Hot Air Ballooning - Abu Dhabi

Make it Happen!

Everyone have dreams.
Become a millionaire,… get a flat in Burj Khalifa,…write a bestseller… travel around the world, or…ride in a hot air balloon!

big canvas

Finally!
3:30AM my alarm rings noisily and my room mate is pulling my blanket calling my name, both of them trying to wake up my brain. Ah time to get ready, we will fly today via Balloon Adventures Emirates! The service van arrived exactly on time to pick us up at Carrefour open parking lot at 5:15am. IT's a long 1 hour journey to Sweihan's coooold desert site. The balloon crew is waiting for us. Rushing out the car excitedly, everyone looked where the big hot air balloon is parked. It is very cold and dark outside, our eyes needed to adjust to the dim surroundings.

Sir Pilot Peter's team filling the canvas with gas

Where is it...where is it? Aha! There are two big balloon linen clothes stretched out in the ground waiting to be pumped up.

We heard a man shouting like Hitler from a distance. We could barely see a group of people coming from another four wheel vehicle, and their leader is Hitler they came from Dubai too. Hitler wears a red coverall uniform like the rest of the crew. We learned later that he’s our pilot and boss of the crew. Hitler shouts a lot but we enjoyed listening to him most of the time! He shouts instructions to us fiercely, sometimes we are wondering if he’s just joking or is ready to hit us! His name is Peter by the way.  We liked Pilot Peter instantly!

up-up-the basket float

The red uniformed crews began to force air into the balloon via two powerful fans! We watched in wonder as Mr. Pilot/ Peter/ Hitler started to release the hot gas into the middle of the balloon. It took him around 10-15 minutes to get it up.  He fought with the wind to inflate it. Finally he yelled at us with his terrifying voice:  “ GET IN THE BASKET!!!” we fearfully run towards him in a hurry,  one by one, we clambered nervously into the small basket tied to the balloon. The basket violently swayed, really, I was scared. The crew fought to steady it.  After like forever, it started to float. And we went up and up more. I looked down when I mustered my fear. The people on the ground already looked so tiny just like small robots.
We are finally flying and floating in the middle of the dessert.

peacefully enjoying the floating view

witnessing the middle eastern sunrise in the desert

Sir pilot Peter planned to go up till 6000 feet, but fortunately the radio signals isn’t working perfectly (when it’s windy, the desert sand is disrupting the radio waves) so he decided to maintain a height of max 4000 feet only. It is already scary floating in that altitude but the view is breathtaking.

It’s so quiet up there, listening to the whispers of our fellow passengers, a few clicks of cameras, and the occasional burst of fire that Hitler-err Peter is discharging from the gas tanks to supply hot air to the balloon to keep it floating.  

mr. sun coming up the horizon

All around and below us is a magnificent view of the browny-wavy -sandy dessert.  We witnessed the beautiful red dessert sunrise from above. And we saw the shadow of Jebel Hafeet in the background.  The city of Dubai is also visible at a distance, Burj Khaleefa’s landmark tower is glistening from the sun’s reflection.  Because of the wind direction, we are moving west. While cruising, we saw down many fields and plantations too with fenced goats and camels. I and most of our fellow passengers are still afraid to remove our hands from the basket’s rope handles. Some are busy taking photos.

fields around Sweihan

We hardly noticed the time. 45 minutes was immediately spent! I don’t want to go down. It felt very pleasant and relaxing just to stay up and just float like the clouds, watching life move below you.

fields-fields-fields

We have to go down. (SIGH!) Landing position is in slightly bend knees and facing opposite the wind direction. We started to land after few attempts of Peter maneuvering the big balloon to land in a flat area. It is difficult because the wind direction keeps on changing every few minutes. We can’t risk landing over one of the fields or hitting one of the new electrical towers in that plantation area. To our horror, we hit the ground lying down, there is no warning, and Peter happily took his photo of us - horrified passengers lying down and grasping the basket for our dear life.  

more lectures from sir Pilot Peter

We went out the basket gratefully and wait for our rescuers err vehicles to find us, as we don’t have a fix landing site. After around 10 minutes, help arrived and we had refreshments of juices and water.

reserved gas tanks

peacefully spent

We left Sweihan around 8:30am and had another long drive back to Abu Dhabi. Great Adventure! 

actually i need to go to washroom but all sand and desert all around us :)

(08-Jan-10)

Abu Dhabi - Dubai Dhow Cruise

  

Seen that wooden boat sailing in corniche at night? It’s be-yu-ti-ful yes?! They decorated it with many lights like Christmas tree! Try it pal, it is a special peaceful experience. Calms the mind after a stressful work-week.

