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My Sharjah Experience: Al Noor Island, Rain Room, Mleiha, Sharjah Light Festival

My Sharjah Experience: Al Noor Island, Rain Room, Mleiha, Sharjah Light Festival

My Sharjah Experience: Al Noor Island, Rain Room, Mleiha, Sharjah Light Festival

Hey guys,

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I was in Sharjah in February for 5 days for the 9th Annual Sharjah Light Festival.

We covered so many places in 5 days and also 3 evenings were dedicated to the Sharjah Light Festival where different city landmarks were lit up with the light shows created by an array of international artists. And the Grand Finale was amazing, the fireworks were spectacular.

Sharjah is UAE’s cultural capital and rightly so with some of the best museums and art galleries in the country.

Let me start with my day by day experience..

Day 1:

We checked in to the Sharjah Sheraton Beach Resort, and after resting for a while and catching a bit of sleep, we headed to Mleiha. First we were given a guided tour of the Mleiha Archaelogical Centre and Indoor Museum. We learned some interesting facts about how people formed a society, how migrants from Africa came to Gulf through Mleiha and saw some preserved tools and weapons used by people in those days.

We then did buggy bashing and dune bashing which was a lot of fun, and stopped for a few pictures in the middle. Finally we headed to the last destination for the day, Mleiha Overnight Camps where we had barbeque dinner, did some star gazing (saw a piece of meteorite as old as the Earth!) and slept in tents. I have never done camping, that too in a desert, so it was kind of an interesting experience and I did enjoy it.

Day 2:

We had breakfast at the Mleiha camps and saw the most beautiful sunrise at 5.52 am. I have not seen many sunrises in my life as I am not a morning person, and this was the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen!

Later we came back to the hotel and after freshening up, we left for Rain Room. Rain Room was one of my favourite experiences in Sharjah. You walk through continuous downpour of rain, without getting wet! Yes! How you ask? There are sensors which detect your presence and the water stops pouring in that area. But you have to walk slow and alone, keeping distance from others, for the sensors to work.

Post the amazing Rain Room experience, we went to Souq Al Arsah in the Heart of Sharjah where we met Fatima and her colleague. They served us Gahwa (Arabic Coffee) which is their welcome drink and dates. Gahwa doesn’t have sugar and hence they drink it with a date, so it balances the bitterness from the coffee. They also explained and taught a bit about the culture and hospitality, how a glass is shaken if you don’t need more gahwa and how they eat dates in odd numbers always (it is said to balance the insulin in the body). We then headed to the Sharjah Heritage Museum which was also a part of Heart of Sharjah.

For lunch, we went to Al Bait which is Sharjah’s first luxury resort and is a part of the Leading Hotels of the World. Al Bait is a part of Emirati Conservation Project and the entire resort is made up of heritage buildings that are more than a century old. The lunch there was amazing and the entire experience was pure luxury.

By evening we came to Al Noor Island which had the most beautiful view and again one of my favourite experiences in Sharjah because it had butterfly house 😀 We played with the butterflies and clicked some pictures with them.

Then we headed to our first day of Sharjah Light Festival. We covered American University of Sharjah, Sharjah Police Academy & University City Hall. We had dinner at Sutis at Al Majaz Waterfront and it was one of the best Lebanese in Sharjah.

Day 3:

We left for lunch at the Shooting Club and also tried our hands at archery there. Shooting was the original plan but there was some technical issue, hence we tried archery.

Later we went to Kalba Birds of Prey center and Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Center where we saw some rare and interesting species of birds, reptiles and animals.

In the evening, we reached our Sharjah Light Festival locations Khorfakkan Municipality, Municipal Council and Town Planning Department.

We had dinner at Fatima’s house, her house was stunning and every corner was so pretty. We even tried some traditional outfits and jewellery.

Day 4:

On Day 4, we went to the Sharjah Islamic Museum and the Sharjah Aquarium. We had lunch at Jones The Grocer which was my favourite meal in Sharjah! Everything we ordered was so fresh and full of flavours, and the desserts were mind blowing.

