Dubai Sound & Light Show

Had three weeks of house guests and what a fabulous time! Complete mayhem, meals to be organised, sight seeing to be done, getting everyone to get ready on time, rushing back to collect son from school - its been a mad, mad three weeks but oh what wonderful weeks!

I think I actually saw Dubai with different eyes, cos this was "my city" that I was showing around! In course of digging around, trying to find what they could do other than shop and eat lavish brunches, discovered the Dubai Sound and Light Show.

Held at Wafi Mall, every evening at 7.30 p.m., 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m., the setting is beautiful and the weather now perfect for it!

Held on the walls of the Pyramids, just opposite the Arabian Souk - Khan Murjan - at Wafi, there is no formal seating, so you just lounge on the steps or sit on the edging. We of course landed up at 6.30, ending up at Wafi without getting lost (yours truly was driving) and there was not a soul in sight till about 7.15 p.m. I was beginning to feel a tad foolish, having dragged my visitors all the way for nothing!

To kill time, we did go down to the Arabian Souk, which is essentially a beautifully constructed, decorated souk (its visually really impressive) selling a lot of overpriced kitch, and to the restaurant in the atrium. Its open air, and serves traditional Levant food. The falafel, humous and the bread was fresh and the atmosphere nice.

Finally around 7.20-25 the crowds started to collect, and around 7.40 p.m. or so the lights were switched off. The 7.30 and 9.30 p.m. shows are called "Wafi goes Wild" and is essentially a wild life sound & light show - the visuals are fabulous and the sound great and its an interesting 10 minutes.

Its hugely different from the Sound & Light shows in Cairo and New Delhi where the show essentially is historical and uses the natural backdrop of the Pyramids (Cairo) and the Red Fort (Delhi) to recreate their history. These shows are mesmerising cos they transport you back in history and make it come alive for you. So don't go to the Dubai Sound & light show expecting the same!

However, this is different and impressive in its own way, and, I think the whole experience of sitting out in the open, with the impressive Egyptian structure in front of you, the great visuals and the impressive sound, all add to a lovely experience.

At 8.30 p.m is the Pharaohs show, which is something I definitely want to watch - it should be even more fascinating, given that its ancient Egyptian history projected onto a pharaonic structure. A def must do! The clip looks really interesting!

http://www.wafi.com/page.aspx?id=4562

The Dubai Light and Sound Show festive theme - Four shows every evening.

Show timings : 6.30PM | 7.30PM | 8.30PM | 9.30PM

Cars & UAE National Day!

There's been a lot of hoopla about the 40th National UAE day as there should be! However, since I had family visiting, one missed a lot of the events / things happening specifically for UAE's 40th birthday, cos I was busy ensuring that they do all the touristy things there are to do!

In the midst of this, it was by pure accident that I got to witness, first hand, how Emiratis esp the royalty express their happiness for the National day.

Had taken my folks to see the singing fountain at Dubai Mall, and I found myself struggling to get past the Mall entrance at Fashion Avenue after dropping them at the steps leading down to the fountain. After a 15 minute wait, I finally handed the keys to a valet and stepped out to see what has caused the jam.

Lining the entrance of Dubai Mall were 5 gorgeous, gorgeous cars, all painted the colours of the UAE flag and bearing Abu Dhabi number plates - A Bugati, a Ferari, a Bently, a Land Rover and I can't remember the 5th. All top of the line, mean looking machines dressed in green, red, white and black.

We are a family of car freaks, so we stopped to have a closer look, and, got the shock of our life as the cars suddenly started reving up in a synchronised symphony!

Well, all the cars were, save for the Bugati that led the pack. On enquiry, the helpful guard informed us that the cars all belonged to Sheikh Mo's elder son, who, supposedly was inside the Mall! Though why would Sheikh Mo's son own cars with Abu Dhabi number plates instead of Dubai ones, quite escapes me! The Bugati, the guard very enthusiactically offered, was being driven by the man himself, and no one would touch HIS car while he was away!

While we were waiting for the overworked valet to park and return the keys, I stood around while my son went gaga over the cars!

Since the valet was back, we started walking away towards the fountain, when there was a sudden hush and I vaguley remember my son telling me that he thought the cars were leaving cos the crowd began to edge away from the cars, and then as suddenly as there had been a hush, the cars started their symphony again, well this time more like cacophony :-(

Clearly the heir to the throne, if indeed it was him, had decided to leave the Mall. But for my young 10 year old, and, if I am a wee bit honest, for me as well, those gorgeous cars painted in UAE colours, made the national day seem a little more real than an extended weekend!