In Dubai many brightly lit wooden boats are parked at the creek docks on late afternoons. You gotta choose one of them and hop in, doesn’t really matter which one coz they are all nice and pretty!  2hour ride plus Buffet dinner costs 150 dirhams. Won’t regret it, lots of delicious food choices on the table.
While in Abu Dhabi there’s just 2 dhow boats parked backside of the old fish market. Here no need to choose coz only one’s sailing. They got 5-course dinner on board (if you love seafood like me, you’ll enjoy it!) also 2 hours ride at 225 dirhams….WHAT? Twice Dubai’s price? Yeah, what do you think? Abu Dhabi’s always bit more expensive than Dubai, right?

At Dhow cruise Dubai: most seats are occupied by tourists. You are free to select your table. (I prefer near the food stalls!) The glass windows show the other boats floating in the sea outside and the quiet blue waters of the Dubai creek. There is a phony magician at the upper deck, no problem, he is funny enough. Will entertain you for 30 minutes with his magic tricks, disappearing magic money, magic water pot, magic rope, magic stick, etc... etc…don’t forget you have to clap, clap, clap.

vs.

Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra Dhow: most customers are black and white kanduras and abayas, children more. Business towers and hotels line up the shores of corniche. The ride goes near Marina Mall until the heritage dome, U-turn beside Lulu Island then back towards Mina while eating the 5-course menu. Warning: the food amounts are huge so eat slowly and with small quantities, inorder to enjoy all the varieties. Was hungry when I’m on board so I swallowed all the food placed in front of me, as a result my stomach almost blasted, thank goodness the waitress served mint tea, helped it calm down. Wahehe!

Fresh experience, relaxing at the upper deck, you can feel the cool wind against your face, hear the soft splash of the sea waves under the boat, swaying it gently. Listen to the steady hum of the boat motors, the distant traffic of cornice road, smell the fishy waters and observe the cars, the lights moving along Mina. Nice. Nice. Then at 11pm go back to reality. Au Revoir!

UK

British Capital - London, England

When you see the city, you may feel the same way.... its like as if the city is time-frozen. Looks sad yes?

cold city

walking up the hill towards the castle

Windsor Castle, huge home of the Royal Family. Around 52,000m2... 10thousand times a sharing room basis in Abu Dhabi.

looks lonely here

Buckingham Palace

the famous kiss of Prince William and Kate happened there after their wedding - on the balcony of the Buckingham Palace for those who watched it...

London Tube- underground train transport...the cheapest, fastest, easiest way to get anywhere in London.

This is a pretty wax model of princess Diana, one of many real-life famous people replicas inside madame Tussaudes museum. I was hoping to see Jose Rizal...hehe.

The London Eye, 30-40 minutes ride in a complete revolution, you can see the whole city up there, maybe that's why its called like that, very big eye, indeed.

the biggest eye

Clock Tower, old great Big Ben is inside this beautiful structure- the bell that faithfully chimes hour by hour and every quarter of an hour.

mr. big ben is the clock

at night....London bridge over the Thames river, I think it is not falling down, it is very steady actually :)

cold freezing evening

Town of Stamford, England- here they produce good quality wool, sheep's wool no wonder...they tend many sheeps here...

great Cathedral of York Minster- tourists are not allowed to go inside, but you can go in as a christian...

The Shambles (York) - very narrow streets, we must walk here side by side hehehe, very old timber buildings almost leaning each other and looks like it might fall down anytime, feels like home...

