Tag Archives: tourist

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Chattrisse does London, England!

You know that feeling when you’ve woken up before 6am because your body is still five hours ahead, so you decide to make yourself useful and write a blog post?

Yeah.

So! I’ve just returned from my first ever trip to London (England), which is somewhere I’ve always wanted to go, particularly because my mom grew up in London (Ontario). It was a short visit, with lots of goodies packed in =)

First up, we got on the tube and paid a visit to Buckingham Palace (regrettably, the Queen was not in), and saw Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street (shopping stop #1).

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We snuck in Shopping Trip #2 the next day … and then the famous English rain made our visit to the London Eye, which was one of my must-sees, somewhat less enjoyable than it could have been, but here are a couple of photos to prove I was there, lol!

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My first English high tea was another favourite memory from the trip … I really should have asked them for their scones recipe. So good!

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Now, since it was London jump-up time, we also went to a couple of fetes, and to Panorama, and to Notting Hill Carnival. Not a whole lot of pics taken by me, but enough so that you get the idea …

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Usually you get to sleep in the morning after jumping up, right? … Yeah, no. Because our overriding reason for this trip was to attend a wedding at Addington Palace, at 11am the morning after Carnival! (Here’s a tip: if you wear a fascinator, it will distract people from how tired your eyes look. #carnivallifehack)

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In the midst of all these activities were a couple of jogs, a couple of church services, geeking out as I stood in front of the theatre where Hamilton is playing in London, and several head-scratching moments at train stations. And the very next morning, I was back at the airport where I squeezed in Shopping Trip #3 before flying home.

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Whew! Hectic, tiring, and so very very worth it. London has definitely left me wanting more, and I’m looking forward to my return trip! Til next time …

xo

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10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE I GO HOME

I came to Dubai at the end of November 2013 …

… and so far I’ve done a lot!  And I know that some of my still-undones, like souvenir shopping, will be done soon.  There are actually way more than 10, but for this week’s TOP TEN TUESDAY here are some of the fun things that I reallllly want to cross off my list — let’s see how many I can do in the next 8 1/2 weeks!

 

1. FLYING HIGH  My first time fly boarding I made it to about 20 feet in the air; when my friend and I visited the Burj Khalifa’s observation deck we were 124 stories up.

skydivedubaiI’m always looking for a new way to get high (haha!), so I just might go sky diving, or do a seaplane tour, or coast over the sand dunes in a hot air balloon.

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2. FINDING NEMO  I love anything to do with water, and pretty exotic fish are right up my alley.  You can see the huge Dubai Mall aquarium from the outside for free, but I would pay the 70 or 80 dirhams to go inside for a better look …

diverHey,  how cool would it be to put on the mask and flippers and go diving in it??

 

3. VROOM VROOM  I’m not even a big fan of cars, or most roller coasters!  But I hear the Ferrari World theme park in Abu Dhabi is a must-see.  A must-do.  Whatever.

ferrariworldThis would have to be during the last few days of my stay, when our gigs are done and I don’t mind running the risk of losing my voice from screaming.

 

4. LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION  Since November I’ve had this idea to do a bird-themed photoshoot or video shoot in front of a cliff at the resort entrance, and/or a fish/mermaid-themed one on some rocks at the water’s edge (though the chances of security ruining this are fairly good).

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That cliff … and those rocks …

The pics above are from my intro and outro shoot for 60 Days in Paradise, and I’d love to revisit the locations with a good photog for some concept shots.  Fingers crossed …

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5. WINTER IN THE SUMMER  Obviously I left winter behind me on purpose this year … however, not many malls have skating rinks in them (the Dubai Mall does), and a ski hill inside of a mall (Mall of the Emirates) is pretty unique …

ski-dubai-1Plus, when the temps get to 40 degrees I’ll probably be begging to do something wintry!

 

6. BEACH BBQ, BEACH PICNIC or DESERT SAFARI  Although I’ve been to a desert barbecue before (Abu Dhabi, 2008), I’d love to go out into the wilderness again for some good food with cool people.  The desert safari is a package deal, very popular with tourists, which usually includes a meal, henna for the ladies, belly dancing, a camel ride, and dune bashing.  Or there’s the option to just hang out with some friends around a bonfire.

Me and my Mama! This was my first beach bbq

Me and my Mama! This was my first beach BBQ

Either one works for me!

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7. TAILOR MADE  Oooh I’m excited for this!

Lipsy.045After next payday, I’m meeting up with Iqbal from City Land Tailors — this shop came highly recommended in a blog I found — to see about having alterations done on a shirt I already own, plus having one or two dresses (and maybe another blouse) made from scratch based on designs that I’m going to bring in and tweak.  Will they look as good and fit as well as they do in my dreams?  The suspense!!!

 

8. MERRILY MERRILY MERRILY MERRILY …  I’ve spent lots of time in/near water on this trip (hey, I’m a Pisces after all) but I’ve only set foot on a boat once in all these months, and that’s unacceptable!  So I’m keen to go yachting, or do one of the dinner cruises on a dhow (pictured) on the Dubai creek.

dhowOr it might be fun to charter a water taxi into the city, instead of going by cab or metro or car like most people do.  =)

 

9. A LATE-NIGHT SWIM  This sounds easier to accomplish than it is!  If I’m found in one of the pools past 7 or whenever they close, I’ll get chased away and maybe reprimanded by management (which is not something you want when your employer owns your work visa).  If I go into the sea instead, it’ll be hard to get good pictures and I’ll be somewhat terrified, since I found jellyfish washing up on the beach recently.  If I do neither, I’ll be forever unsatisfied.

... but where are its tentacles?

… but where are its tentacles?

So stay tuned.

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10. OFF STAGE  Hey, remember the time I saw someone perform in Dubai other than one of my coworkers?  Nope, me either.  So it would be nice to!

concertThis is also harder than it sounds.  Weekends here are Friday-Saturday, and I get one night off per week, which was first a Sunday and then a Monday and is now Tuesday.  So far I’ve missed out on performances by Cirque du Soleil, Jennifer Lopez and Carlos Santana, and I’ll miss Lionel Richie on April 17th, as well as Justin Timberlake in Abu Dhabi on May 23rd.  But there’s gotta be some fun show I can catch, other than our own!

Let’s be honest, I’ve already had an incredible experience full of incredible experiences out here … from fly boarding and bargain hunting and meeting famous athletes to singing on a beach and hanging out with peacocks and making new friends from all over the world … so it won’t ruin my mood if any of these 10 things don’t get accomplished before I leave.  Besides, there’s always another trip ;-)

For up-to-the-minute pic and vid updates, follow me on Instagram!  @chattrisse =)