Why Did I Visit Dubai Miracle Garden for the Fifth Time?

I think it was my 5th time to visit Dubai miracle Garden. If not for my friends who came over for short a visit in Dubai and they needed a personal driver (...hehe) to drive them around Dubai, I would have not set foot at Dubai Miracle Garden.

DMG is located in the outskirts of Dubai close to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Rd (previously Emirates Road) and opposite Dubai Autodrome and Arabian Ranches.

DMG is a flower garden with landscaping in different shapes and sizes. It is open on cooler months only because the flowers will not survive the very hot weather during summer time.

We arrived at DMG around 10 am in the morning. There were already a lot cars and tourist buses in the area but we were lucky to find an empty parking slot. We bought entrance tickets at the gate which costs 30 dirhams each.

There were a lot of people in the garden taking photos. The view of the garden never fails to amaze. Everytime I visit DMG I will feel a sense of peace and the myriad of colors seemed to be calm me inside. 

There were also marshals around the garden directing traffic and giving warnings to visitors who might unknowingly destroy the landscape.

I was curious about how the plants were watered and maintained. I went to investigate and I found out that there were endless black  pipes running all over the garden with small holes where water come out.

According to my research later, this is what they call Dipping Irrigation System. This way, water wastage is minimized. 

After taking few photos we went to a huge elevated plaza at the center of the garden. We ordered hot coffee and doughnut from a small cafeteria while enjoying the panoramic of the garden.

After a few minutes we decided to leave the garden to go to Dubai Butterfly Garden which was just 5 minutes walk from DMG.

Click here to read the my post about Dubai Butterfly Garden.

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How to get there by RTA Bus:
RTA Bus Route 105
Fare 5 aed
Sunday to Thursday : 2pm to 8 pm
Fridays and Saturdays : 12 Midday to 10 pm
20 min interval from Sunday to Thursday and 15 min on Fridays and Saturdays

Nearby Attractions:
Global Village
Dubai Butterfly Garden

Timings:
9am - 9pm weekdays
9am - 11pm weekends
30 aed fee
disabled is free
3 yrs old below is free

www.dubaimiraclegarden.com
tel: 00971 4 4228902

Souq Al Jubail: The World Class Market

Souq Al Jubail in Sharjah opened in November 2015 but I got the chance to visit last weekend.

It was constructed on a reclaimed land just behind the area where the old fishmarket used to be located. The old fishmarket was demolished to give way to the entrance to the new fish market.

There was a huge free parking area in front of the building. If you are familiar how the Arabic designs looks like, you could imagine that Souq Al Jubail is a government building and not a Fish and Vegetable market. 

So the government of Sharjah move the Fish, Meat and Vegetable market to this new location under one roof.

The entrance is located at the center with a Souq Al Jubail written to the left and the Arabic translation to the right.

To the right of the entrance was the Meat section and Fish section. I went first to the Fish section and I was surprised by the cleanliness of the area. The Fish section was divided into four rows but currently only two rows were occupied. The floor was dry and the fishy smell is very minimal. There were a wide varieties of  fish and shrimps for sale. 

Each stall was properly numbered manned by one or two vendors at a time.

The vendors were very friendly. I bought from one of the stalls and I was given a barcode after they weigh my fish. I went to a separate counter to pay the fish. The cashier gave me a receipt and return to collect the fish. That was easy and very organized!

If you wish to have your fish cleaned, you will find the cleaning section at the end of the hall. There were two counters. First they will weigh your fish and they will give you a queue number.  

world class fish cleaning facilities

You can check monitor your fish cleaning status from 2 LCD screens. Ample chairs were placed in the waiting area. 

Next we went to the meat section. I was not buying at that time but I went inside just to see. The vendors knew that I was a "kabayan". So they were calling me "kabayan". "You want bulalo?", one vendor asked me.  "You want tuwalya?", the other one said. 

Reception Area

In the middle of the building you will find the reception area and information counter behind it. There were two escalators leading to the second floor of the building.

Opposite the Fish and Meat section you will find the vegetables and fruit section. It was bigger than the fish and meat section combines as it occupied the whole left wing of the building. 

There were several empty rows but the middle rows were occupied to the end. The display counters were aluminum and they have chillers for fresh vegetables and fruits. 

I paid reasonable price for my fresh supplies and groceries considering that the vendors moved to the brand new and air conditioned building. They must be paying quiet a higher rent compared to the previous location just opposite the road.  

You can borrow also a shopping cart from one of the sections near the reception counter.  

I noticed though that chicken supplies are not yet available in the market. 

On the way out, I bumped into a group of tourists from India. I imagine Souq Al Jubail will not just be an ordinary market but will become a must tourist destination for people visiting Sharjah. 

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Opening time: 7:30 am - 10:30 pm daily
Getting there:
from Dubai: all buses from Dubai going to Sharjah stops at Jubail Bus Station.
                     Souq Al Jubail is just opposite the Jubail Bus Station

Within Sharjah:  take Sharjah taxi or take a bus going to Jubail Bus Station.

Nearby Attractions:
Central Gold Souq
Animal Market

I love OPM: The New ABS CBN Reality Show

I love OPM is a new show on ABS CBN/TFC network that premiered today. The singing reality show will compete foreigners against each other using a Filipino songs or Original Filipino Music.

The show hosts are Ann Curtis and comedian Eric Nicolas.

The judges are Concert King Martin Nievera, Lani Misalucha and Toni Gonzaga.  

The first to get on stage was Jeena Dimaandal from US. Next was Ryan Gallagher another contestant from US. The third contestant was Soo Jin Lee from South korea who sang the song Chinito. The last contestant was Harris Dio Smith. A Pakistani guy who lives in Dubai who sang the song Beep Beep.

At the end of the show Jeena, Ryan and Harris were voted to stay to go to the next round.

While there are more contestants who have yet to perform, my personal favorite is Harris not because he is from Dubai. But because he sang very well and got the audience rocking and got three "Approved" votes from the three judges.

Rock in Roll Haris!!