversity in our own land. I, however, have to admit that I too have fallen victim to this eagerness of wanting to see the big world out there and in the process neglecting all the natural beauty that my country offers. I think starting this year I'm going to make a change, especially after my experience this week. A few friends and I visited a place for a day that I've always heard much about but never had the opportunity to experience. Tweede Tol Camp and Picnic site. Situated in the Limietberg Nature Reserve, a huge 102 000ha of mountain, wildlife and fynbos found at the tollgate of the beautiful Bainskloof Pass. All this beauty and just over an hour's drive out of Cape Town! Nature's best on our doorstep!

Being so close to Cape Town you can imagine this site to be quite the hot spot for Capetonians during peak season, so my wake up call was at 3am! We arrived at Tweede Tol at about 6am and was number 2 in the que. Gates only opened at 8am and only 80 - 100 day visitors are allowed with a R30 ($5) per person entrance fee. Besides the picnic area which gives access to braai facilities and the Witte River swimming holes, there are 25 camp sites equipped with hot water showers and also giving access to certain hiking trails which do require permits. The swimming holes are absolutely amazing and the water is so refreshing. It was just over 40 degrees Celsius when we were there and the fact that there is absolutely no cellphone reception at all gives you a true feeling of being out in nature without the constant disturbance of ringing phones and text messages. I spent a full day at Tweede Tol and most definitely got my money's worth (lol). A weekend camp at Tweede Tol is definitely going on the "to do list". For a quick escape into nature from the hustle and bustle of the city life I highly recommend Tweede Tol.

Below I've added a Google maps link with easy directions from Cape Town to the Limietberg Nature Reserve

Tweede Tol, Limietberg Nature Reserve