Going to Qatar for the world cup… You could jump to Dubai for a couple of days… Part 1

This last August mark my first year living in Dubai, what was a six month assignment is now a one year and still going adventure. I will tell you that time flies… and more when you are having fun, during this past 12 months been having the opportunity to go to different countries in the AMEA region (Asia, Middle East, Africa, Australia), met great people and experience closely their cultures, something that you don’t get to experience so intimate living in the USA or Mexico.

Museum of the Future… Emirates Towers behind… Some of the great architecture you will find in Dubai

In November of this year the world will be looking to Qatar for the 2022 world cup, one of the biggest sporting events in planet earth. We expect more than 1 million people going to see matches there and many more just visiting Qatar as tourist. The UAE is also preparing for this event as both countries are very close just one our flight can take you from Dubai to Doha, so we expect to live the world cup like we were live in Qatar.

Dubai has great roads to manage huge number of visitors

As part of the world cup Dubai will have official FIFA fan Zones, and also hundreds of flights will be available to go and see a match in Qatar to then come back a couple of hours after the match ends. This initiatives plus other private initiatives are to support the tourist infrastructure of Qatar and generate tourism spend in Dubai taking advantage of the millions of persons coming to the region. We are all in Dubai excited for the world cup, not only for the sporting part, but also for the additional events (Artistic, Open Air Watching Parties) that will happen in Dubai during this very intense 30 days.

Qatar world cup will bring a good number of visitors similar to the World Expo on 2021-22

Taking into consideration that many people will be first timers in Dubai and maybe with limited time between the games, I just want to share 10 things that you should put on the list to do while in Dubai. Dubai has many things to enjoy, so the idea is to share some information that will help you decide what to do. I will separate the list into 2 posts so I can describe a little bit more each activity, weather should be great in November to be outside and enjoy 100%.

1, Take the Metro and connect to many attractions and Shopping Malls

Dubai Metro is a very simple 2 lines system connecting many great places for dinning, shopping, or entertainment. The red line is currently the longest self driving metro line in the world. You can buy tickets at every stop in machines or in a booth where personnel can help you. Cost for a single trip in the silver cabin goes from $1.50 USD to $3.00 USD, also there is Gold cabin that cost 2X. Some of the key attractions connecting the metro are: Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates and Ibn Battuta Mall / Old Dubai has a stop / Museum of the Future / DXB Airport / Dubai Marina (connect to tram) / Expo 2020 (Site of Event).

The metro makes the city very mobile, you will need to use taxi or buses but the trains makes a great opportunity to see the city from an elevated track; if we have a clear day it makes for a great trip to explore the city. Metro runs from 6AM till 12/1AM depending the day so it is available many hours during the day, it can get packed during peak hours but you can always squeeze in.

2. Visit Jumeirah Mosque and learn a little bit of Islam

Close to La Mer Beach, you find Jumeirah Mosque a very beautiful place that open doors in 1979 and operates using the Open Doors, Open Mind program of the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU) promoting and sharing of Muslim culture and Islam to non Muslims with the idea of better understanding their beliefs. The activity is 90 minutes long, where they share a little bit of what is Islam and the core values where it stands, also they open a session for questions looking to share some wisdom with the participants. For me was a great learning experience, that makes me more sensible to their culture and beliefs. There are some requirements (Women wear scarf covering head, Men have long pants), but is open to anyone that want to have the experience

3. Go to JBR beach and enjoy a bath in the Persian Gulf

Dubai has many beaches along the coastline, one of them is know as JBR. This urban beach is filled with many restaurants and hotels is the perfect place to enjoy a full day of beach activities with good food and cold refreshments. You can come with your car and park in one of the underground parking or if you are staying in one of the many hotels of the area just walk and find your place on the beach. You could easily forget that you are in the desert, once you sit and enjoy the sun and the calm water in front of you. JBR for me is special since you can find activities for everyone: Rent Jet Ski and go along the Palm, Rent a boat and go out to sea and see the sunset, Go to one of the many beach clubs and enjoy the pool, Get some food and have a picnic on the beach.

