Tag Archives: Sharjah

Travel the World… One Couch at a Time!

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couchsurfing_logo_detail Whether you are a frequent traveller, a family, a hardworking professional or a student with limited resources, the idea of travelling the world and meeting new people is absolutely exciting and reinvigorating. One of the starkest realities of travels to any new city or a country is stepping into an unchartered territory. New place, new faces, new culture and one can’t help but feel out of their element at first. How would you feel if you had an opportunity to network and meet people before you get to a city and guess what…stay with them for free?

doss_01Last year when I was attending a University in Islamabad, Pakistan for my postgraduate studies, I had an amazing professor who was young, free spirited and had travelled the world. While residing in Turkey for a Doctorate Degree, he got to explore not only Turkey but also almost whole of Europe! Going through his Facebook page and seeing a myriad of amazing travel pictures, I couldn’t help but ask him that being a student in a foreign country, how could he manage and afford so many amazing travels. In response to my inquiry he directed me to a totally unique idea of travelling that is not only a genius accord for anyone who loves to travel, but is an amazing networking system which is fool proof, safe and absolutely free.

couchsurfing-values-400x307This website is called www.couchsurfing.com. The concept of this website is as catchy and intriguing as its name! This site is an amazing new sensation of people around the world who share a deep love for travels, culture, meeting new people and also want to do it in the least expensive way possible. Not only this site facilitates making connections for travels, you can also join a community of couch surfers and meet new people for activities right in your area. So in order to be a couch surfer, you go to their website, sign up with your Facebook profile or an email, create your own profile on their site and list yourself as a host or a guest or both. Either way, you get to interact with other profiles and upon being approved by those people as a guest or a host; you can visit their home and stay with them for free. The whole concept revolves around bridging the gap between people while making travel fun and exciting. I would recommend starting as a host for it has great incentives. The review of the website shows that people who are great hosts become the most frequent guests. So the concept works in a totally safe and admirable way. Once you start out as a host, you get requests from people to come stay with you in your city. Its totally up to you whether you accept them or refuse them and its easy because the website has a system of ratings that rates every user as a guest or a host with real time reviews from people who have met them. By reading such reviews you can have a better idea of the people who are trying to stay with you and that way you can decide. Once you host a few people and they rate your hospitality and (mental sanity), you can start requesting to be a guest yourself virtually anywhere around the world.

Couchsurfing-610I thought this idea was a travelling genius. The website also offers a feature where for a small fee you can get yourself verified by the site, giving you an advantage for it will add to your chances of being a guest or a frequently approved host. There are stories that are shared by avid travellers on the site and the world is a virtual possibility of travels, amazing places and great people. One cannot only save money but can make connections and friendships, which can last a life time. And who doesn’t want to visit a new city or a country without feeling like a tourist ready to be taken advantage by expensive hotels and overpriced tourist hotspots. What I find very interesting about this site is that you get to meet real local people who know their city well and can help you explore it in a way that no hotel concierge can. And if one gets an opportunity to make lasting friendships, well that’s an added bonus too. So be adventurous and have an open mind. Explore places and above all be free spirited. Its always great to try new ideas but above all, be safe !!! Happy and Safe Travels!!!

 

 

Home Interior Decoration Tips

Interior Decorations, Interior design, modern contemporary, modern traditional, traditional, , , , , , ,

To be able to decorate one’s house is a desire most of us have. We want to live where our space reflects who we are and where we feel a sense of home and belonging. You don’t need big bucks or an interior decorator to accomplish this. In today’s world with the Internet connecting global markets, it’s easy to find style ideas about the kind of interior decor you are going for: modern contemporary, traditional or modern traditional!

contemporary-interior-design-modernHere are some tips to get started on your very own interior decor:

1) Don’t be scared to add and mix what interests you – if it is something you really want in your space, add it.

2)Creativity in style is always important. It is equally important when there is a budget or time to work within. Perhaps considering to paint walls yourself, taking classes to learn tile or hardwood floor installation can help in reducing the cost in do-it-yourself projects. But be disciplined and organized: understand the A to Z of what is involved in the project and that you have the skill, time, and resources to complete the whole project as planned.

3)Finding look- a- likes of expensive furniture items such as lamps, sofas etc. can be found by searching the web or simply shopping your local market.

4)After you have done your planning on what is needed in your room, choose your paint color last so it goes with your selections.

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5)Select a central point in your room and let everything else work its way around it. A central point would be something that draws your attention to the room when you enter it. This could be a fireplace, a fantastic light, or a painiting in a room.

6)Select furniture and accessories for your room that does not make a room feel congested. If the room is large, it does not mean you have to fill it with a lot of furniture.

7) Rugs always add character to a room. Large rugs with furniture placed on them look great.

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8)Paintings and mirrors bring life to the walls. Hang them at the average human eye level.

9)Last but not the least, style your room with items and colors that make you feel comfortable and have fun doing it!

My Love Affair With Shawarmas…

Food, , ,

IMG_5524Any one who has spent time in the Middle East certainly knows and has eaten shawarma at least once. While roaming the streets of Dubai, especially Deira, Bur Dubai and Satwa, one can’t help but notice these restaurants displaying various meats in shape of gigantic cones, simmering against hot vertical grill. Yes, these restaurants and Mom and Pop cafes are serving up chicken, lamb and beef shawarmas. For those of you who are newbies to the shawarma scene, here is the blue print err.. the breakdown of shawarma: tender slices of meat, chicken, mutton or beef, perfectly grilled wrapped in oval or rectangular shaped bread with a piece of crisp pickle and dash of garlic paste. Man, I can almost eat 3 of these while writing about them now! The  average price of these shawarma wraps are around 5 Dirhams.

There are a lot of places that serve up great tasting shawarmas, both in Dubai and Sharjah. Let’s see in Dubai good tasting shawarmas IMG_5525are served at Al Mullah and Automatic Restaurants just to name a few. Sharjah has quite a few places that serve up some excellent shawarmas as well. In addition, Dar al Sharoor near clock tower in Sharjah, Jabal Lebnan, Chicken House and Laffah serve some top notch shawarmas. The quality of shawarmas just keep getting better and better here in UAE. Each shawarma joint is trying to out do the other with their taste and servings. I got to say that after living in UAE for 8 years and trying several places including big shawarma restaurants as well as small Mom and Pop joints, I think I have found the best tasting shawarmas here and these places that serve up this king of Middle Eastern fast food are located in Sharjah.

I got to admit, both Chicken house (on Jamal Abdul Nasser Street) and Laffah (on Al-Taawun Road) serve up some pretty darn good shawarmas. Obviously, the taste is the driving force behind the sales of their shawarmas, but the quality ingredients they use, is also a big factor. I simply love the thin bread that both of these shawarma joints use while the rest use slightly thicker pita bread. Then there is chicken, grilled to IMG_5526perfection with small portion of garlic mayonoise as well as crispy slice of pickle, all put in thin bread,  slightly toasted and served. These shawarmas are simply awesome. You got try them to believe !