Cultural Tour: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

If there is one thing good about living abroad, it is being able to immerse in a totally different culture. It gives you a different set of eyes thus changing your perspective in a lot of things. Until now, I still feel lonely, and quite unadjusted yet to the expat life. There are days that I long to hop on that plane, sleep for nine and half hours, and wake up in Cebu. Truth is, it hasn't been easy and I know that most (if not all) expats feel the same way. 

So to ease the whole drama I've been feeling lately, I decided to take on a cultural tour.  After some research, I decided to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque for 2 reasons: 1: it's free, 2: it's very pretty in the pictures I see on social media.

If you go there in the morning and at this time of year, you only need these: 

Sunblock for both the body and face (these are still from PI given by Carl who works in Belo, thanks C!). Camera of course (and tripod if you go alone). And Hafilat Card. Note that starting Oct 1, the buses here in AUH are not accepting coins anymore. You have to buy the Hafilat Card which is 10 dhs and load it up with credits. One bus ride within AUH is only 2 dhs.

Would you believe that I got to spend only 4 dhs on this tour? Yes, and that's all for bus fare. #Winning Anyway, the bus numbers I know that goes to the Grand Mosque are 54 and 44. You can just do your research if these buses does not pass your area. The mosque is a bit far from the city and it will take approximately an hour to get there. The bus station nearest the mosque is about 10-15 mins walk. Not bad actually considering that I've been walking a lot lately. But if you do not want to walk that long, you can go there by taxi which will cost about 40-50 dhs from the city or hire a private car. 

Also, make sure that you wear comfortable shoes because there will be more walking inside. I suggest that you wear sneakers or workout shoes for that matter so that you won't hurt your feet. I made the terrible mistake of wearing ballet flats and ended with blisters on both feet. But I did not mind really, this place was too beautiful to think about those little nuisances. 

Another thing to take note of, make sure you eat a full meal before visiting. There is only one cafe inside the mosque which is expensive and the nearest baqala is beside the bus station. 

Outside the mosque, I walked this blue pavement all the way to the entrance in a scorching 33-35 degrees Celsius. I'm almost there, no time to back out now.

As mentioned earlier, there is no entrance fee collected for going inside. This mosque receives more than a million visitors per year. And as much as a lot of people see this place as a tourist spot, let us not forget that a mosque is a temple for the Muslims. This place is sacred thus, rules should be followed to adhere to the moral codes of Islam. 

I personally think that it's kind of them to share this mosque to everyone from all over the world, it should not be too hard for us visitors to follow. 

For women, the abaya and shela are a must in entering the mosque. It's great that they let you borrow those for free. You just have to go to the basement, present an ID (not a passport or Emirates card), and you will be ready to go.

For men, if you wear pants and shirt, you can get in with no problem. For those who are wearing shorts, they also let you borrow white robes. 

Excuse me for the selfie, this wasn't in the church yet ok? This was in the basement parking lot where the changing room is located.

It is notable to mention that they have prepared umbrellas ready for use, drinking fountains in almost all corners, and wheelchairs for anyone's disposal. 

The mosque is open to the public daily (Sunday-Thursday) from 9am - 10pm. On Fridays, it's only open for worshipers since it is their day of rest.  If you want to have the full cultural experience, you can check the guided tour schedules down below. I realized that the best time to visit the mosque is in the afternoon, around 4-5pm. It's when the sun is not too hot already but still visible. This makes your photos look vibrant still and, you will be able to see the mosque at night when all the lights are turned on. I'll definitely be going back for that experience. 

I was not able to go with the tour because I arrived around 12nn so I just walked around and followed all the other tourists.

You will find a lot of these paintings on the walls of the mosque.

This reminds me of my adult coloring book I left at home. 

Here are some facts I learned about the Grand Mosque:

• 3rd largest mosque in the world (after Mecca and Madina in Saudi Arabia)
• Named after it's founder who is the 1st President of UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
• Took almost 12 years to finish with 3,500 workers helping to make this mosque a reality
• Can accommodate about 40,000 worshipers all together
• This also the final resting place of the late President who died in 2004

Do you see those holes on that tower-looking structure? Those are actually lights. I can just imagine how beautiful the place would look like at night. (I must definitely go back)

These are just some of the domes which constitute the total of 82 domes for the whole mosque.

More domes. 

The mosque is surrounded with reflective pools which intensifies the beauty of this place.

The courtyard has a total of 1,048 columns. 

After so many attempts, I kinda got it right. I should bring a tripod next time. I just put my camera on tables and chairs to have a photo like this one.