4. Go to the desert and have dinner under the stars in front of a Bonfire

One activity that for me was exceptional last year and also was lots of fun was an outing to the Desert, it is one of this things that you can do with different budgets. There are desert trips that you go and do dune bashing, sand surfing, live shows, BBQ, the whole enchilada or you could do a more intimate gathering to have good food and enjoy the company of friends and family. Be there by Sunset is a must, also be comfortable with sand on your shoes but most important admire the sky and the stars that you will see. The farther from the city the better as you will have less light contamination.

5. Visit Old Dubai, explore the Gold and Spice Markets

Before all the big building and majestic developments Dubai was a merchant port that was supported by maritime industry, Old Dubai is a place you can’t miss if you come to Dubai, here you will find some interesting stores offering wacky gold, diamond stuff like women clothing or you could try and buy the biggest gold ring in the world. The market is not only good for sightseeing but also prices are good for gold since Dubai does not charge taxes on it. Beside the gold market you will also find the spice market where you can get your favorite spice or explore new ones. A trip to this part of the city will take you 2-3 hours, you can get by using the metro.

In my next post will finish the list of things to do in Dubai if you have a couple of days in the city, one thing is important Dubai will not fail. Thanks for reading the post, please share it and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, or Facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD. Until next time….

Sydney, Australia the Harbour City… Beautiful sights and excellent beer

Just arrived from a business trip in Sydney, Australia and had the opportunity to stay the weekend and do some sightseeing in one of the few cities that has hosted Olympic games. Before going to Sydney if you ask me the first things to come in my mind would be Kangaroos (Just learned the aboriginal meaning and is… I don’t know!!!), Foster Beer (Not that common in Australia), and Crocodile Dundee (Set in the Outback and New York City not in Sydney!!!), but after a couple of days I found that Sydney and Australia is a lot more than that with great people with lots of diversity, a great fauna that they protect and a huge beer culture with really good micro brews for you to enjoy.

Sydney is the biggest city of Australia with more than 5 million people living there, 43% of the people were born overseas and this was one of the great things I like of Sydney the huge diversity of the people. It is a city of immigrants with huge Asian population but also you found a great number of Europeans and also found Latin Americans (talk with a group of Argentinians in the light rail) important also to share that there is an important Aboriginals population that have live in Australia for more than 30,000 years.

For sure the most Iconic building in Australia and one of the top in the world

One of the most expensive cities in the world, but also ranks as one of the most livable cities in the world, you can clearly see the great quality of life by walking in one of the many suburbs. When you look at the most visited places for tourist you will find Sydney with offerings to different budgets, it was hit very hard during Covid and still today as they open for tourist the industry is not at 100% with not enough people in the airports, hotels, restaurants; but what I can tell you is that the people that are working will try to provide you with the right service.

Impressive views of the city… Day or Night it offers great sights

I just had a couple of days in Sydney so the schedule was limited but at least got a glimpse of the many things this place has to offer and why it is such a great destination. The Harbour is a place to get lost, it is vibrant with lots of things happening: Sydney Opera house (one of the most distinctive building in the world), Go in a Ferry and select one off the multiple places they go, walk around the Rocks and have a great locally brewed beer with some tasty food, or simply sit in one of the many parks and enjoy time admiring the landscape of the city. For sure you could do 3-4 full days in the harbour to know this Iconic place.

Ferry is a great place to connect to multiple spots across the harbour

If you go with limited time I recommend you do the Hop On Hop Off bus, a great way to know highlights of the city and also help you plan what things you would like to dedicate more time the next couple of days. You can do both routes in one day (red and Blue) so you can acclimatize. If you want to go down I would suggest Bondi beach or The Rocks as a great stops to go down and explore. Look for big bus tours, for me it is good value for the money you pay.

