Memories of the Expo

A display in Terra, the Sustainability Pavilion of Dubai Expo2020, Oct 2021

Earlier this month, the Osaka World Expo 2025 officially ended. Justin had brought up the idea of us visiting this Expo during the days of the Dubai Expo, in 2021. Alas, plans changed and we ended up not visiting Japan. Of the whole family, only my NZ-based sister Kim, visited. The next expo will return to the Middle East, to Saudi Arabia, more precisely. Hopefully, we’d be in Riyadh in 2030!

Here’re some photos of Dubai Expo2020… Miss you, my son. Hope to see you back home soon. And hope you will do well in your next exam. Love, Pops.

Here’re some of the more memorable pavilions which I’ve still not posted about in my many posts on the expo.


From the ASEAN countries… Indonesia! The ASEAN countries are one of the more visible countries when it comes to the Expo… Out of 10 countries (it’s actually 11 now, Timor Leste just joined a couple of days back), 6 had large self-built pavilions!


Next up, the Philippines… What the heck is that? All I remember of the Philippines pavilion is that it’s big (3-storeys-high if I’m not mistake), and that it featured strange art installations, like this one in the photo


From the Land of Smiles, Thailand! Smile, boys!


From Down South, Australia - What's that thing on the top supposed to be? Clouds? Australia isn't really cloudy, is it? The architect must have confused it with the UK...


Next, Europe… Switzerland, with its ginormous mirror façade and umbrellas


Slovenia, was the first pavilion we visited in the Dubai Expo 2020, because it was the nearest one to the Sustainability Entrance which we entered on our first visit in Oct 2021


Water-themed Hungary, with its bluish hue, and ball pit (one of the few, and since I’ve already featured the ball pit from the German Pavilion, I’d give the Hungarian one a miss)


The Serbian Pavilion was one of the more iconic-looking ones in Expo2020


Here’s a strange one, the Bahrain Pavilion is a metal cube with metal stakes piercing thru it from all over


The Moroccan Pavilion is a hybrid between a large pavilion and a modular (Expo-built) pavilion. It’s in the modular (small pavilion) area of the Expo, but have been so extensively modified that it bears next to no resemblance of those modular pavilions of other countries…


The centrepiece of the Kazakh Pavilion is a robotic arm which interacts with the scientist acrobat shown here


The Brazilian Pavilion’s ground floor was largely made up of a large pool, where you could wade in… In the latter months of the Expo, they would have to stop people from going into the pool due to the huge crowds


Here’s a traditional pavilion showcasing the culture of the UAE… where we’d go to, to get free Luqaimat (deep-fried Emirati dessert) and Qahwa (coffee) …if there’s no queue, that is – Sameem – Story of Our Culture Pavilion


Finally, the DP World Pavilion (the UAE corporation in charge of the ports in Dubai. They also manage a number of ports worldwide). Do you see the Christmas Tree shaped by the water-cascade?? Cool huh? This was on Christmas Day, 2021! They’re not the only ones in the Expo to feature water cascade sculptures, but I think they’re the biggest one, Dubai Expo2020, UAE, Dec 2025

That’s it for this post. It’ll be quick photo-posts until the workload eases up, ahem… (And I have loads of photos, just for circumstances like these, hehe)

A Temple in the Arabian Desert

It’s Diwali, and I have just the photos for this!! Happy Diwali, Happy Deepavali, Happy Tihar, everyone!!!

Here’s a temple in the desert of Abu Dhabi, specially for the occasion!


The BAPS Hindu Mandir (i.e. Temple), Abu Dhabi, UAE, Feb 2024


That eye-shaped thing at the bottom of the photo is a digital screen, called the Wall of Harmony. It emphasizes harmony among people of different religions… There're actually temple attendants, when you visit, who explained its significance. For its inauguration, leaders of the different faiths of the Indian diaspora in the UAE, high ranking officers of the UAE and the Indian Prime Minister himself, came together in attendance. If everybody lived like this, there’d be peace on earth… The wall is purportedly the largest 3D-printed concrete structure in the UAE


Didn’t know there was such a big temple in the UAE, huh? There you go!


The Prayer Dune… a replica of the Sharjah desert, where in 1997, the then long-time leader of the BAPS organization, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, prayed for a temple to be built in the UAE…


Look at the amount of visitors!!


You can’t actually take photos of the inside, but… just one, OK?




