Emirates airline

I've been flying with Emirates for a long time now since 

it's the only airline that have direct flights from MNL (Manila) to DXB (Dubai) that I know of. The in-flight entertainment were great. You will never get bored with it. Also, their meals are great for an economy class. The cabin was clean and so are the restrooms which was a plus for a neat freak like me. However, the seats were not wide enough for comfort that it's hard to sleep. It feels like you're being squashed. I also didn't like how most of their attendants treat some of the passengers. I had an experience once with a snobby attendant at Emirates. Also, they take the blankets and headphones 30 minutes, sometimes an hour before the plane lands, so you'd be staring into space with nothing to do for an hour. I would recommend Emirates for the in-flight entertainment and meals and its convenience however, I think the management should improve their crew and the seats.

Source: Emirates Airline

My personal eating escapades

Al Muraqqabat is where I've lived from most of the Summers 2011 and 2012 in Dubai which is a locality in Dubai that is bordered by other localities Al Rigga, Al Muteena and Al Khabisi. The Malls were just two blocks away from where I lived which were Al Ghurair Shopping Mall and Reef Mall.

During my stay there, I always eat at Al Shami Restaurant mainly because it's near my place and they serve the best chicken shawarma in town, well for me anyway. They serve it with lots of french fries and chicken which was heaven for me since I don't eat vegetables much. The servers there are nice so that's a plus.

When I'm not eating at Al Shami, I would take a stroll and go to the next street which was Al Rigga where most of the fast foods and restaurants are situated. I always eat at The Pizza Company whenever I go to Al Rigga. What I liked about The Pizza Company was their salad bar because there is a large variety of stuff you can put in your salad compared to the salad bars in other restaurants.

Since Baskin-Robbins is near The Pizza Company, I'd treat myself out with an oreo cookies n' cream or a chocolate chip ice cream after pigging out a pizza.

Now, being at the Philippines for many months, I suddenly missed the comfort and convenience of my home in Al Muraqqabat because the nearest fast food to my home is McDonald's, it's not very near actually, I have to take a tricycle (a kind of public transportation in the Philippines) to get to McDo compared to where I was living in Al Muraqqabat which was a walking distance away to heaven.

Sources: Wikipedia, Al Ghurair Shopping Malls, Al Reef Mall, Baskin-Robbins, The Pizza Company

Tourist Attractions

As what was mentioned in an older post, Dubai benefits from Tourism. Tourists go to Dubai mainly because of the spectacular infrastructures. In the years that I've been going back and forth to Dubai, I have my favorite tourist attractions: 

The Wild Wadi Water Park which is situated in Jumeirah, Dubai near Burj Al Arab. It's an outdoor pool with a heated/cooled wave pool, multiple water slides, two surfing machines and a large water slide.

(Summer, 2010)

The Ibn Battuta Mall in Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai is a mall which somehow resembles to a museum. It's like a museum in a mall. It has six courts (China, India, Persia, Egypt, Tunisia, Andalusia) where is exhibits the cultures and artifacts of the six countries.

(Summer 2010. I don't have a picture of myself inside the mall because I was too busy shopping and being awestruck by the artifacts)

The Jumeirah Open Beach Park is a park that has children's play areas, barbeque sites, food kiosks, cottages, volleyball area and a jetty area. This is the place to be if you want to chill with the family.

(Summer 2012)

 (Summer 2012)

I have a lot of favorite places to go in Dubai but these are my top 3.

Sources: Fame Dubai,  Wild Wadi Water Park, Ibn Battuta Mall

Business

Petroleum production was the backbone of Dubai's business today. However, as the time passed by, Dubai became independent from the petroleum production due to its decline in the early 90's. Today, the business community revolves around the ports and the airport, Dubai International Airport (DXB), since Dubai became one of the leading exporters of Aluminum, copper and aluminum cables. Also, Dubai benefits more in tourism than the other emirates.  There were 28 million passengers went in and out of Dubai in 2006. Dubai attract tourists by its astounding infrastructures like the Burj Khalifa , Burj Al Arab, Dubai Mall  and many more.

Sources: The Dubai Mall, ExpatForum.com, Dubai International, Looklex Encyclopedia

Dubai

Dubai is one of the seven emirates in United Arab Emirates and has Dubai City as its capital city. It is located southeast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula. It has the second-largest land territory, next to Abu Dhabi, with an area of   approximately 3,900 kilometers. It has a tropical climate where the temperature can go to 42 °C (108 °F) during summertime and 23 °C (73 °F) during wintertime.






Dubai has the largest population in all seven emirates. As of 2012, the number of individuals living in Dubai is 2,062,317 (conducted by the Dubai Statistics Center). The population  increased by more than half of the population in the year 2006 which was 1,422,000. In 2006,   71% of the people living in Dubai are foreigners and expatriates which consist mainly of Asians (from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and the Philippines).

It is ruled by the Al Maktoum family and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the current ruler of Dubai.

Sources: Wikipedia, Seven Emirates, Dubai Statistics Center, Maps of World