The Bus is a great way to get a glimpse of the city…

I come from Puerto Rico, so beer is one important thing for me and in Australia you can go to many places and have great beer. During my stay I went to 3 places that would like to share as they are great alternatives to enjoy locally brewed beer with very nice ambiance: The Noble Hops in Redfern / 4 Pines in Manly / Lord Nelson Brewery. In all of this places the food and the drinks were exceptional so from my point of view you will not miss.

One last thing I recommend in Sydney is to use public transportation is a good way to see and learn from talking with others and just getting out in a station and walk a little bit. During my stay I use not only the Ferry to Manly but also the train and light rail, excellent alternatives and very to use if your card has can top off in a machine.

Use the trains, it will be a great way to know the city

Now I am back in Dubai where we are in the middle of the summer, just closing one year of living in this part of the world and with great stories to share and take as part of my journey. Just finished a list of counties visited and the number is 36, blessed to have the opportunity of meeting great culture and people from all over the world. If you just read the post please forward to a friend and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, or Facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD. Until next time….

Johannesburg known as The City of Gold… Is the people that makes it shine…

During the last week of march I had the opportunity to go work for a couple of days with our team in South Africa, this time I was able to squeeze an extra day to take a tour around some landmarks of the city and talk with locals about the history of South Africa and Johannesburg. This was my second time going there, so you now start to get a better sense of the place and what to see if you only have 24 additional hours.

The city was founded in 1886 following discovery of gold and quickly received a great number of outsiders to establish for work and have living from the new found riches. Thousands of people arrive to work on the mines and used local for the manual labors, this created lots of issues moving forward with many instabilities. There are no working mines today in the urban part but you can see machinery used many years ago.

South Africa is a country that suffered a lot on racial discrimination, what I saw during my visit is that the people are embracing the story to make a stronger place to live for everyone with equal rights for every citizen. Their is along journey ahead but you find great things are happening when talking with the people and also how proud they are on what they have achieved with hope for a better tomorrow.

Actual House that Mandela live in SOWETO

One of the places I visited was Constitution hill, in this place there was first a fort that was made in 1899 to protect the South African Republic from British invasion. Along the fort a prison was built, known as number four and during the apartheid era was used to put people that opposed the system it was active until 1983. Both Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi were prisoners at some moment in the prison, along with thousands of prisoners that were held for things like not having their pass to be walking outside. Conditions were not great and there are may stories of abuse in the prison. They have maintain the place opened for people to go and learn what happened there, so it will never happen again.

As part of their new constitution and focused to bring justice to the people, a new constitutional court was established in 1993 and now has a permanent place in the Constitution Hill, along the old prison. They used the prison blocks in the construction of the court in a strong message of change, at the entrance you see the words constitutional court in their 11 official languages and a enormous wooden door with the carving of the 27 rights of the bill of rights in their official languages and also sign language.

Constitutional Court, you can see the 11 languages used to name the place and the carved wooded door

Constitution hill is a place that show some of the most dark moments in Johannesburg but also show how the city and the country are moving forward with clear equality principles, the people know they have a long journey but are proud of their advances.

Another important place to visit is the Apartheid museum, where you can see the story from the establishment of the system, the process to take it down and the establishment of the new government system with a new constitution that brought new rights to the people of South Africa with universal suffrage and the elections of 1994 were citizen of all races voted. The place contains lots of details using photos, videos, and audios of those times. You can spend easy a full day exploring the museum and get a good idea of the events that marked the apartheid era.

From the museums we move to SOWETO (South Western Township), a township created during the 1930’s to move blacks and separate from whites during the apartheid area. As you enter this township you know that the place is special and that has is own personality. It was a place that saw many riots as parts of the protests against the apartheid regime. SOWETO is huge with many places to explore, more than 1 million people live there. One of the highlights is that in one of the streets of SOWETO to Nobel prize winners lived (Guinness Record), Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. There is actually an attraction in the house that Mandela lived.

