With the new year just at the threshold, I was recollecting about all the good things that happened to me this year and one of the best things amongst them was relocating back to Dubai. You can't be unhappy when you are in Dubai. Rightly said...I love this city for everything it has to offer. Ask me to name one thing and I will not be able to do so since I love this city for its infrastructure, its skyline, for its architectural marvels, sandy beaches, the cultural diversity and so much more. There are 100s of destinations waiting to be explored and while I am here I hope to make the most of it.
With the winter holidays ushering, I was looking forward to outings with my family. We had a couple of destinations on our list which were a must visit this season and one of them was the Global Village. Located at around 20.0 km from the Mall of Emirates in Dubai, this theme park is the most sought after family destination and this year it completes 20 years of its existence.
It was a cloudy afternoon and also the Christmas day, so we decided to start early knowing that it will be a crowded affair. But, as usual, we had umpteen 'last minute things' to do and we started at 4:30 pm. Fortunately, the roads were clear and it took us barely 30.0 minutes to reach the destination. We parked our car and started walking towards the entrance. There were cycle rickshaws (just like the ones we have in India) in the car parking area and they were charging a fair of 10.0 Dirhams per person for the ride up to the entrance gate that was farther away. It was a 6.0-minute long walk from the car park to the cultural entrance gate and we decided to walk down the way. There was another Gate - 'The Gate of the World', which was farther away and not at a walkable distance from the parking lot.
With the winter holidays ushering, I was looking forward to outings with my family. We had a couple of destinations on our list which were a must visit this season and one of them was the Global Village. Located at around 20.0 km from the Mall of Emirates in Dubai, this theme park is the most sought after family destination and this year it completes 20 years of its existence.
It was a cloudy afternoon and also the Christmas day, so we decided to start early knowing that it will be a crowded affair. But, as usual, we had umpteen 'last minute things' to do and we started at 4:30 pm. Fortunately, the roads were clear and it took us barely 30.0 minutes to reach the destination. We parked our car and started walking towards the entrance. There were cycle rickshaws (just like the ones we have in India) in the car parking area and they were charging a fair of 10.0 Dirhams per person for the ride up to the entrance gate that was farther away. It was a 6.0-minute long walk from the car park to the cultural entrance gate and we decided to walk down the way. There was another Gate - 'The Gate of the World', which was farther away and not at a walkable distance from the parking lot.
 |
| Left Inset: The cycle rickshaw, Middle Inset: A wooden statue, Right Inset: The Global Village as we approach it walking |
 |
| The cultural gate to the Global Village As we reached the Cultural Gate, we purchased our tickets (price per person is 15.0 AED) and proceeded straight away to explore the theme park. It was a crowded day with thousands of people already swarming in from all directions. We took a map from the help counter and decided to follow it. Clearly, the theme park was divided into exhibition pavilions with retail stalls and a fantasy island with rides and games interspersed with food stalls and kiosks. This year there were about 32 pavilions with around 75 countries being represented. Looking at the layout of the theme park, we realized it wouldn't be possible to cover the entire area but we decided to visit as many pavilions as we could. We started with a leisurely walk for we were in no hurry to tire ourselves, and were greeted by the camels and the falcon in the heritage area where the local life of the Arabs was being portrayed. Thereafter, the first pavilion on our way was the Africa pavilion with stalls that were loaded with colorful bags, musical instruments, wooden masks and toys, jewelry and trinkets and a hoard of other items. We enjoyed seeing the colorful exhibits and items on sale. Then it was time to enjoy some hot cup of tea and roasted corn cobs. There were small food kiosks at regular intervals and you just won't feel a dearth of food once you are in there. |
 |
| The Africa Pavilion |
 |
| The colorful display of wooden items in Africa Pavilion |
One by one, we explored the pavilions, browsing the stalls and the items on display. We took a short break on the green lawns and gulped in the view around us. On the other side, the Giant Ferris Wheel named as the 'Wheel of the World' was visible from far across and its dazzling lights attracted many visitors; at least, it did so in the case of my daughter. She ran out of patience soon and wanted to visit the fantasy land that had several rides and games. Once there, my daughter was confused as to which ride or games she should select and so were we. We decided to go for the family ride and purchased tickets for the 'Wheel of the World'. Though it was a pricey affair, it was a memorable ride indeed for we enjoyed the view of the entire Global village and the sandy surroundings from the top. The rides looked like small toys from the top and the entire park looked like a tiny city with the whole world encompassed in it.
 |
| The 'Wheel of the World' - The dazzling lights of the Ferris Wheel |
 |
| The view of the Global Village from the Ferris Wheel |
Having taken the ride, it was enough for my daughter and now she wanted a balloon. Recollecting that earlier in the year at the time of Muscat Festival, we had refused to buy a balloon for her due to the ridiculously high price quoted by the balloon man, we didn't want to let her down this time. Also, there was no way we could bargain with the balloon man since everybody was ready to pay the asked price. Finally, satisfied with the balloon in hand, my daughter was ready to go around the entire park. The entire village comes alive with a lot of fun packed activities for families as well as youngsters, from live concerts, stunt shows, face painting, caricatures, tattoos, and more.
The park was so crowded that after a while all we could see were countless heads and the head count was getting larger as time passed. We thought we should quit and head back home but then we spotted the India pavilion located across the bridge. The entrance was marked with beautiful peacocks and grand elephants. Inside, there were many stalls well stocked with Indian antiques, pashmina shawls, carpets, jewelry items, handbags, clothes and more from different states of India. The temperature was going down as we wandered around, watched a Bollywood dance performance by some dance group and then relaxed a bit with hot tea and popcorns. I'm sure most of you would agree that nothing is better on winter nights than a hot cup of 'kadak chai'. Perhaps, the only one doing good business that night, apart from the balloon seller, was the chai-wala!
The park was so crowded that after a while all we could see were countless heads and the head count was getting larger as time passed. We thought we should quit and head back home but then we spotted the India pavilion located across the bridge. The entrance was marked with beautiful peacocks and grand elephants. Inside, there were many stalls well stocked with Indian antiques, pashmina shawls, carpets, jewelry items, handbags, clothes and more from different states of India. The temperature was going down as we wandered around, watched a Bollywood dance performance by some dance group and then relaxed a bit with hot tea and popcorns. I'm sure most of you would agree that nothing is better on winter nights than a hot cup of 'kadak chai'. Perhaps, the only one doing good business that night, apart from the balloon seller, was the chai-wala!
 |
| The India Pavilion as seen from across the bridge |
 |
| The antiques, jewelry, wall clocks and more at display in the Indian Pavilion |
It was time for the firework display and people had already taken the best positions possible to view the fireworks. We didn't have much time though and settled on the bridge which offered a good view of the pavilions on both the sides. Finally at 9:00 pm sharp, the fireworks began and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Thereafter, we took a round of some other pavilions and finally headed back home.
 |
| The Fireworks as seen from the bridge |
It was an evening to remember. We couldn't cover all the 32 pavilions but all those that we explored successfully, we found something unique and memorable. Those of you who are in Dubai and haven't yet visited it, do go out and explore the village. It would be like cruising around the entire world in a few hours, without a passport or a visa!
