Visit to Sharjah Aquarium

I recently visited the Sharjah Aquarium (Museum) and was astonished by its facilities and exquisiteness. The museum has over 250 species to see, from the smallest clown fish to moray eels, and poisonous snakes to sharks. They also have an underwater journey (something like the Underwater Park in Sentosa, Singapore and the one in Dubai Mall). They have actually tried to replicate the old Sharjah maritime city and taken raw material of old vessels lying in the dockyards. You can see the smaller marine life found in the rock pools, coral reefs, lagoons and mangroves.

I would suggest visiting this museum located in Al Khan, Sharjah. There are a bunch of tourist hotels located nearby to this museum. A Maritime Museum located adjacent to it, will be launched in 3 months.

The museum has two floors charmed by exuberant ambience, a small cafeteria and a goodies shop. Once you are done with the museum, you can walk across the new Sharjah corniche. The authorities are also planning to have a boat ride across the Sharjah lagoon in the near future. The place is worth a visit and much better than the Dubai Mall aquarium which is slightly more.

A quick comparison of prices with the Dubai Mall Aquarium: -

Sharjah Aquarium
Adult20 AED/Child (6-15) 10 AED/Child (5 years old &under)Free
Family (2 Adults & 3 Children)50 AED/Adults Groups (6 or more persons) 15 AED
Child Groups (6 or more persons) 5 AED

Dubai Mall Aquarium
Entrance to the Dubai Aquarium Tunnel
Child AED 20 /Adult AED 25
Entrance to the Underwater Zoo & Tunnel per person - AED 50

Bad Weather Predicted in UAE

Friends,

Got the below warning in an email, hence decided to post on my blog. I am not sure how accurate is the below information.

QUOTE

WEATHER ALARM - 25th March - 1st April

ABU DHABI:
Light Rain / Thunderstorms chance On: Mar 25 – Night / Mar 26 / 29 Mar & 1 Apr / 5 April

DUBAI / SHARJAH:
Rain / Thunderstorm: Mar 25, Mar 26, Mar 27, Mar 28, Mar 29, Mar 31
Heaviest Rain on: 25 Mar Wed Night and 29 Mar Sunday Morning

RAS AL KHAIMAH:
Rain / Thunderstorm. Total:23.1 mm Occurring: Mar 25 Mar 26 Mar 27 Mar 28 and 31 Mar.
Heaviest Rain on: Chance on All above dates

FUJAIRAH / KHORFAKHAN:
Rain / Thunderstorms chance On: Mar 25, Mar 26, Mar 27, Mar 31, 3 Apr and 6 April.
Heaviest Rain on: 25 Mar Wed, 27 Mar Thur and 29 Mar Sunday

AL AIN:
Rain / Thunderstorms Chance On: Mar 25 Mar 26 Mar 28, Mar 30, 2 April, 3 April, 5 April and 6 April


RUWAIS:
Light Rain / Thunderstorms Chance On:Mar 26, Mar 28, Mar 29, 31 Mar and 1 April


SIX Days of Mostly Cloudy Sunny Skies and periods of Rain is predicted by most of the weather channels starting 26th March – 1st April 2009.

Some weather expert’s sees as “bad weather disturbance” heading towards UAE, but for many of us we think as blessing that approach the country before hot summer condition starts.

Those who travel in the weekend out of Abu Dhabi and coming back on Saturday to be cautious on the road.

You may need to cancel outdoor activities in this weekend. Those planning to travel on Sunday 29th Mar or Monday 30th March to Gasco Sites to check the weather again on Saturday.

Particularly Dubai on Sunday Morning to be more careful as heavy rain is expected.

UNQUOTE

New Decency Law In Dubai

Playing loud music, dancing, nudity, kissing and even holding hands in public is considered inappropriate behaviour under the new guidelines laid down by the authorities of Dubai.

Dubai Executive Council issued a list of public behaviour that is inept for a Muslim country and should be respected by visitors and residents.

Ban on exchange of kisses between men and women and even on holding hands for unmarried couples (I wonder how will they determine the relationship of a couple?)

Pants and skirts have to be of appropriate length and outside clothing should not expose body parts indecently and should not be transparent.

The rule applies to government buildings, malls, streets, restaurants other than common public places. Any one not obeying these rules may not be allowed to enter a at some of the places.

Do check out an article in The National for some more details.

Do you have an opinion on these guidelines ?

Earth Hour 2009

As of this minute 1,508 cities and towns in 80 countries have already committed to VOTE EARTH for Earth Hour 2009,which is a fight against Global Warming.

In simple words on 28th March 2009 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. you need to switch off your lights.

Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi are also amongst those 1,508 cities, which will be part of the of the worlds first global election between Earth and global warming. This year, Earth Hour 2009 has been transformed into the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

Go ahead…and turn off your lights ;)

Brands in the Digital World

Digital technology is another medium to help a company reach its products and services to a different target segment. It helps to lure an online customer towards your brand. A customer can virtually engage with the brand and know more about its features. There are various methods by which a marketer can reach his customer on the Internet. Some of them are: -

· A dedicated Website for your company/brand/ service etc
· A dedicated blog informing about daily happenings at your company
· Banner ads at various websites
· Viral Marketing via many websites who allow uploading of videos e.g. Youtube
The changes done on an online brand can be very dynamic in nature e.g. the look and feel of the website can be changed overnight. By offering products online we can help a customer engage with the brand.
Web sites need to be branded so that a customer has the confidence while making a purchase. An authentic look of the website will boost customer confidence. Amazon and E bay are classic examples that have strengthened their transaction systems with high security functions, which ensure customers safety while they shop on these sites.
An excellent example of strong online brand building is Amazon.com, where by a customer’s mind recalls Amazon whenever they need to buy books online. The brand awareness and familiarity of Amazon is very high in the minds of a consumer which leads to a strong formation of Brand Equity.