We also pass thru the FNB stadium home to the 2010 world cup final where Spain beat Netherlands 1-0, Is the largest stadium in Africa with 94,000+ capacity (currently bigger than Estadio Azteca). Talking with locals the world cup was one of great significance to the country, a moment where the whole country united and had a lot of investments in infrastructure, an example is the Gautrain a mass transportation system that is still in use. For my trip back to Dubai I used the train and let me tell you is spectacular, the cleanliness, timely and good value makes it an option if you are staying in the Sandton area.

Also during my visit, had chance to eat in a local restaurant called Chez Alina. In the place had local made food that was excellent and also one of the local beers called Soweto Gold, it was a great lunch where I met local people that knew my guide Thando. The food was tasty and flavorful, the most interesting thing was a steam bread that was great to accompany the stewed beef.

To end the tour Thando showed me where he was born and the current community he is helping, suburb is named Kliptown a very humble place with tons of great people that want to contribute to society, the work being done is spectacular currently they are helping more than 100 kids get ahead in life providing school program, food and the necessary support to move ahead in life. If you want to find some information you can find them on Facebook under Kliptown Youth Program (KYP). The way that Thando hosted me was spectacular and added to my visit making the day perfect; but to be honest all the people that I met in South Africa were spectacular there easy to get along, happy to help you and more important real.

I am thankful of my job and the opportunity of getting to different places in the world working with great people and also knowing about the culture of the place I visit. Johannesburg has left me with a great impression and would definitely would recommend for a visit, the tour was an excellent find in trip advisor (Thanks to Stephenson Adventures – Ultimate Johannesburg tour). I hope to be back in the near future and explore more of the country.

Now back to Dubai where hot temperatures are close. If you just read the post please forward to a friend and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, or Facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD. Until next time….

Dubai Marina: Impressive promenade, close to JBR beach with many restaurants and activities for all ages

30 minutes from the airport on Sheikh Zayed road you will arrive to Dubai Marina, one of the top communities in the UAE, established in 2003 is considered one of the biggest man made marina in the world (If you ask here they will tell you is the biggest). For the developers to make it real, they excavated and brought the Persian Gulf waters into the development creating a 3KM long canal.

A great urban space with activities for everyone

There are 2 big areas that are part of of the community, one is Dubai Marina with many buildings across the canal and the other is JBR (Jumeirah Beach Residence) which is in front of the JBR beach. The JBR project is massive with more than 30+ buildings, that include hotels and apartments with many retail outlets. JBR is the largest single phase residential development in the world (another Guinness record for the UAE), the project looks impressive when looking it from the sea.

Great Skyline of the Dubai Marina from the different points in the Promenade

There are hundreds of boats that go in and out every day, from daily excursions, big yachts rentals, and private boats that are anchored on the marina. Just sitting in one of the many restaurants and look into the canal and see the boat movement can make for a relax experience. You can rent from a couple of hours to full days and get to explore a different view of Dubai from the sea.

One of the secrets to view Dubai Marina is the RTA public transportation boat you can board, at 4:30PM every day the boat leaves from a station near the Dubai Marina Mall it goes through the canal and to open sea, making it way back when it reaches the hotel Atlantis, the trip is one hour long and provide great views of the many attractions in the area. The price is around $30 Dirhams ($8 USD)

Dubai Marina connects with JBR beach, this adds tons of additional things to do and enjoy

If you like to run the Marina promenade give you the opportunity to run around the marina, with great views of the buildings, boats and tourists. The route is around 6KM so you can do some work before going to one of the many restaurants and then to the beach. The views are simply spectacular, the massive buildings and the canal waters makes it for great views something very difficult to find elsewhere.