You know Canola cooking oil? it is produced from these yellow flowers, these plants covered most of the farmlands, you can see it  anywhere in the country roads of UK.

stepping on a 1,800years old remains of Hadrian's wall...It is the name of the Emperor who built it 'to separate the romans from the barbarians' ;)

On board the Royal Yacht Britannia, 5-decks before its the Queen's ship, now Scotland's tourist ship, still on the sea but steadily parked only coz its old.

Edinburgh (Scotland) it is pronounced as e-din-bra...this is the castle housing the crown jewel of Scotland, not allowed to photograph it but i tell you it looks like our sto. Nino's crown. (William Wallace is the statue in the right).

Castles have big guns...here is one, hehehe the nozzle is pointing at the city.

Add caption

This is the HAGGIS. Our tour director and the host in our scottish dinner, said Haggis is a native animal which is difficult to catch. Well, when I tried it, it taste like our 'sisig' filipino dish made up of 'laman-loob' or internal organs of the animal, suspicious right...it is actually cooked out of sheep's heart, liver and lungs. good joke folks!

Town of Chester, famous for its black and white half wood-half stone nice buildings.

 Stratford. This is the house of William Shakespeare. very old yet tourists admire it.

Wales, west of UK. Cardiff Castle (this country has so many castles). Compared to England, and Scotland (I dont know about Ireland), the Welsh gave the warmest welcome.

City of Bath, the spring water is not allowed to touch. Ssshh... I touched it and its warm. History said in the olden times, this place was treated as holy place. Very old 30,000 roman coins was discovered here under this place...now 1more is added when I made a wish. (I wished I brought a peso).

the water is steaming

still standing

 The 3000yrs BC mysterious Stonehenge monument.

Very cold here but people still go see it....people loves mystery aye?

Another Lesson to Learn

I think I am getting crazy.

I have definite goals, definite plans, definite steps. 

I know what things to do and what things to avoid.

and then suddenly this 'familiar symptoms' started....it blocked my mind.

day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute

its squeezing my heart

Gaaasssh! stop! get out of there or else....

I will keep you locked up inside forever.

Working with Koreans

Working with koreans is fun but exhausting, boring but exciting, yet also challenging, if that confused you it's ok because honestly I am also confused.
One year has passed since I joined in this great company, and I enjoyed working here every day beginning that Wednesday afternoon of 05May2011 wherein a seriously lost looking korean man interviewed me in that cold meeting room inside the building under construction. I remember him softly saying "Please speak slowly, I cannot understand." Ahhh sorry sir! I immediately liked him. About 10minutes of interrogations, he went out and returned back with another lost looking older korean man, when he smiled his eyes disappeared and he said, "ok you need to start tomorrow." Really, I thought Wow! Koreans are quick decision makers! 

Fast forward to May 2012. The lost looking man is now my boss (and the lost looking older man was the big boss!) Actually after a year I also feel lost at work because here, you just follow orders, "call this, write this, prepare this, do this and that"...as simple as that. Maybe that is the reason why I became a little bit idle. 

All koreans in our company are very polite, or so I thought until yesterday, a new pujangni swore at me. He gave me an instruction a week ago and i failed to do it, so today he got angry up to the point of swearing: "ssshhhit!".... I was shocked. I wanted to strangle him to death upon hearing the bad word spoken at me. I thought all the koreans staff here in our beloved company are cool clever guys.
Well perhaps an occasional 'variation' can remind my heart that humans are a mix of good and bad.

At the end it is fun working in a korean company. The environment is happy. We get to eat free snacks many times. They like giving gifts! (click here) .Koreans speaks very softly, no one shouts at mistakes. When sometimes I did something wrong my bosses taught me to correct it. All are focused & intent to meet deadlines. The managers are all worthy of respect, they are all 'silently wise'.

It is exhausting because it feels like the martial law period in the Philippines during the time when Pres. Marcos dictated everything.

It is boring because before I joined here I am used to shouting at suppliers and being shouted at by project engineers everyday, that is how we solved problems. But here, every problem is worked out calmly and quickly.

It is challenging because we need to improve continuously, to finish more work faster and more efficiently. Also in the job site, it's a challenge, to know how to deal with the construction people, they're always on fire.

Okey...I feel better now. Eventually we will graduate from our companies and move on to another place so let's enjoy each unique experience, because maybe it wont be long when we'll start missing it.