Phuket Thailand: a great southeast Asia destination, with tons of things to enjoy

I have been lucky to visit some cool beach destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, and the USA; from mega resorts to Airbnb spending a couple of days at the beach are always welcomed. Being a native of Puerto Rico we know what good beach are: Flamenco in Culebra – Luquillo & Palomino in the east coast or Jobos and Domes beach in the northwest of Puerto Rico there are so many great beaches that we are spoiled in our beautiful island. Now going back to Thailand and specific to Phuket… what an awesome beach destination with so many things to do, here I will only will share a fraction of the things to do.

The first thing you need to know is that Phuket is the biggest Island of Thailand, is the second smallest province, close in size to Singapore. Today it looks like tourism is the biggest source of income, it is 550 miles of Bangkok with a great airport that welcomes local and international flights everyday of the year. The location close to the equator makes its climate tropical with good hot weather all year long.

Majority of the people are Buddhist (60%+), with Muslim (25%+) making the 2 biggest groups. Is very common to find Buddhist monks walking through the streets, also in the airport there is a special lounge for them. We went to a couple of places of interest where we got to learn a little of their religion and beliefs; for me this is one of the biggest plus of traveling and is learning new things and expand your knowledge by learning and experiencing close and personal the different cultures. Is so great that we have differences and that we can make positive impact from many different ways.

We had the opportunity in this short trip to visit some of the best attractions Phuket has to offer, also very good places to eat in different price range. Our stay was short just 3 nights, you will need at least a full week to explore the majority of things Phuket has to offer from my observation of all Phuket has to offer. Let me share some of the highlights of our trip.

Since Phuket is an island, definitely a tour to explore the open sea is required and enjoy some of the most awesome sights you can get at sea. We found a tour by Amazing Canoeing in trip advisor “Phang Nga Bay Sea Cave Canoeing & James Bond Island w/ Buffet Lunch by Big Boat “, great communication with them and 100% truly recommended. It was a fun and exciting day with a great bunch of people and the employees were top: special thanks to Tony the big Chief, Noon on the Cannoe, an Miss Kong for the Amazing food.

The many small Islands are impressive, just passing through them is a spectacle with their size and unique shapes. We made a couple of stops to do some canoeing and get a bit more closer to truly see their beauty, as part of the trip we were inside a cave where you see hundreds of bats. Another stop was at James Bond Island (Khao Phing Kan), here you stop at 2 small islands very close together, where you can see a lime stone rock iconic in a couple of James Bond movies. The cool story from locals is that this rock was formed when a Fisherman pissed for not getting fish dropped a nail and it become Ko Ta Pu, the place is truly awesome and very well kept from local authorities. It is a very long day, but the different activities makes it cool.

We also did a tour around the big island of Phuket to see a bit more of the cool spots and learn a little bit on the history of the place. For this tour we also looked at trip advisor and found a good one, here is the description ” Phuket Instagram Tour: The Most Famous Spots (Private & All-Inclusive)”. This one was also a very thought tour with great coordination, many thanks to Sheriff who was our tour guide for the day. Good knowledge of Phuket and great sense of humor, all adds to a superb day. There were many stops in our tour some of the most memorable were: Big Buddha overlooking the city, Chalong Temple where we learn about Buddhism, Karon View Point a place high in the mountain with an awesome views of some of the beaches, Old Town Phuket, and a local restaurant to have real local food.

This tour was more than 8 hours, but when the guide is a great storyteller time flies and this was the case for us and if you add the great sights and long history of Thailand is like going back in time and understand how this country and specifically Phuket is a place where you can find balance between nature and the people. As we are getting out of COVID, will be important that this balance continues and proper planning is done to keep the places in good condition for generations to come.

There are many beaches where you can stay, from relax to party places, is important you study before selecting the place to stay. Because of the short time we were going to be in Phuket, we decided to stay in Patong Beach; it is the most busy part of the island but the hotel we choose Four Points Sheraton was excellent to rest in the night and centrally located in Patong.

One night we decided to do some fine dining and some bar hoping at Patong Beach where you have a very long street with many bars, discos, restaurants. Food at the Baan Rim Pa was very well done, I recommend the place for a good dinner in front of the beach. Patong Brach street is a 10 minute drive in a taxi, go for some drinks is a cool and different place with huge crowds. Patong beach at night can be a bit hectic but there is order in the disorder you see. People in Phuket are focus on maintain the place safe so tourist give great review and recommendations ad get more people to visit. All the people we met were great, with a good attitude and service oriented.