Just look at the level of details of the sculptures…

BAPS stands for Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (of course, I Googled it, what d’ya think?) and is the same organization which built the Akshardham Temple in New Delhi, which we visited (twice), but have no photos of, due to it not allowing any friggin phones, or cameras, to be brought in… (You have to keep it in a locker outside… what a spoilsport!) Luckily, you could bring in your phone in this temple!


Happy Diwali everybody! May the Festival of Lights bring happiness, peace and prosperity to you and your family!

There, another super-express post done!

When Summer Ends…

Some hill near the UAE-Oman border, (Google Maps calls it Jabal Al Haleefah), Fujairah, Nov 2022

Another express post coming up. (Yes, yet another. The workload keeps piling up, which is good, bcoz that’s how we survive, OK?)

It’s mid-October. But it’s still hot and hazy. When is summer gonna end?? And people say that there’s no global warming?!?? (Yeah, I’m referring to you, o great President of MAGA. A con job, eh? Doesn’t look like it from here. But I have to say, President (Trump), you did a great job cobbling together the Israel-Hamas peace plan (I don’t wanna admit it, but I’ve actually praised him twice this year, although I’m no fan of his. But he delivered the results, you can’t deny it). I really hope it’ll lead to a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinian people, and I hope it’ll bring about a truly independent Palestinian state, that is peaceful, progressive and cooperative, like the countries in the Gulf. If that happens, go ahead, take that friggin Nobel Peace Prize, you’d fully deserve it!) Oh, I spoke too soon. It actually friggin rained 2 nights ago… After, ummmm… a year? Or more? It’s just a little sprinkling, but it’s better than nothing, right?

Anyway, back to my post, the family’s eagerly waiting for it to cool down so that we could go camping again! Here’re some photos of our camping times of past years. Mountains, we’re coming! (When summer truly ends, that is).


The road to the east, (one of the roads anyway), the E102, or the Sharjah to Kalba Road, the one we used mostly to get to the hills nowadays… because it leads to our favourite campsite in the UAE, Wadi Shawka! On our way to our first overnight camp in Wadi Shawka, Dec 2021. The first of many, bcoz after trying lots of locations, this seems to be the best!


Standing around a fire, in the desert-hill, Wadi Shawka (Or is it Showkah? What the heck, it doesn’t really matter in the UAE, because they’re just transliterations of the place’s Arabic name, anyway), Ras Al Khaimah, Dec 2021… This was Justin’s only time camping in Showkah before he went to Singapore for his studies (And we, ummm… maybe close to 10 times now)


And this is from our least favourite road to the east now… the E88, or Al Dhaid to Masafi Road. E88 was the main road to the east before. Now, there’re so many roads to choose from. The last time we used the E88, it was packed with traffic. This photo was taken near the once popular (or maybe, still popular, but not for us) Friday Market, Fujairah. Just look at the dirt! Oct 2020


Another nice location to camp, where there’s close to no one around, in the Madha Exclave of Oman, Feb 2023. We found this place by accident in Oct 2020, on our first ever overnight camping excursion by ourselves. The Khor Fakkan Road (yes, another road to the east) had just opened, and we went exploring. We decided to check out Wadi Shees and the connecting road (or more like ‘track’) to Madha and Nahwa, but we went too late. Finally, after driving up and down between Nahwa and Khor Fakkan a couple of times in the dark, the missus picked a random spot in the hills, and we set up camp (in the friggin dark). It was scary, because we were the only ones around… but it came out all nice and cool (check out this earlier post) … So, why not a second visit?


That’s where we parked out car and camped. The road (i.e. track) is just below, and you’ll hear cars driving past in the night, if cars drive past that is, but they’re very rare. Madha Exclave, Oman, Feb 2023


Our first overnight camp after Justin left for Singapore, Nov 2022, at some random spot by the road near Ain Lighmour (Blossom Valley), Fujairah (It’s called Jabal Al Haleefah according to Google Maps). Somehow or other, I repeated the same stupid mistake I did in Oct 2020, (on our first trip to the Madha Enclave). This time, I headed out to the interesting-sounding ‘Blossom Valley’ in the afternoon, underestimating the time it’d take to get there (i.e. 2 friggin hours, …and I thought we could get everywhere in the eastern Emirates in an hour, plus 30 mins tops). And so, we ended up, reaching Ain Lighmour at dusk, finding out, in the dim light, that it ain’t a field of flowers, and that there’re no suitable campsites… But luckily for me, I have a missus, with a knack for good camping spots. This is the spot we finally camped in…


Good morning, everyone! How was the night? Scary? (Bcoz there was only us and us alone, but we survived!) Let’s hike up the hill!