Great place to catch a run or simply walk to relax after a hectic day

There are restaurants for every taste from the classic fast foods, to local cuisine or international restaurants; many of them have tables outside and when the weather is good makes it for a spectacular gathering. One of my favorite places is Pier 7, this locale has 7 different restaurant where you can go to eat, drink and have fun with great views of the marina.

Walking distance from the JBR beach is a new development called Bluewaters also a place with many entertainment options and also restaurants, here you can find Ain Dubai the tallest and biggest observation wheel, another record set in Dubai. Is a great place to get a good view on the Dubai Marina skyline

Ain Dubai and Bluwaters at the top of the photo

If you are in Dubai do not miss it, take at least one full day to enjoy it. For sure I will be writing again about this great place, if you just read the post please forward to a friend and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, or Facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD. Until next time….

Burj Khalifa… Tallest building of the world, One of the iconic places in Dubai

Once you arrive in Dubai, the number of tall buildings will impress you. As you move across the city you see different areas where Skyscrapers are found, for example you have Sheikh Zayed road where you will find many of this Skyscrapers like the Gevora Hotel (Tallest hotel in the world), Dubai Marina were the Marina 101 is located at a height of 425 meters is the second tallest building in Dubai, and Downtown Dubai where the Burj Khalifa is located standing at more than 800 meters high (half a mile!!!)

It is so tall that you can see the building from a great distance

There is no formal definition on a Skyscraper but if we use the reference of 150 meters, Dubai has close to 75 buildings higher than these. The cool thing is that every building has it’s own persona there are no 2 Skyscraper alike making it a great activity on looking for details unique to each building.

A sample of the many tall buildings you will find in Dubai

It took 6 years to get the project completed from 2004 to 2010, at a cost of $1.5 billion dollar one of the most expensive projects in the UAE, it is located next to the Dubai Mall (biggest shopping mall in the world) in Downtown Dubai. You can see the building from many places within the city, is impressive the size versus all other structures. When you look it in a close up it seems that the top floors are fake (like Disney use in the parks to create special effect), but in fact they are real, the Burj Khalifa has 163 floors combined into offices, residential, retail, and entertainment. The 828 meters height is 20% more than the Merdeka 118, second tallest building in the world located in Kuala Lumpur.

Look at night, it is impressive, display on the building is spectacular

The design is derived from Islamic architecture and presented multiple challenges from building efficiently and economically, understanding the winds, elevator systems, electrical and water services. Design challenges were not the only thing that they needed to overcome, there was some financial troubles and with support from the ruler of Abu Dhabi the government lent billions of dollars to continue the project.

A little bit of the timeline to get the building done

You can enjoy by going to the Dubai Mall and get a close up look of the building while the Dubai Fountains play their show, or can have the experience to go at the top of the Burj Khalifa. For this you can go to their webpage and get ta ticket for specific hour, best times are at sunrise and sunset (tickets are more expensive). One interesting fact is that at the top of the Burj Khalifa you see the sun 2-3 more minutes than being on the ground floor (impressive) .

Some of the views at top of the Burj Khalifa

One of the must places to go in Dubai, the Burj Khalifa is an important engineering and architecture masterpiece not only for Dubai but for the world. If you are in Dubai do not miss it. This is all for now, if you just read the post please forward to a friend and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, or Facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD . Until next time….

Visit to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque… Impressive architecture

As part of our year end holiday, we decided to spend a couple of days in Abu Dhabi and get to know more of the Emirate. One of the must places to got is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque completed in 2007. In Dubai we went to the Jumeirah mosque it is much smaller but you have the opportunity of a tour so you can learn a little bit of Islam, it is a must go in Dubai and will share a post later so you have the details.

You can see the details on the walls and domes… It is incredible the craftmanship

It is an impressive landmark and you can see it from very far due to it’s size. You need to register to get a ticket for access, it is very simple and you do it online ( https://visit.szgmc.gov.ae/). Once you get the confirmation you will receive a QR code that you can use at the entrance and in different points during the visit to track your journey.

