emirate chronicles: ajman museum

the place i stayed in when i was in uae was not actually in dubai but in ajman.  ajman is about a 45-minute drive to dubai.  one of the things i did when i was there was visiting their museum which is housed in an old fortress. 

there is a small entrance fee to go inside the museum and as i paid, i asked the guy who was giving out the tickets if it was okay to take pictures and he said it was.

the fort was built in the late 18th century which served as the ruler’s palace and during the 70’s, was the town’s police station.  it was then transformed as a museum, dedicated to the people of the united arab emirates.

this life-sized figure welcomed me which heightened my curiosity.  the fort used to be the police station, so this piece of wood as displayed was most likely being used in offenders which serves as their punishment.

getting one’s feet trapped like that is considered torture.  i guess that is their way before to cut back on crime. 

there was one room in the museum where they presented traditional professions of the past.  i took some photos of the wax figures which i found interesting.

artifacts discovered in an ancient burial site in al mowayhat are also exhibited in one of the rooms in the museum. 

these objects dates back to the bronze age and it is said the the site where they were found is about 5,000 year old.

a burial jar, where the remains of a child and funeral gifts were found. 

ajman museum is situated on the east side of the central square, and is open saturday to thursday 0900-1300 and 1600-2100, closed during fridays.

pinkberry

i was craving for frozen yogurt yesterday and i remembered seeing a pinkberry store at ajman city centre.  i have never tried their yogurt before but i knew that it is well-known back in the states. when i made it at pinkberry, i was trying to figure out what yogurt flavor to order when the guy at the counter asked me if it was my first time to try their yogurt (i’m wondering now if i looked like a confused kid staring at their menu!).  i said yes and he cheerfully gave me a ‘taste test’ on the yogurt flavors available.

there was mango, pomegranate, passion fruit, coconut, original and chocolate.  he said they also have green tea which was not available that time.  of all the flavors i tasted, i liked the pomegranate.  the chocolate was also good but i wanted something different.

i opted for a tailor-your-own fruit parfait, where one can choose three fruit, two dry toppings and two yogurt flavors.  my fruit parfait consisted of bite-size strawberries, pineapple and kiwi, some honey almond granola, fruity pebbles, pomegranate and mango yogurt.

pinkberry in ajman city centre is near carrefour beside cinnabon bakeshop. 🙂

china mall

i have been temporarily assigned here for work in ajman for almost two weeks now.  ajman is about a 45 minute taxi ride to dubai without the traffic, and is the smallest of the seven emirates making up the united arab emirates.

one of the places to visit here is china mall, a 100,000 square meter built-up area with shops that sell china made merchandise like garments, accessories, textiles, household, jewellery, fashion accessories, toys, crafts, and electronics.  i saw fake designer merchandise being sold here which are mostly for women and even an iphone 5 that sells for 300 dirhams! 

i bought some bottled chinese iced tea, haw flakes and some dried seafood snacks from a shop that sells foodstuff then i saw one store that sells ‘crocs’ shoes.  i went inside the store and had a small conversation with the chinese guy selling the items.

me: how much for the crocs loafers?
chinese guy: 30.00 dirhams each, buy two for 50.00 dirhams.
me: huh? 30.00 dirhams?! are these original?
chinese guy: original? what original?! it’s made in china!

i think i got the guy pissed off in my stupid question, haha!  anyway, i bought a pair of khaki-colored ‘original’ crocs loafers and after he saw me taking pictures, i looked at him and said:  “i’ll show my friends”, he then smiled and replied back: “okay.. tell your friend buy”! 😀