Sunrise! And we’re all alone!! (See our car? Our tent is by the tree in front of the car). This is near the UAE-Oman border. The land in front, where the sun is, after the road and behind the hill, is Oman proper! Jabal Al Haleefah, Fujairah, UAE


And that’s Blossom Valley (Ain Lighmour, or Ayn Al Ghamur, depending on which transliteration you fancy, yes, another confusing Arabic transliteration problem), in Nov 2022, without a single flower! Only friggn DONKEYS! That’s why, it’s important to do some research before you head off, silly… (How would it have flowers, if it hadn’t rain?? But it friggin rain! Did it rain here?? Doesn’t look like it, does it?…)




Wild flowers!!! Blossom Valley in full bloom, finally, after rainfall! Ayn Al Ghamur, Fujairah, UAE, Feb 2023


That’s it for today. Signing off. On the Sharjah to Kalba Road (E102), UAE

No Longer Forbidden

The Forbidden City, Beijing, China

Shit! I’m up to my neck with work. Hadn’t had that situation for a long time.

So, here’s another express photo post coming up!

By the way, it’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, or for the less cultured people like yours truly, the Mooncake Festival, or just plain ol’ Eighth Month 15th (because it falls on the 15th day of the 8th Lunar Month in the Chinese calendar). And since it’s the middle of the lunar month, there’ll always be a big fat full moon in the night sky! (Yes, werewolves out there, rejoice!) Happy Festival everyone! May your mooncakes be tasty, and not fatten you up!

The beginning of October also happens to be the Golden Week in China, where it’s a week- long holiday to commemorate their National Day, and if Mooncake Festival falls during that time, it’ll be Golden Week+, an eight day extravaganza, where all Chinese, big and small, come out and roam the great lands of China, inundating it with crowds so large and festive, that you’ll just be swarmed by people, wherever you go… (or that’s what I learnt while planning our stopover-trip in China in July this year). Summer’s also not a recommended time to visit because it’s hot, and humid, and, you guessed it, crowded! (Because July and August also turn out to be China’s school holidays. Why, oh why, must they make the school holidays the same time everywhere???). Anyway, we went, crowd or none, (what choice do we have? Jayden’s school holidays happen to also be July and August). And so, here we are, the Forbidden City!


Forbidden City, we are in! As are so many other people, even in the rain! Yup, that’s China, in summer, for you!

I’m continuing from where I left off in my earlier Tiananmen Square post. To recap, it was raining, and I was fumbling with my phone to find the online tickets I purchased in advance for the Forbidden City (aka The Palace Museum). Errghhh, all the pesky ‘Western’ emails (i.e. Gmail, Yahoo), don’t bloody work in China!

Note: I’m repeating what I said in my earlier post, because it’s so, so, important to remember if you’re planning to visit the Forbidden City. There’s a limit of 40,000 visitors a day for the Palace Museum, tickets sell out really fast and the Museum is closed on Mondays. Online tickets open for sale 7 days before the day of your intended visit, at 8pm, Chinese time. Meaning if you plan to visit on a Sunday, the tickets would be available for sale on the preceding Sunday, at 8pm, China time. No, I didn’t hang around to check how fast they sell out. I set an alarm to remind me of the time that the tickets opened up for sale, and I bought them immediately in the first few minutes, when they opened. I checked about 2 hours later, and they’re all sold out! So, if you wanna visit, plan in advance. Oh, and like the Palace Museum, a few other attractions in Beijing, like the Summer Palace and the Temple to Heaven, are also closed (partially) on Mondays. Bear that in mind if you’re visiting Beijing as a tourist.

Nuff of that stuff. Let’s get on with the photos.


The Meridian Gate (Wǔmén 午门), from where we entered. It’s the gate you’ll come to after entering Tiananmen Gate, and it’s where you'll have to show your tickets to enter the Palace Museum/ Forbidden City. (Yup, I managed to find the tickets in my ‘frozen’ Yahoo mail… Yahoo doesn’t work in China, but the old emails are still there, thankfully!)


The Gate of Supreme Harmony (Táihémén 太和门), and the Golden Water Canal… (Wonder how I know all the names of the places? Hah! Check out this site)


So, that’s where Dragonmart (and so many Chinese-themed places) got its ideas from! Bronze lions at the Gate of Supreme Harmony… The Forbidden City seems to be composed of a series of gates, interspersed with halls… It’s like an ancient game of Doors


A nice, humid stroll along the golden water canal near the Hall of Martial Valour (Wǔyīng Diàn 武英殿). Huh? Traditional Manchu ladies? Nah, they’re just there for the photos! There’re loads of shops in Beijing renting out traditional costumes just for the visit! You could go as an Emperor or Emperess if you fancy!