Then we went to Al Jubail Market and bought some Medjool dates. It was a like an air conditioned vegetable market, and had everything you would need. The variety of dates here is amazing, and the prices are really good plus the quality. I highly recommend shopping for dates in Sharjah, I regret not getting more.

We also went to Irani market and bought some Oud perfumes. This was the final day of the Sharjah Light Festival and we went to Al Qasba and Al Noor Mosque. Then we headed for the Closing Ceremony and Gala Dinner at the Al Majaz Waterfront. The lights, music, laser shows, fire crackers, it was a beautiful closing ceremony!

Day 5:

Day 5 was our last day in Sharjah. We went to Kingfisher Lodge for lunch, it’s a beautiful property and the chef was Indian, so we finally had Indian food on our last day and it was pretty good. We were supposed to do Kayaking but it was raining that day, hence we couldn’t. But we did tour the property and the luxury lodges were beautiful, definitely wish to stay there once.

We went to Sahara Shopping Centre for some shopping and then finally headed to the airport.

It was quite a different and unique experience, and I loved being a part of it. A big thank you to Visit Sharjah for having me, it was quite a memorable trip.

I am glad I could capture it all for you guys through this vlog. The total footage was of 80-82 mins, and I have cut it short to 40 mins. I know it’s a long vlog, but I wanted to show everything and I didn’t want to make two parts of it and cut the flow. Also all my Instagram stories from the trip are under the ‘Sharjah’ highlights.

I hope you enjoy this blog and the vlog, do let me know your favourite part in the comments down below or any questions/doubts related to Sharjah.

Places to Visit and Things to Do in Dubai

Places to Visit and Things to Do in Dubai

Hi guys,

Dubai is one of the easiest and closest destination to travel, from India, which is a perfect mix of shopping and beautiful experiences.

It’s been a long time I had been to Dubai and I believe a lot of new places/experiences have come up in the last 4-5 years. So I thought of putting together a list of places I have personally visited and which are on my wishlist for my next Dubai trip..

Dubai Desert Safari

1. Desert Safari

Dubai Desert Safari is a whole one day experience with 4×4 dune bashing, ATV rides, camel rides, barbeque dinner and lights shows/belly dancing. It is one of the major tourist attractions and an experience worth having.

2. Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa
At The Top Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa at 828m is the tallest man-made structure in the world. It is one of the most prominent attractions of the Middle East. The view from At the Top Burj Khalifa i.e. 124th floor is mind blowing. You can pretty much see the whole of Dubai from the top.

3. Dubai Mall/Mall of Emirates

Dubai Mall has the famous Dubai Aquarium and a lot of other entertainment options like ice skating rink, gaming zone, etc. apart from every brand in the world for shopping. It’s huge and is the second largest shopping mall in the world. Mall of Emirates on the other hand has Dubai Ski, apart from the amazing restaurants and of course shopping.

4. Dragon Mart

Dragon Mart is 1km long with 4000+ stores selling Chinese products. If you like shopping on a budget, you should definitely visit Dragon Mart

5. Miracle Garden

If you love nature, flowers and greenery, then Dubai Miracle Garden should definitely be on your list. It is the biggest natural flower garden in Dubai and the vivid colours are just beautiful to look at.

6. The Frame

Dubai Frame is the biggest architectural landmark in Dubai and is known as the biggest picture frame on the planet. It is 150m high and 93m wide. The observation deck on top gives you a complete view of the old and new Dubai, The whole frame lights up at night and is a beautiful sight

7. Palm Jumeirah

The tree-shaped man-made Palm Island, has everything from luxury hotels to a water park to shopping malls and beach clubs. It is surely a must visit, when in Dubai.

8. Dubai Dolphinarium

It is located near Creekside Park in Dubai and who doesn’t love dolphins. They have a 45 mins dolphin show which is not to be missed!

9. Dubai Gold Souqs

How much gold is too much gold. A visit to the Dubai Gold Souq will blow your mind. Clothes and complete body ornaments made of gold, you will get every jewellery piece in gold here. Whether you need to buy gold or just window shop, the Gold Souq is worth a visit.

Apart from these, if you are travelling between November and March, you should definitely check out Global Village.

Have you been to Dubai? Which is your favourite place/experience?

P.S.: Burj Khalifa pic from tiqets.com