The sights in Phuket are impressive, you need at least 5 or 6 days to see most of the great locations it has to offer. 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….

Changi Airport and The Jewel: A must attraction while in Singapore

Recently had a trip to Singapore and decided that before I returned to Dubai to spend a good 6 hours at the well renowned Changi Airport. This was my second trip to Singapore, during my first visit I was impressed by the airport cleanliness and open areas with floor to floor carpets (looked like a hotel not an airport) and had already read of the Jewel an entertainment complex built as part of the airport at a cost of more than $1 billion USD.

Good view to understand the size of the Jewel

Traveling for a good part of my life, I need to tell you that being in the airport is something I like. Just looking at the people and their faces of happiness when they are traveling for pleasure or all this business people trying to make business in a crowded terminal and fighting with their mobile signal is always fun. It does not matter how much travel experience you have Changi airport will leave you impressed, not only to manage the million of people that travel in a year but also into getting them to spend money the 2-3 hours they are in the airport.

Changi Airport has big open spaces, feels like you are walking in a hotel

A little bit of history on Changi Airport before I describe my experience; is one of the busiest international passenger and cargo airports in the world at it speak it managed more than 68 million passengers more than 10 times the country population. It was ranked by skytrax best airport in the world 8 years in a row until 2020. More than 100 airlines flight to Changi Airport to more than 400 destinations around the world, and due to the strategic location is the flagship cargo hub for Fedex in asia.

View from the Emirates Lounge, with view to one of the 3 runaways, the lounge has same quality as being in DXB

The airport has 4 terminals, plus the Jewel complex also three runaways to serve the hundreds of daily flights. I was reading the y are building a 5th terminal to be operational by 2030 and serve the future demand (expect to double the traffic). But what really distinguished Changi to other airports are all the features and services it offers: 100+ stores and shopping malls, 10 garden areas for you to relax, own Singapore tours service if you have more than 5 hours layover, Singapore metro connects directly to the airport and the full entertainment complex called the Jewel.

More than 300 stores for you to buy from sportwear to your favorite coffee from anywhere in the world

Once you arrive to the airport you go directly into the terminal, since they have so many connecting flights you don’t need to do immigration quickly. You can walk, stretch, eat, have a drink before going to Immigration and outside the terminal. Both times I have gone it has been an easy procedure. After you are out you can use multiple transit method to get to your final destination. Check in for sure departure flight is also very easy and if you fly in airlines like Emirates you can do early check in (more than 3 hours), so you can enjoy what Changi airport has to offer. On our flight back we did check-in 6 hrs before the flight and set to enjoy all the entertainment options the airport offer.

If you have small children, they will not be bored… Also there is entertainment for adults like playing soccer in a trampoline

If you have only have a couple of hours you need to go straight to the Jewel and explore all the green areas and the huge waterfall that will hypnotize you. In its first 6 months receive 50 million visitors or 300 thousand people per day. Designed to maintain the status of a major hub aviation in Asia, opened in October 2019. Some of the attractions that you will enjoy are: Shiseido Forrest valley one of Asia biggest indoor garden, The Rain Vortex (currently the world’s largest and tallest indoor waterfall), Canopy park with adult and kids attractions a top the Jewel, Changi Experience Studio an interactive display of Changi Airport.

The photos don’t make justice of how impressive is Changi airport but give you some idea on what to expect, if you go to my Instagram (Boricuaslivingabroad) account you will find some videos that bring a different perspective or visit http://www.jewelchangiairport.com to get detailed information of activities. 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….

Let’s finish the list on 10 things you could do in Dubai, while coming to Qatar World Cup – Part 2

Will take the opportunity to finish the list of things you could do here in Dubai, making the most of your time in the Middle East for the world cup in Qatar. Many of the big Airlines have announce the use of Al Maktoum International (DWC) airport to serve as a bridge between the 2 countries during the soccer event. Dubai is just 1 hour flight from Doha so definitely doing a couple of days here can be a great addition to what will be the biggest sport event of the year.

