Snow in the Desert, Ski Dubai! (Update)

The worse aspect in my job is the packing of my clothes. The destination dictates 'the what and what not to pack'!

To simplify things, I always travel with my Philips electric shaver and Philips Sonicare toothbrush, cashmere jumper as it’s light and does not need ironing. My ever present Levi’s 507 jeans, a few Abercrombie polo shirts and t-shirts, cords and trainers (or better known as sneakers in the US – Adidas and Nike are my personal favourites). Sounds a lot - doesn't it? I always pack gym wear on every trip as a rule to motivate myself to exercise and stretch my dodgy back and for a dose of natural “high” after every workout.

Let me tell you about my trip to the airport from Battersea yesterday as it was eventful. It took me 2 hours and 34 minutes to get to the car park due to a broken down bus in the middle of the convergence at the Chiswick flyover – how unlucky was that? On normal days around 30-50 minutes give and take - that's an 18 mile journery, door to door. The expletives in the car were DEAFENING! Luckily I was traveling on my own but apologies to my very dear friend John who phoned me at the peak of stress and heard it all. Sorry John.

To cut the very long and stressful journey, I made it to the plane just in time! I had to lug my semi-packed Samsonite suitcase through check-in and security with my right hand and my Apple Mac draped over my left shoulder hurriedly, out of breath and panicked.

The Journey begins.

Landed in Dubai after 6 hours and 25 minutes flight. The immigration and customs was a speedy exercise – not bad.

The airport is well laid out. Upon disembarkation from the aircraft, the jetway walk is fairly short and then you are in the main terminal. To proceed to the arrivals hall, you will need to take another brief walk - a signage to the downward escalator is clearly posted or if you prefer elevators this is also available. Please note that if you take the escalator, it may be a longer trip as it is equivalent to 3 flights of stairs. Upon reaching the ground floor, you will then have a pretty long walk to the Immigration and Customs so if you are travelling heavy, make sure you use the travelator and if elderly or infirm a buggy is there to hand on request - I think.

Just before reaching the Immigration area, another upward escalator takes you to the Immigration Hall where you can start your formality queue. Immediately after the immigration, your handcarried baggage would then be subjected to search under x-ray. You can then proceed to the baggage carousel and then clear customs. Please note that they will x-ray all your luggage just before you finally exit on to the arrivals hall. The whole exercise could easily take up 40 minutes to an hour of your time depending on your speed in walking, luggage and circumstance.

Once outside, you can then relax and finish the rest of your journey. In my case, boarded our hotel pickup bus and traveled another 35-40 minutes to Courtyard Marriott, Green Community, Dubai Investment Park, Dubai, UAE which is about 35km if I remember it right.

Amal handed room keys in the bus for express check-in as our rooms were pre-booked. This saved us from queueing at the reception. Well done Marriott – for saving us time in checking in! Amal also briefed us en-route about the Courtyard Marriott and the services available on our stay. By the way, Amal is a very charming and efficient lady and works for Courtyard Marriott. Amal is approachable and comes across as very helpful and willing to help just like the rest of the hotel staff.

By the way, Courtyard Marriott also provides free transport to and from the Mall of the Emirates. Timetable to and from the Mall of Emirates is available from the Concierge and is also posted in the foyer.

The drive to the Mall of the Emirates took roughly 20 minutes from the hotel. En-route to the mall, from a distance you will clearly see the expectacular outline of Burj Al Arab that soars majestically resembling of a giant sail and the skyline of the whole city. I noted that on the slow lane of the highway to and from the mall, lorries lined the whole stretch of the highway in absolute order. It amazed me that they did not cause a traffic jam whatsoever.

We arrived at the Mall of the Emirates in good time and were dropped off at the main entrance. The mall looked massive from the outside and it was beautiful inside. Keep in mind that Ski Dubai is annexed to the Mall of the Emirates. In keeping with the Christmas season, they erected an igloo, a giant Christmas tree lit in deep blue light (just like my VolksWagen Golf GTI panel!) and several small Christmas trees within the grotto. The mall was full of patrons from Abaya clad ladies, Arabic men in Thobes, western and eastern men, women and children all doing their thing.

I was quite astonished by the selection of the shops available in the Mall. In my observation, they cater very well to the western consumers and the array of merchandise on sale was rather wide - very European in their style.

I went into a few brand shops I normally visit when at home or on my travels and, to my surprise, the wide selection of merchandise was as good as if not better than what I have seen elsewhere and I therefore would highly recommend Dubai as a destination for shopping.

