La Perle by Dragone… Great show, must see if you are in Dubai

Dubai is full of great activities to do… some outside and extreme like Skydubai and the tandem skydiving jump, others inside live Ski Dubai where you can go and have a great time doing some skiing in an enclosed ski park. Options are numerous, so companies need to put lot of thought and investment on great shows with the best of the entertainment industry.

If you been to Las Vegas, you would know regular shows like KA, O, Blue Man Group, Mindfreak. This are regular shows that have their own theater, with shows almost every day of the week (2 functions per day). The theaters used for the shows in some cases in some cases are built with unique specifications only designed for that show, investment goes into millions of dollars.

La Perle is located in Al Habtoor City – Close to the Dubai Creek

La Perle is based on the same concept of a permanent, 2 daily functions held in a custom made for the show theater in Dubai consisting of performances by acrobats, gymnasts, and daredevils with awesome music and special effects. The show opened in 2017 and was developed by Franco Dragone, hi is one of the creators of some Cirque du Soleil shows.

Theater Ambience is great, you feel close to the show

You can buy tickets for one of the 3 zones they have, in my view all tickets are good since the theater is not that big and the way is designed let you have a good view from any vantage point. Once you enter the ticket area, you can buy a drink and some snacks, take them to the seat and enjoy the 90 minute show.

One of the performances… The acrobatics were awesome

The show has a good balance of big performances (high flying) and other more light (comedy), making the 90 minutes very enjoyable with a very energetic finish. As you will see in the photos the theater decoration make you feel that you are part of the show.

If you want you can go earlier to the theater and have some food at restaurants that are in the same area where 3 Hilton properties are located, also you can do it after the show as Dubai is a night city where people are outside enjoying themselves until late in the morning. It is a great alternative for entertainment in the city, it doe not matter if you been to similar shows La Perle has it’s own essence.

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….

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….

JBR beach and Jumeirah public beach… great places to cooldown in Dubai

Being from Puerto Rico, a beach day was something very regular… As a children you would go with your parents to Isla Verde or Luquillo, these beaches are very close to San Juan. In long weekends go an stay in small hotels at one of the many great beaches that Puerto Rico offer like Flamenco located in Culebra (one of the best beaches in the world) or to the west and stay in Isabela or Rincon and visit one of the many great beaches Puerto Rico has to offer there. So we can certainly appreciate a good beach when we see it.

Dubai Marina is an impressive place, all this buildings are walking distance to the beach

After arriving in Dubai and being in awe from the great architecture, I decided to adventure and get to know some of the beaches Dubai has to offer. There are many across the Dubai coastline, many with easy access and parking making them easy to reach and enjoy. Not only does the beaches are easy to get, but also there are many amenities close to them; you will find retail stores, restaurants, rental of aquatic sports, chairs and umbrellas.

JBR Beach – Awesome Beach… Ain Dubai Ferris Wheel… Dubai Marina buildings

Beaches are well kept, clean and with great signage so you know where to find the different amenities. Rental of Umbrella and Chairs is expensive, but somewhat necessary if you want to enjoy the day. I saw people bringing their own chair and umbrella so you have that option also. You cannot bring alcoholic beverages, but can buy water and soft drinks and have them at the beach.

Jumeirah Public Beach… Great view of the city on the background

My arrival to Dubai was in August where the temperature during the day is extremely hot, so you will see people go very early in the morning or in the afternoon to protect themselves from the sun. Talking with locals they tell me that in October the weather changes and it gets more comfortable, I am really waiting for that weather to get here!!!!

LA MER is a open shopping place with restaurants and retail in Jumeirah Beach

One cool thing about these beaches is that once the sun comes down, there is another dimension to the place. Many restaurants come to life, people arrive for the evening session if you will… you see a transformation with many lights from the restaurants turning on and providing a different perspective on the beaches.