Inside the Hall of Martial Valour – just paintings/ photos of long dead kings and vases


The mother of stone carving… the largest stone carving in the Forbidden City, made from one huge slab of marble, featuring nine dragons playing with pearls! What’s this thing about the dragons and the pearls anyway? Why are Chinese dragons so crazy about pearls? Behind the Hall of Preserved Harmony (Bǎohé Diàn 保和殿)


How many more gates and halls are there to go?? Not too many now, we can see the outside already… That temple-pavilion on top of the hill is Jingshan Park (Jǐngshān Gōngyuán 景山公园), the park just outside the Forbidden City (which is where we’d be headed to next!)


So, is this where they get the ideas for the flowery designs on the Mooncake from??


Let’s explore a little (besides, we need the toilet…). These cisterns, I heard, are for firefighting. They used to contain water and were the hydrants of the ancient Chinese world… But, don’t quote me, OK?


Shoukang Palace aka the Palace of Longevity & Good Health (寿康宫 Shòukāng Gōng), the palace built by the Emperor Qianlong (he’s quite a famous one, among the Qing dynasty emperors) for his mother…


Re-entering the Inner Court of the Forbidden City – the palace right ahead, is the Jiaotai Hall or, the Hall of …Celestial and Terrestrial Union, yup, not too complicated (交泰殿 Jiāotài Diàn)


The Imperial Garden… the last area, before we leave the Forbidden City… (as you can see, the rain stopped!!! Hurray!)


Bye-bye, see you in my next post – from the Forbidden City (or in Chinese, 故宫 Gùgōng i.e. Past Palace), Beijing, China, July 2025

Happy Mid-Autumn’s Festival to all those celebrating!

Durga Puja in the Emirates

This week is Durga Puja, i.e. the worship of the Goddess Durga, East India’s biggest festival.

Since I’m SUPER busy at present, I’m gonna do my usual stunt, and do a quick photo post! Here’s how Durga Puja is celebrated, in the UAE! (Didn’t know they have that, huh?) Enjoy.


Maa Durga in Ajman, the UAE, last year, Oct 2024

Durga Puja is a 10-day festival, with the last day being the grandest. The nine days preceding this big day is called Navratri, literally meaning 9 nights. It’s celebrated as Dassehra in other parts of India, and Dashain in Nepal. Its festival dates are based on the Hindu lunar calendar, but it usually coincides with the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar (i.e. from the last day of the eighth month, to the ninth day of the ninth month, which also happens to be a Chinese festival, i.e. the Double-9 Festival). The Taoist communities in South East Asia celebrate this as the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, which is a 10-day affair, much like Durga Puja. But this year, due to the Chinese year being a leap year, which adds an entire friggin month to the calendar (yup, lunisolar calendars have 13 months in a year on leap years), the Chinese & Taoist celebrations are a month later than Durga Puja. Didn’t know that, eh?

OK, enough of the boring stuff, here’re the photos.


Durga Puja celebrations in the Winners Sports Club premises, Ajman, UAE


Happy Durga Puja, Happy Dassehra, Happy Dashain! Let’s join in (this is the missus’s biggest festival)


What the heck! Might as well post this. Nope, this isn’t a temple. It’s near where we parked our car – a random villa in Ajman, near the sports ground, where the Durga Puja celebrations were held


Hey, they’re also celebrating in Sharjah! Let’s go have a look. The Goddess Durga at the Al Mubarak Centre, Sharjah, UAE, Oct 2024


And what’s Puja, without a temple visit? – Dubai Hindu Temple, Oct 2024


And a meal? Dinner at a Nepali restaurant (Ghantoot Restaurant), Bur Dubai – this was from 2023…




Let’s wrap it up with a few more temple photos! Gone are the days of the old Hindu temple in Bur Dubai. Here’s the new Dubai Hindu Temple in Jebel Ali, Dubai


Photos of the main prayer hall aren’t allowed now. It didn’t used to be. Here’s a photo of the interior from 2022. Nope, it hasn’t changed much


Family pic! Dubai Hindu Temple, Oct 2022. This was just before Justin went abroad for studies. His mommy visited to seek blessings

That’s it. Happy Durga Puja, Dassehra, Dashain, whatever you wanna call it! Have a blast!