From the road, look a the size from the distance

Construction started in 1996 and was finished in 2007, took more than 10 years to get all the details in place. It is the largest mosque in UAE and the 3rd largest in the world, it can accommodate more that 40,000 visitors . It has an Arabic appearance but has collaboration from many countries including Italy, Germany, Iran, United Kingdom, China. As I shared previously UAE is the capital of world records and in the Mosque you will see the biggest hand-knotted carpet done by more than 1,200 Iranian crafters.100,000 tonnes of marble imported from Greece and Macedonia.

A closer look on the carpet, imagine is one piece

Some of the details you will find is the use of thousands semi precious stones embedded into the marble, huge Chandeliers with thousand Swarovski crystals. The Mosque has 82 domes, the largest located in the center of the prayer room.

You can see more of the details inside the mosque, very delicate work

It takes close to 45 minute to walk and see the mosque, with clearly defined areas so you can take pictures. The visit we had was more focus on walking and enjoying the architecture of the building. There was no additional information around Islam, that’s why having the experience on the Jumeirah mosque in Dubai is a great compliment because you will get a high level of understanding of Islam faith.

One of the must places to go in Abu Dhabi, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is a unique place to see. I hope this post provide you with the opportunity to live a little bit the experience. For now if you just read my post, forward to a friend and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, or Facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD . Until next time….

Experiencing Jebel Jais the Longest Zipline in the world

To end the year in Dubai, I had the opportunity to bring my family for a couple of weeks so they can also enjoy the great things the UAE has to offer. We planned to not only do things in Dubai but also do activities in other Emirates including Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Ras Al Khaimah; you will see other posts of the different activities.

Me and my Kids.. getting pumped to do the adventure!!!

With 2 big kids (21 and 17 years), we need to found high energy things with lots of adrenaline. Doing some research I found that the UAE has another Guinness world record (to many to count) and is the longest zipline in the world. We already had some experience trying the Monster Zipline in Orocovis, Puerto Rico, currently 3rd longest behind Jebel Jais in UAE and one located in Chihuahua Mexico.

Great roads in the UAE… From Jebel Jais mountains you can see the neighboring country of Oman

The trip from Dubai is around 2:30 hours, the first part is a bg road but then you get to the Jebel Jais mountain where you will spend a good 40-50 minutes going up to the Zipline entrance. Roads in Dubai are spectacular, no issue for us to drive with a clean and well paved road up to the entrance of the attraction.

Jebel Jais mountains are spectacular… Impressive views!!!

To do the attraction, my recommendation is that you book your ticket in advance so you have a reserved spot; once you get there it is well organized with people guiding you through the check in process and security brief before going into a small van that will take you to the launch area. Let me tell you I like adrenaline activities but when you start getting close to the Zipline and see the magnitude of the adventure your heart start pumping blood faster and will definitely get some chills.

You see the lines that will guide your 2.8KM journey

When you are driving across the Jebel Jais mountains you have impressive views of the mountains and the huge gaps between them, 10-15 minutes before you arrive you can identify what it seems the launchpad of the Zipline and at first you think that cannot be, because of the height and the steepness of the drop…. but yes you then realize that it is the launchpad and you will go down more than 2.8 KM at speeds of more than 120kph (75mph). They tell you that you could reach up to 160kph (100mph), I do not know of is true but once you are going down it is fast!!!!!. Once you finish your trip, you arrive into a suspended platform, a la Star Wars from there is a short Zipline to the van that will take you to the starting place.

Suspended Platform where you Arrive – Star Wars !!!!!

Look at the red circle… That is me flying to the finish line!!!

The place has a restaurant where you can grab some drinks and food, while enjoying a great view. Also they rent Go Pro cameras if you want to capture video of your adventure. Employees are well trained, you feel very secure during the process from registration, launching pad and coming back. If you want more info you can go to their webpage at https://visitjebeljais.com/

2021 was a great year, where I had the opportunity to visit new countries and places, I hope that the sharing of this experiences set some excitement and that you plan your own adventures. Will continue sharing my experience during 2022, for now if you just read my post, forward to a friend and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, or Facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD . Until next time….

