Global Village

Forget around the world in 80 days, you can now explore the world in an evening at Global Village.  This is an ambitious journey though – Global Village is expansive – so like all good trips it might be best to take a moment to plan your itinerary, unless you’re happy to see where the world leads you…

It’s not my first time here, nor is it mum’s, but I have always had the boys in tow and tonight it’s just the two of us.  Mum and I are eager to explore this whole new world within a Village, albeit an enormous one.

We enter the gates and it’s still light so the colors aren’t visible yet.  We’re greeted inside by the Burj Khalifa and Big Ben side by side.  A twist of the head and I can take in the Statue of Liberty and an oriental temple along the stretch aptly named the World Avenue.

We take a left turn at the end, past the Sydney Opera House and delve into Yemen, followed by Iran, Morocco and KSA to start with.

We sample the flavored honey on offer in the Yemeni pavilion – ginger, cider and ‘special children’s’ honey as well as white honey and the darkest of colors that looks more like a molasses.  One of the specialties is Sidr honey, a honey produced from the sidr tree, an ancient tree believed to have medicinal qualities.

The spices also accost our senses.  The smells, of course, but perhaps more surprising is the colors and sheer volumes.  It’s incredible.  Zaatar, cardamom, sumac, tumeric, cumin, cinnamon, not to mention the more exotic finds like dried limes, calendula petals and vats of saffron.  The there are the medicinal minerals, none of which I have any idea what to use them for (I must remedy this):  rock salts in various colors, frankincense and myrrh which I have only ever considered in a Biblical context before, and these wonderful balls of indigo.

There are also stalls offering a wonderful array of khanjars, swords, belts and jewelry.  I let out a little sigh of relief that the boys aren’t here.

Next we wander through Iran which seems to concentrate on saffron and rugs.  There is a loom set up for demonstrations and a few people wandering around with shopping trolleys already half full, clearly doing many of their groceries here.

I buy us a karak tea and we take in KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) next and then Morocco where mum spends some time bargaining for some mementos.  We see some nice little date bowls and she buys me one that I particularly like.  I’ll put it on my coffee table and try to remember to serve dates when friends visit.

By now it’s dark and I’m getting hungry.  We walk along the canal past India, with Egypt and Africa on the other side and find the strip of cafes and restaurants.  It’s still early by Middle Eastern standards, it’s not unusual to have dinner after 9pm here (by which time I’m usually in bed!) but there are a few people eating already.  We find a Bosnian kebab restaurant which smells enticing so we take a seat and wait for our kebab meal while taking in the sights and the passing crowd.

While we wait we try a laban drink – a type of drinking yogurt.  I usually have laban for breakfast but this one is different, more akin to a salty buttermilk.  It would go well with our kebabs but we finish it too quickly.

The kebabs are delicious, about 10 small lamb kebab sausages with bread, onions and two types of dip.  The bread is moist and yeasty and the dips are yogurt and what seems to be a roasted pepper (capsicum).  We eat eagerly and I’m glad that we shared a serving or I wouldn’t have any room left to try something else later.

We press on over the canal and pop into the Philippines to pick up some chips that our maid particularly likes.  Then past South Korea to China.  The Chinese stalls feel very authentic.  We both spent some time in China a couple of years ago and enjoy the Chinese offerings and the memories that come flooding back.

From China we turn around and make our way towards the far end of the Village where Thailand, Bosnia and Europe preside.  I spent my honeymoon in Thailand and I love the colors of the Thai arts and the beauty of the people.  Thai ladies are some of the most elegant that I have ever encountered.  A lady in Thai costume sits and decorates umbrellas and little elephant figurines.

Next door in Bosnia & the Balkans we discover offerings such as jams, oils and soaps.  What really catches my eye though is the juice stall from which I can obtain a freshly pressed pomegranate juice, mum wanders on a little and finds ice cream in flavors such as lychee and mango and we sit to enjoy our treats.

The ice cream is creamy and delicious, the juice is tart with lots of tannin, just the way it should be.

Next is the Americas and we enjoy an American Indian pipe music performance and take a look at the other offerings.  Outside again and we stop to take in a Bollywood dance performance on the main stage.  Once again the colors as well as the light, music and moves are quite dazzling.

After our pause at the stage we stumble across the world’s largest cup of tea.  I was telling mum about this on the way in, after all, what is Dubai without a few Guiness world records?  The statistics are mind boggling.  This cup of tea stands 3.66m tall and 1.42m in diameter.  It took 12 hours and 138 chefs to prepare the 5,000L of hot karak chai with a heating coil and tools to stir the tea inside the cup.

After this we take on Europe as I can’t resist the pull of the Colosseum.  On the way out I insist on buying some Emirati doughnuts (lugaimat) which we wait a good 20 minutes for.  They’re worth it.  Crunchy on the outside and chewy-doughy on the inside they’re covered in sweet date syrup.  A perfect finish to the night’s culinary offerings.  We take it in turns to go into the UAE pavillion while we’re waiting for the lugaimat to finish cooking but by now I’m growing tired and there’s not much on offer here that I can’t get at the souks or the supermarket.  I do like the fact that they have some traditional huts on display and a camel statue where excited children are posing for photos.

Although we’re tired there are two more stops to make before we go.  The Turkish Delight here is a must.  It’s expensive but delicious and mum wants to surprise the boys.  Then I wait with our purchases while mum goes back to Morocco to buy a couple more little date dishes for souvenirs.  She might as well make the most of it.  After all, where else can you walk from Turkey to Morocco in less than 5 minutes?

Good To Know

Global Village, located of Road 311 in Dubai, is a huge expo themed park with shops clustered in pavilions based on countries.  There are many restaurants, cafes and food vans as well as live performances and rides.  Entrance is AED15 per person with children 2 & under free.

The entrance ticket price includes performances throughout the evening.  Food and rides are extra.

Global Village opens at 4pm and closes around midnight, operating over the winter months only (October through April).  Check seasonal dates and opening times beforehand at the official Global Village website (http://www.globalvillage.ae/en/).

Would I Return?

Yes.  There is something new to discover each time and something here for the whole family.