Note: Remember that this is a temple. Do not bring your inner Tyra Banks in front of the camera. No jumping shots also. Also the guards and the personnel manning the mosque are not allowed to take your photos. 

The outside of the mosque is really beautiful and picturesque but the inside is another story. Just before you get in, you have to take off your shoes.

This is in one of those areas where you remove your shoes. The shelves you see behind me is where you put it.

More facts about the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque:

• Home to the largest hand-knotted carpet
• Has one of the world's largest chandelier
• Has chandeliers gilded with 24-karat gold

The entrance to the main hall. 

This was just a part of the 5700 square meter carpet which was created for a span of 2 years with about 1,200 artisans who worked on it. This carpet is made of 70% wool, 30% cotton. 

Inside the main hall, my neck got sore from all the looking up I did. The ceiling and chandelier were intricately beautiful. I haven't seen anything like it before. 

The carpet is predominantly green in color, a favorite of the late Sheikh.

If you go hungry, there's a cafe inside the compound, it has coffee, sandwiches, soda and juices.

Just beside the cafe is a souvenir shop where you can buy trinkets of cute stuff you can bring home.

Visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was totally amazing. I couldn't think of an even better way that I could have spent my day. Whether you're an expat or a local or just a tourist, this place should be on your list. Truly commendable. The architecture, both the exterior and interior design is enthralling. It delights your senses and most importantly, it excites both intellectual and emotional admiration. Truly a masterpiece.  

Bye Beautiful, see you again soon!



xo,

jas

#OOTD for Work

#OOTD for Work by jas-baliong featuring River Island

Steffen Schraut white shirt
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River Island skirt
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Valentino leather shoes
2,990 AED - stylebop.com

Givenchy leather purse
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Tech accessory
62 AED - etsy.com

Urban decay eyeshadow
debenhams.com

Hongkong Photo Diary 2

The next set of photos hopefully will not overwhelm you and stop you from following me because I know that these photos are a looooot! I promise to be better at this next time. Anyway, just to be fair, Hongkong is one of the most instagrammable places you can ever go to. The people, the city, the architecture and the whole vibe makes you want to take out that camera/phone and shot away. So you can't really blame me for all these photos that I came up with. And just a disclaimer, I got my camera a few days before we flew to HK which was Jp's gift to me so I haven't really explored and studied the settings beforehand. Automatic setting was all we used for the shots. 

My failed attempt at an OOTD shot. I think JP was out exploring on his own when this happened so I just have to do what I need to do and came up with this (:

December is a good month to visit HK. The weather is perfect at around 17-20 degrees celsius aaaand the Christmas decors are up for everyone to see and enjoy. This was in 1881 Heritage in Tsim Sha Tsui. I learned that this whole place was a former Marine Police Headquarters Compound which was built in the late 1800s. They have absolutely turned this whole compound into a shopping and dining haven. 

One interesting thing I observed in HK was, hardly you can see people who are overweight. You know why? PEOPLE WALK. AND THEY WALK FAST. So we also did that-- we walk a lot in HK but I personally did not mind because the weather was perfect. You just really have to get yourself good walking shoes. 

Took another angle at the 1881 Heritage. It's beautiful. 

Langham Place Mall. Jp got us a hotel room in Mongkok which is considered one of the busiest and crowded places in HK. I don't mind at all because this mall was really near and the hotel provided a bus service every hour. This mall is also near the metro station so it was very convenient.

The HK skyline taken at Victoria's Harbor.

Hongkong Eye! Kidding! I forgot what this place was actually called but anything with Ferris Wheel is always a good view! (This was right across IFC Mall, hope that helps.)

Airport Express. The HK airport is far from the city but there's no need to worry because there is a special train service called Airport Express which takes you from the airport to HK Central and vice versa. It's more expensive than the normal train fare but worth it. It's very convenient and fast!

Shot from Jp's iPhone 6. Honestly I find the paper map (you can get at the airport) so helpful. I use it more often than the apps I downloaded on my phone. And let me brag that I'm not really as bad as I thought I was with directions. I figured my way in HK with that map alone. Yayyy!

1881 Heritage in the afternoon. They lit up the whole place at around 5:30 when the sun was almost setting.

One of my favorite views. Why? This depicts how I always think and feel about the vibe in HK. This was on our way to the night market in Mongkok.

Shot from Jp's iPhone 6. 1881 Heritage.

Sidewalk captures. One of the many photos Jp took while we were walking. 