6) Explore the Dubai Mall and see the city atop the Burj Khalifa

In Dubai breaking records is a common thing, is not strange to find the second biggest shopping mall and tallest building in the world next to each other. They are both located in downtown Dubai, thousand of people go there daily to shop, dine and entertain. It is crazy to see hundred of people walking in bunches from the metro station to the Dubai Mall entrance, just the walk is 1 mile long.

Impressive view of the Burj from the outside

Once you are inside the mall, there is plenty to do… Some of the attractions are full hockey court, 22 movie cinema, Fountain show (Las Vegas Style), 150 million old Dino Fossil, VR Park, 1,000+ stores, more than 100 restaurants (Fine dinning, Casual dinning, Fast Food, Cafes). You need to plan ahead just to not get lost!!!

Dino is here to salute you… 150 million years old

From the Dubai Mall you can directly to the Burj Khalifa entrance where you can take an elevator and go up to different floors and admire Dubai from the altitude. In the lobby you will find interesting information on the development of the building and all the great technology it has. It is an impressive building from the inside but for me is more spectacular admiring it from different places of Dubai, you can see the building from many miles in the distance

Night View of the Burj Khalifa, being part of the Fountain show

7) Visit Dubai Marina and have a good time in one of the many restaurants

30 minutes by car from the Dubai airport you will find Dubai Marina an artificial canal city that opened in 2003 and now makes home for more than 50K people. Getting to Marina is very easy, you could take the metro and get down in the Dubai Marina Metro station, from there you can walk to many places or take the tram that will make it more accessible to move toward the outer parts of marina.

You can find great places to eat and have fun, during day or night… check for daily brunches and happy hours to benefit of good specials in food and drinks. There are places with great views of the Marina and JBR, some of the places I like are Pier 7 (7 restaurants under one roof), Bliss Lounge (great view to the Dubai Eye), Chalco’s Cantina at Marina Gate (Great Mexican food and Corona Beer, you will find me here during the World Cup). Very close from here is Dubai Harbor one of the places that will have FIFA fan zones to enjoy the games.

8) Jump into a Water Taxi and admire Dubai Skyline from the sea

In Dubai you will see a huge number of exotic car on the streets, you can even rent a Ferrari for 60 minutes and take it out for a spin; there is also many public transportation alternatives and one of them is a water Taxi service where you can move to key locations around Dubai. It is a great way to see a little bit of the city from the see with great skyline views of Dubai.

Enjoy a different view of the Dubai Skyline

Some of the locations you can go and start a trip are: Dubai Marina, Dubai Creek, Al Ghubaiba (Old Dubai). Depending the distance you will pay between $6USD to $20USD, taking the longest route will bring you some great views of different landscapes of the city. For sure is a great activity for all people, and you can combine it with other transportation methods to cover all the city.

This one takes you from one end to another end of the Dubai Marina

9) Visit Expo 2020 site and watch a game in this FIFA fan zone

In October 2021 with a delay of 1 year the Dubai World Expo 2020 opened, for this even that run until March 2022 Dubai created a city from zero a place where more than 180 countries got together to share the best they have to offer from innovations, culinary arts, folklore, business opportunities. It was an event that brought more than 20 million visitors in 6 months, and now the Dubai Expo site is being prepared to become a center for entrepreneurs to develop ideas and foster innovations that will impact the world.

In October they are reopening some of the country pavilions and activities that where part of the Expo, and during the world cup the central plaza will be converted into a FIFA fan zone where you can go and enjoy football with for sure thousand of people of different nationalities. It will be clearly a place to go during the world cup and after it, since it is reopening as Expo City Dubai.

Good Parks at expo, you will find some big screens

10) Make a short trip to other Emirates, they are all very close

If you want to explore beyond Dubai there are other great Emirates and activities to do a couple of hours from downtown. Here are a couple of ideas if you want to adventure: Go to Abu Dhabi just a 40 minute drive and do a day tour to see this Emirate and enjoy Ferrari World, WB Park or try some car racing in the Yas Marina Circuit. I will be doing a full post on Abu Dhabi so I can share detailed information on the richest Emirate of the UAE. The second idea is go and do the longest Zipline in the world at Jebel Jais in the Ras Al-Khaimah Emirate is around 2 hour drive, you will not be disappointed with this adventure.

There are many other things to do in Dubai but this 10 that I just shared are definitely must do if you have the time, the World Cup in Qatar is near and Dubai will be a great destination to enjoy the event. 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….

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….

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….

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….