I collected a Store Guide from the Information kiosk and I would like to share with you the shops that are available in the mall to name a few:

For Ladies Fashion: Forever21; French Connection; Guess; Kenneth Cole, Lacoste; Levi's; Mango; Massimo Dutti; Monsoon; Oxygene; Pepe Jeans; Quick Silver; Rage; Rip Curl; River Island; Timberland; Top Shop; Zara

For Men's Fashion: Adidas; Bossini; Burberry; Cafe Coton; Columbia Sportswear; Esprit; French Connection, UK; G2000; Giordano, Guess, Lucky Jeans; Marlboro Classics, Next; Oakley 'O' Store; Phat Farm; Topman.

The Mall has a few restaurants and fastfoods and they are located on the first and second floors. If you are after a quick and jolly wholesome meal you can start off at the Food Court. (A Food Court is a dining area with restaurant outlets surrounding the tables, usually with both local and international cuisines represented.) I had Thai food on this occasion from the Thai Express and their Chicken Curry was very nice - would highly recommend it! I also ordered Tom Yang Soup which was delightful.

At the food court, you will find KFC for fried chicken; Magic Wok for some chinese; McDonalds for burgers; Papa Johns and Mrs Vanellis for Italian and Pizza; Saj Express for Indian meal; Charley's & Subway for subs; Hardees; Karam Beirut, Shamiana Restaurant for some Middle Eastern Delight. More restaurants are on the upper floor.

In the mall, you will also find a couple of pharmacies, health and beauty shops like Crabtree & Evelyn, The Body Shop and a few more. A hypermarket called CarreFour, department stores like Centrepoint, Debenhams and Harvey Nichols. A few banks and money exchanges, bookstores, electronics, optical shops, watch stores like - Mont Blanc, Omega, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin Boutique and many many more.

On this visit after a long walk, shop hopping and window shopping, I had a large cappuccino at the Barista Coffee Shop and I must tell you that it's my new favourite coffee shop now - they make the best coffee! I then picked up a free copy of 'GulfWeekly' by the till and had a good read. If I am not mistaken there are around 20 coffee shops in the mall from Starbucks, Costa to the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Again too many to mention but I am sure you get the idea and can understand the size of this up-martket, trendy and impressive mall!

I think, I am shopped up so I will be talking about places to see and visit in Dubai. I have compiled some info for you but I would like to give you a breather - and myself! I have been writing non stop now for quite a while so I will be posting another update which I'll call "Snow in the Desert, Ski Dubai (Update 2!)"

Thank you for reading my Blog. Take care and God Bless you all!

Alan Aldana

Snow in the Desert, Ski Dubai!

Snow In The Desert, Ski Dubai!

Winter wonderland emerges in the sand! Truly a White Christmas!

I have decided to give an update on each and every journal I write. This will include the travel to the airport, the Customs and Immigration queues and efficiency, the airport layout from a passenger's point of view at their destination, Duty Free Shops and perhaps additional information that might be of help. I would also like to point out that this information is offered from my personal experience.

The anticipation of finally witnessing a winter sport in the middle of the desert was building up dramatically as soon as I boarded the SUV taking us to Ski Dubai. I thought, how is it possible? I had gazillions of ideas springing in my head but the only answer I can come up with was the power of black gold.

I stood in awe in front of this mammoth construct from the second floor of the Mall of the Emirates! To contain my excitement, I took my Sony-Ericsson mobile phone and started taking pictures. After I calmed down, I went to the stand-alone booth and requested some info regarding the Ski Dubai. Across the way I spotted a Haagen Dazs parlour and immediately I ordered a scoop each of Banoffee and Macadamia Brittle my personal favourites in keeping with the theme of coolness in the desert.

Now here is some of the info regarding Ski Dubai fees and general information I collected.

Ski Dubai Snow School – Up & Down the Slope in Five Simple Steps

1. Enter Ski Dubai and gear up in your winter equipment ready for your pre-booked lesson. What's included: Clothing, boots and quipment except for hats and gloves which can be purchased at Snow Pro. Key Card Deposit of AED 10 and Locker Rental of AED 10.

You can pre-book your lesson through the Ski Dubai Call Centre, (04) 409 4000 or at Ski Dubai. To check your level, have a look at skidxb.com.

2. Meet your instructor and your lesson mates, ready to try out the equipment.

Lessons are classified into adult and child groups, as well as into different ability levels. All Beginner and Level 1 lessons are held on a separate beginners slope.

Lessons have a maximum of 10 participants. Follow the instructions from the cashier to get to your meeting point.

The Beginner Lesson Programme is designed to help you meet the minimum skills requirements for entry to the main slope: Stopping Safely, Controlling Speed, Performing Linked Turns and the Ability to Use the Lift.