The Beach – Retail offer in the JBR area… Had a great lunch in Operation Falafel restaurant

Will continue the updates from Dubai as I explore more places and their culture here in Dubai. 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….

DUBAI first impressions… Waoooo

After the long journey from Mexico to Dubai and a good rest to adapt the new time zone (9 hrs ahead of Queretaro), had an initial walk around my new surroundings just to venture a little and get a first glimpse on one of the most visited cities of the world.

UAE Flag… Tons of flags are flying around the city

Dubai is the most populous city of the Emirate of Dubai with a population of around 3.3 million. The city has seen exponential growth in the since late 90´s, and now boast some outstanding records: biggest Shopping Mall (Dubai Mall), Tallest building Burj Khalifa, deepest pool (Deep Dive Dubai) and others that we will talk in other posts.

Inside the Dubai Mall… Huge Fountain.. One of the many shows inside Shopping Malls

In addition to have many Guinness records, Dubai is home to people from more than 200 nationalities. 85% of the people are expatriates and while Arabic is the official language you see people talking in the streets many other languages including English. If you speak English, you can feel comfortable on the street as many people talk it as second language.

English Football is closely followed here, LFC store inside Dubai Mall #YNWA

The views of the city are amazing and with many constructions happening it will only get better, as you move through the city more buildings surface and the different areas of the city. I just only have ventured to a couple of places but there is a lot to see and enjoy during my time here.

Beaches are spectacular… Here Marina Beach… Where you find biggest Ferris Wheel of the world

One of the things that have impressed me is the height of the Burj Khalifa, the closer you get the more imposing it is. It seems unreal the height achieved; with 830 meters It is almost 200 meters higher than the previous record holder. Close to the Dubai Mall that also is impressive in size and shopping options (more details in another post).

Also have explore a couple of beaches around Dubai: Jumeirah Beach and Marina Beach. Both places also look great with a good amount of space to relax and enjoy a Beach day, if you can manage the August weather. I now know that August is one of the most hottest months and will improve as the year goes along ( wohoooo!!!), currently being outside id tough specially during the day, that is why you see people enjoying the city more after 6PM.

Jumeirah Beach… another great place close to the big buildings

Will continue updating from time to time as I explore more in-depth the culture and life here in Dubai. 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….

On the path to “normal” … Change of Scenery, Day 1 at Dubai

This pandemic has changed a lot the way we work, vacation, or how we do daily life. When I started writing the blog the idea was to on a monthly basis share some experiences of the many great things Mexico has to offer to the people, it changed drastically since March 2020 when COVID took the world by storm.

Trip back to Puerto Rico after more than 2 years, before I go to Dubai!!!

Vaccination is underway but still we have very low levels of vaccinated people in places where the availability is high and even lower in places where is limited supply. If we want to be back to “normal” and enjoy our life and travel, this need to be priority number one…. So, go now and get vaccinated. We already did.

Happy to get vaccinated… easy and safe… Thanks CVS

Getting back to 2021. Change has come in other forms, after close to 10 years of working for Latin America now I have taken a Global role in the company. This is a great opportunity to continue learning around new cultures and places, you cannot imagine the great people we have across the world. With the new role, a new opportunity of collaborating from a different part of the world has arrived…. Will be working on a special assignment for 6 months based out of UAE in Dubai!!!!

Very excited to not only get to work in the AMEA region, but also to get a first person view of what this great place looks. If you have seen images, it looks unreal…. Biggest building, deepest pool, longest …., etc. etc.

Great Exprience traveling in the Q-Suite from Qatar Airways

I am sharing some of the first pics since my arrival to Dubai, very impressive initial sights. Will continue sharing some insights as I settled and my assignment permits.

As you know the idea of the blog is to share a little bit of how we see Mexico, but now will be shifting to Dubai as I will live for 6 months there. I know you will still enjoy. If you just read it forward to your friends and sign in to receive our updates about how Dubai looks and can be enjoyed. Follow us on Instagram, or Facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD . Until next time….