Sandy Iggy in the world's 3rd largest mosque

 

While mosque sightseeing (aka mosque hopping) is common to Sandy Iggy, only recently she has visited the largest mosque in the UAE and incidentally the third largest mosque in the world --- Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. 

Otherwise known as the "Grand Mosque" is named after the founder and first president of UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. His remains is buried in the same compound and is off-limits to photo-taking.

Footwears must be removed before entering the main prayer hall.

The security officers were so strict especially to those in the main hall; Sandy Iggy managed to pose quickly. Notice the Iranian carpet, the largest hand-knotted carpet in the world.

Here's a prayer clock which provides the details of prayer timings at a given day.

The counterpart of Christians'/Catholics' altar and pulpit. The Arabic calligraphy details the 99 qualities/names of Allah.

One of the gold-plated chandeliers in the main prayer hall.

The largest chandelier in the world hangs at the main dome. 

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque deserves to be visited over and again even for non-Muslims. It is a great deal to appreciate the UAE culture and learn about Islam as there are free guided tours everyday.

[Click here for more photos.]

Miss Iggy in Emirates Palace

Sandy Iggy paid a visit to Emirates Palace post-Eid to check the Saadiyat (i.e. arabic term that means "a place that provides enlightenment") Museum exhibit; however, photo taking was not allowed but she's got bunch of interesting peeks for you.

That's a carpet on the wall showing the entirety of Emirates Palace.

Here's Sandy Iggy in the lobby which is really grand, the right photo showing a portion of the ceiling.

Above is the ceiling up close. Beautifully intricate.

Tried a camelcinno for the first time. Well, it tasted like... a capuccino, sweeter version. And of course, there goes the psyche of taking in a camel's milk which can make you more alert and observant of one's self as if you would transform into something foreign. Hahaha.

Moving to the other side, Sandy Iggy tried the gold vending machine which is itself gold plated. But "tried" meant not buying anything because the camelcinno costed a fortune, hahaha, but just tried navigating the (touch)screen.

The gold rates are said to be automatically updated since it's linked to the dealer's system. 

It is reported that currently there are 20 gold vending machines installed worldwide.

Sandy Iggy posed by the hallway going to Sayad Restaurant (themed like you are dining underwater). Portions of the ceiling and walls are gold plated as well.

Emirates Palace is especially beaming at night (more photos here). The dome changes its colors every now and then. Lots of date palm trees within the area.

Sandy Iggy is really enjoying UAE's winter nowadays and recently did a concert marathon (performers Britney Spears, The Cult, Incubus and Sir Paul McCartney) as part of the F1 after-race concerts.

Miss Iggy in the heart of Mindanao

Schoolgirl Iggy wasn't one to let her mind go dull during the semestral break, so she participated in the annual conference of the Ugnayang Pang-AghamTao (UGAT), the Anthropological Association of the Philippines.  It was held in Central Mindanao University, located in the heart of Mindanao, Bukidnon.

The conference started early with registration...and Miss Iggy crushed on this cute guy who helped her pick a kit bag. "Don't forget your meal stubs, Miss Iggy!" said the nice lady at the back.

The conference hall was packed with participants who were interested to share their thoughts and learn about public anthropology.

During lunch, the Talahari Band shared their music. 

After the long, tiring day, Miss Iggy and her friends went out for some pizza--a really big one!

There was a campus tour of the Central Mindanao University on the last day of the conference. CMU covers a wide area, so they had to go around by coaster.  Miss Iggy and Lauren are both glad the hectic days are over!

The story of Musuan Peak goes like this: there was a pair of lovers who eloped and ran off to the hills.  They jumped off a cliff, and where their bodies fell, grew a mountain.

The Central Mindanao University's strengths focus on agriculture and forestry.  First stop: the Carabao Milking Facility!  This one's ready to share her protein with the world!  :)

The milking machine--but you can also use your hands of course!