Gold and Spice Souk in Dubai… Is not the new Dubai, but is a must see attraction!!!

Once you arrive to Dubai, all the new buildings and new attractions capture your attention and forgot that the city started hundreds of years ago as a trading post for precious metals, pearl industry and fishing village. Not far from the new Dubai you will find this markets or Souks the way they are called here.

The Gold and Spice Souks are located in Deira, Dubai; can be said on the Old Dubai. Deira is the commercial part of Dubai but has lost focus due to the accelerated growth of Dubai other commercial places. In Deira you will find the Dubai Creek a natural waterway, where you will found many small boats (Abra boats) moving from one point of the city to another point of the city by paying $1 or $2 AED. The markets are more than 100 years old with gaining relevance with the oil boom of the 70’s.

Once you get to the Souks, walking them are easy and secure. As many places in Dubai they are well kept and with good signage to facilitate walking from point A to point B. As you enter the Gold Souk you are greeted with the biggest gold ring in the world (another record for Dubai!!!), weighting at more than 140+ pounds is huge, it can be the ring for King Kong. As many records they announce you will see the Guinness certificate.

Yes is a GOLD ring and below ou see the Guinness certificate

Along the hallway you see the different shops showcasing their work, all things gold… Gold Clothing, hundreds of necklaces, chains, rings, bracelets, everything you can imagine is there in gold. Different Karats and colors can be found, also Silver is widely available with many products being offered. It is a great place for a nice stroll just looking and stopping to see the level of detail in some of the pieces. We did enter to a couple of stores and never felt being hassled to buy something, obviously they will try and show you their work and get you interested but in a relaxed manner.

Some example of the gold pieces you can find

Not far from the Gold Souk you will find the Spice souk, also with good spaces you will have a colorful and aromatic journey from the different spices you can buy there. The displays looks wonderful and inside the stores you also can see other variety of products. The cool thing here is you can see the product very close before you buy and discuss with the shopkeeper on the different spices and their history.

Walking the Spice souk gives you a sense of traveling back in time, when no supermarkets were available and went to the markets to buy what you needed for the day, there’s no doubt that the level of intimacy on the service is the best compared to the big box stores that exist today in Dubai.

As the year start I will continue the updates from Dubai and sharing more insight on this great place, also will include some post around neighboring emirates. For now if you just read my post, please forward to your friends and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, or Facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD . Until next time….

Expo2020 Dubai… Great opportunity to meet the world

The premier event of these year to showcase Dubai to the world and also showcase the world to Dubai is the expo. The event started on October 1, 2021 and will be open until March 31, 2002, it was suspended last year due to the COVID outbreak and the organizers move it for one year (right decision to go ahead). A world expo is an international event where the nations can showcase their achievements, their vision, and how they want to continue contributing to earth development

Just get your passport and fill it with memories

In the event you have participation from 192 countries, each pavilion has a theme usually based on their culture and customs bringing the best they have to offer and sharing it with the audience in a interactive way. In many of them you also have representation of their foods, and flavors with smalls cafes/restaurants offering their best of home recipes. One important part also are advancements on technology, education and sustainability, in this area you see current projects or ideas to build a safer and connected world.

Very wide spaces for you to walk, also many places to sit around the expo… You will walk a lot!!!

The expo has and area of 438 hectares (equal to 1,081 football fields), divided into 3 big themes (areas): Sustainability, Mobility, and Opportunity. In addition to the country pavilions each area has parks, theaters, restaurants, and stores with full day activities makes making multiple trips to the expo necessary. Every day a country is selected to have special events in the main plazas, great opportunity to drive their message even stronger.