Laduree in Harbour City. There are several branches of Laduree in HK but I went to this one inside the mall because it was where we were going that day. I know that as of August this year, Laduree has opened it's first branch in MNL but I intend to really buy the famous French macaron brand in HK cos August 2015 was wayyy to long to wait. And.. (I'm such a Gossip Girl fan and Laduree macarons are Blair's favorite. Although I'm more of a Serena, still Queen B's influence is something I cannot resist. Hahaha. That's really how I always wanted to buy this brand. Sorry for explaining in parenthesis, I'm weird like that.) Boy, it was expensive. Jp gasped when he learned how much I spent for a dozen. It was all had for breakfast the next day even if our hotel room offered free breakfast buffet when we upgraded. 

Another macaron place we visited was Pierre Herme still in Harbour City. When I posted in IG my box of Laduree (I mean it's so expensive, it should have it's rightful place in my IG feed right? Hahaha), Jp's cousin Des told us about this macaron place which happens to be in the same mall as Laduree. It's a little more expensive but it was rightfully so. We only bought 2 pieces since I already splurge on the other brand and Jp isn't much of a macaron fan. So yeah, this one was better but of course, this wasn't in Gossip Girl. Hahaha

Rosedale Hotel, Kowloon, Mongkok. This is my favorite nook in our hotel room. If you plan on visiting HK soon. Do check out Agoda for promos cos we got ours for a really good deal. Rosedale has good service and their rooms are surprisingly cozy. It really feels and looks like how they post their photos online. Believe me, there was a day that Jp almost did not get out of bed because he just wanted to take advantage of the room for that matter. 

Yayyy, I have arrived at the Hongkong International Airport. 

Boo, this was taken when were about to check-in for our flight going back to PI. 

Almost sunset at Victoria's Peak. 

Egg Tarts from Tai Cheong Bakery. Guys, if you plan to visit Victoria's Peak in HK, please please DO NOT EVER GO DOWN WITHOUT BUYING THIS AMAZING, ALMOST PERFECT EGG TARTS. And no, these aren't from another Gossip Girl reference. This was 6 HKD/piece and it's worth every single dollar and calorie you spend for it. Just in case, you were not able to buy it from the Peak, there are other Tai Cheong Bakeries all over the city. Yayyy!

In HK, I couldn't help but look up and marvel at skyrise buildings.  

This was the breakfast nook at Rosedale Hotel. Their buffet was so-so. I still love the breakfast buffet at Marco Polo Cebu best. 

On our 3rd day in HK, Jp and I thought it best to separate ways because there were places we already visited a day before that he wanted to go back to. Meanwhile, I just decided to spend my day at the mall going around aimlessly. So this was one of his photos. Or maybe this was one church we passed by on our way to The Peak Tram. I'm not really sure now. Wheww. (Note to self: Blog as soon as you can, do not wait for a year.) #imsorry 

My love affair with trains started in HK. I just love how trains make public transportation a breeze. This was really very early so there isn't a lot of passengers yet. But trains could really be crowded during the rush hour too.

Harbour City Foodcourt. One of the best meals I had in HK. Authentic Chinese Bowl Soup. 

If you go to HK on a budget, you can survive by buying and eating at their 7/11 stores all over the city.

HK street food is a must try. Just make sure your stomach is ready for it and does not get easily upset. Or else, just bring OTC medications. Luckily for us, we did not get sick and we line up in street food stalls which has a lot of local following.

Another OOTD attempt. Wearing H&M from top to bottom.I scored a lot of H&M pieces when we were there because they were on sale. All the pieces I got came out really cheap. Less than 200php each when converted. 

Went to the biggest Apple Store in IFC Mall. December 2014 was when the iPhone 6 and 6+ were recently launched. There was a long line of locals waiting for their units to be released. 

Hi from Jp and Jas :) 

This year, Jp and I planned to go to Tokyo for our early 4th anniversary celebration. I already bought my ticket which went on sale at Cebu Pacific but Jp has not. Unfortunately, because of my decision to come here in UAE, that Japan trip has been put aside :(( I really felt bad because I've been meaning to explore Tokyo for the longest time and that's also the reason why we did not go Disneyland in HK. We wanted to try DisneySea so bad. Hopefully, we will be able to score that Japan trip together next year. I'm really crossing my fingers for that. 

I think that it's always a good idea to go on an out of country trip with your partner. It makes you discover new things about each other. If you haven't done it yet, it's about time you plan that first out of country trip together. HK is one of those Asian destinations that's very easy to plan out. 

What was your first out of country experience?

xo,

Jas