3. Try it out. Let your instructor guide you through the process of learning to ski or snowboard.

A lesson lasts for 1.5 hours on the slope, including a warm up, practising new skills, learning tips for improvement and of course, having a lot of fun. If there are 3 or less participants, adult lessons may be shortened to 1 hour. Child lessons are not shortened but if the participants get tired, they may spend supervised time in the Snow Park as well as on the slopes.

Lesson packages are available for those who want to work their way steadily through the level. For those who prefer personalised instruction, private lessons are available. Maximum private group numbers are 3 people per instructor.

4. Finish your lesson with a debriefing from your instructor and find out what progress you've made.

Ski Dubai Lesson Programmes are skill based so you can take as little time or as long as you need to become confident on the slopes. The instructors understand that everyone learns at a different speed and will guide you through the levels at your own pace.

Child lessons are part of an ongoing achievement prrogramme, the Polar Bear Club. Progress is recorded in a personal passport after a lesson. When all exercises in a level are completed, learners receive stamps in their passport and are eligible to acquire the corresponding Polar Bear badge. These badges are a reward for achievement and can only be purchased once the set skill level has been reached.

5. Book next lesson ready for the challenge of advancing to another level for your next visit.

Entry Prices are as follows in AED.

Snow Park: Adults (50) Child (40)

Ski Slope for 2 Hours: Adult Peak (130) Off Peak (115); Child Peak (110) Off Peak (100)

Extension per Hour: Adult (30) Child (20) Peak or Off Peak times.

Ski Slope Day Pass: Adult Peak (220) Off Peak (205); Child Peak (170) Off Peak (160)

Express Pass: Adult Peak (1170) Off Peak (1035); Child Peak (990) Off Peak (900)

I hope you find this blog helpful and interesting.

Season greetings to all of you, take care and May God Bless you All!

Alan Aldana

China Town, London

The hustle and bustle in Soho London is unrelenting! The honking of the traffic, the rickshaw ringing their bells trying to make their way past the congested London traffic, the ecclectic scent of Chinese cooking that hovers in the air like a permanent fixture, people chatting on their mobile phones and a hurried strut of tourists and locals alike make this place such a lively and spirited place and come to think of it, I happen to be a part of the London scene!

On Sunday, the drive from Battersea to Islington was abysmal. I got involved in the moving of my friend's stuff from his old flat in Islington to Chelsea. The exercise was tiring and stressful - well, at least I was not part of the whole process. I helped on the bits and bobs that needed moving but mainly driving, loading and unloading. Can you imagine if I volunteered to get involved from the start? At least it's over and done with now and I'd like to think that he is happily settled in his new place - though saying that, he has to unpack; which luckily I won't get involved in anymore.

For dinner, we went to China Town in a restaurant called China China that serves the best Chinese Food in town (well, this is to my personal taste and a lot of my family and friends agree with me on this). By the way, the lights are bright so expect no conducive dining experience as it's non-existent until the food arrives on your table. Diners in this place come in single, two-somes and group. If you dine alone which is not unusual in London in China China - they tend to seat you downstairs otherwise if in two's or group then the upper floors.

Now about the food, my favourite is their Roast Duck and Soya Chicken. I would also recommend the Crispy Noodle with mixed meat if you appreciate liver and the likes. The green leafy vegetable with oyster sauce is ever present when I dine and on occasion when ravenous, a serving of fried squid with salt, pepper and chillies would not go a miss. Remember that if you go with friends, you can always share the portions and their serving is quite generous. The other favourite of mine is their hotpot - especially the bean curd and mixed meat!

After our late dinner, we went for a quick walk toward Shaftesbury Avenue where theatres are abundant and ravers were spilling on the road queueing to be admitted to a club. We crossed Charing Cross and walked towards the Seven Dials where I parked the car! We then proceeded on our drive home past Hippodrome, one of the biggest club in London;

The National Gallery which is one of my favourite galleries (I always visit the place when I have time);

St Martin's in the Fields Church which holds concerts on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Friday night if I'm not mistaken - a place of visit not to be missed. They also serve meals at the Cafe in the Crypt;

Driving along now, we also went past Trafalgar Square on to Whitehall where all government buildings stand side by side and where the Prime Minister Tony Blair and his family, Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown and his family reside in 10 Downing Street and 11 Downing Street respectively.

We also went past the Houses of the Parliament and the famous Big Ben. Driving along the embankment, we saw the M16 Office Building which was famously featured in one of the James Bond Movies on the southbank of the river which was nicely lit as we headed down even further west before we crossed Chelsea Bridge southwards towards Battersea.

Now I stop here as I need my rest. I will be flying to Dubai tomorrow so expect an article about the place in the next few days.

For now, thank you for taking the time in reading my blog.

Take care of yourselves and God Bless,

Alan