You will find music in any corner… great to learn a little of their music…

In the first month I have been able to see 67 country pavilions, want to get to all of them but takes time because it is also about connecting with the people that work there and are very happy when you ask about their countries. People have shared great stories about their countries for example the story of Lucy in Ethiopia a human fossil that has 3.2 million years, how some Islands in the pacific have citizenship programs to drive investments to their government or the vision of Indonesia to become the 5th largest economy by 2050.

Some of the people from around the world I have met!!!! incredible….

The Expo Dubai presents a great balance of fun, education, and business that should not be missed. If you ever want it to visit Dubai, I would say now is a good time. Getting to know this fabulous place and combining it with the opportunity to know the world is something that only Dubai could offer. The place where records are set….

UAE Pavilion is the biggest, great experience inside!!!!

Will continue the updates from the Expo Dubai from time to time as I continue stamping my passport, meeting new people and learning new stories from all over the world. For now if you just read my post, please forward to your friends and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, or Facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD . Until next time….

Egypt: Impressive look at 4,500+ years of history… Giza Pyramid the last standing original seven wonder

One of the benefits of my job has been the opportunity to travel to different countries and when the agenda aligns properly have the opportunity to know a little bit of the culture, sights and foods of the place I am visiting. Since August I been stationed in Dubai, being here by itself has been a great experience to learn more of the Arab world. Last week had the opportunity to travel to Cairo, Egypt for some business meetings and had the opportunity to go for a day trip and explore a little bit of what Egypt has to offer in terms of history.

On the road in Egypt, ample roads, hundres of residential buildings

Look in trip advisor for tours and selected a one day tour with a visit to Giza and the Egyptian museum, to my surprise the tour was a private one. The day began at 8am when they pick me up at the hotel and it was only the guide, driver and myself. What a great setup, doing the private tour was excellent , easy communication and also the personal attention to answer my questions and share behind the scenes information around the life of people more than 4,500 years ago.

One of the many Mosque, beautiful architecture / Sun down in Cairo

Going from the hotel that was in New Cairo to Giza that is closer to original Cairo we pass through a bridge and the Nile river. I was impressed by the river width, you can see clearly the impact to Egypt economy as the main water source of the country. The river crosses 11 countries and is more than 4,000 miles long (Honolulu to Chicago wow!!!!)

Nile River, impressive size and also the impact to the Economy

When you enter Giza, looking above the buildings you can see the impressive Giza Pyramid, standing at close to 500 feet it looks humongous, the entrance to the area is clearly identified or you can follow the many buses getting there. Once you are there, you buy your ticket and go to the entrance where you walk 2-3 minutes to arrive at the base of the pyramids.

From here you move to a couple pf points to really admire the Pyramids from different perspectives, the engineering is brutal and the idea of these structures been here for that many years is also mind blowing. Hopefully they will stand many more years and new generations can visit.

There is no picture that make justice to the beauty of Giza Pyramids

Also in this area is located the Sphinx of Giza, it is impressive as the pyramids. One of the most recognizable statues in the world and it has all the rights to be number one. Located in a place where they prepared bodies for mummification, for the afterlife; today you can see and feel how the people served their pharaohs.

Happy for the opportunity to see this live!!!!

Today if you want you can also visit at night and they have a light show that use the pyramids as a screen. Along the pyramids you also see many people selling stuff, if you want to buy something my recommendation is to talk to your guide and make arrangements, there is limited English or even Spanish and it can get complicated to negotiate prices.

The Giza Pyramids are a great place to visit, the pictures do not make justice to the beauty of the place, would recommend the stop and would put it at top of the list if you are there.

Important to always have fun!!!! Giza Pyramids in the background

Thanks to Maria (Guide) and Omar (Driver) for a great day. Still missing a post around the food and the museum visit, will do it in the next couple of weeks, Now back to Dubai and continue working!!! If you just read my post, please forward to your friends and sign in to receive our updates; also follow us on Instagram, or Facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD . Until next time….