The carabaos don't mind the tourists much, as long as they don't take photos with flash.

Waiting for their turn.

They seemed to take a mild interest in Miss Iggy.

With the star of the show!

Of course, the trip wouldn't be complete without trying out the caramilk at the sales center.  The chocolate milk was so delicious!

After the carabaos, Miss Iggy said hello to the goats!  These young ones are used to the camera.

Presenting, the alpha goat, lord of the hut!

The university also had a rubber tree plantation and processing facility.  Here's latex being tapped from the tree:

Bukidnon truly was beautiful, and Miss Iggy hoped she had more time to explore it.  Oh well, maybe next time!  :)

Postcards From Tallinn

In June, Merry Iggy and Kayni visited Tallinn, Estonia. We did a lot of walking around the Old Town. We didn't have an itinerary as we wanted to just experience the culture and the town on our own pace.

Here are a few photos from our adventure:

 Merry Iggy enjoyed the narrow streets of the Old Town.

 Merry Iggy poses at the memorial for MS Estonia that sunk on 28 September 1994 in the Baltic Sea. This unfortunate event claimed 852 lives and was one of the worst maritime disasters of the 20th century. (Source)

 We also climbed the narrow and tiring stairways of St. Olav's Church.

Although the climb was exhausting, the view of the Old City is magnificent.  This is our favorite view and we spent at least half an hour just staring at this Old Town.

After the walking and sweating, we proceeded to eat lunch and shop. A perfect day in Tallinn indeed.

Sandy Iggy's first Ramadan

Hello everyone! Sandy Iggy's been so quiet lately because she had to go through a 'make over'. While she's protected from the sandstorm and Gulf's heat, she forgot that she's not immune to the waterdrops. Anyway, she's back!

Ramadan started on 1st of August and Sandy Iggy's taking it reasonably, i.e. no eating and drinking whenever she's outside the house, except if it coincides with the iftar to break the fast (dinner after the sun did set). Hence, she's taking biggie-monster meals before going out. :) On the other hand, she's enjoying the made-up Ramadan tents in the malls.

By coincidence, some pieces of Arabic fabric have so much similarity with the Iggy dolls' clothing. While we're not going to discuss in this post (though it's tempting) who copied who, this wonderful coincidence is bridging Sandy Iggy's homesickness to her homeland.

Even the camel's 'clothing line' matched hers!

Ramadan is a serene and happy occasion. To a certain extent, it's a combination of the observance of fasting during Holy Week and the cheerful air during Christmas.

Here's a trivia: did you know that Year 2011 as we know it is otherwise referred to by Muslims as Year 1432? That's because Islamic Year is counted from the date Prophet Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Madina (in Saudi Arabia).

Ramadan Kareem to our Muslim readers!

Miss Iggy in Oriental Mindoro

Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines.  Schoolgirl Iggy took a break from the classroom to learn about the culture of Mindoro's indigenous peoples, the Mangyans, directly from the Mangyans themselves.

To get there, she took a RORO ferryboat from the Batangas Port from mainland Luzon to Calapan Port in the island of Mindoro.  She went around the upper (passenger) deck to get a good view of the sea.

Goodbye, Batangas!

In the air-conditioned area, she found an empty seat in need of good company.  It looked very much depressed, so Miss Iggy bought some peanuts to share.

 The trip took two hours.  Miss Iggy spent the time looking at the sea and the islands.

She heard the captain announce that they were nearing the port of Calapan.  It's a good thing that Miss Iggy didn't get seasick!

 

Welcome to Oriental Mindoro!

 

These little green men helped pull their boat to port.  They were so strong!

 Goodbye, RORO boat!

After a quick orientation at the Mangyan Heritage Center in Calapan, Miss Iggy headed on over to the Tugdaan Mangyan Center for Learning and Development in Naujan, an hour away.

Tugdaan means "seedbed" in the Alangan Mangyan language.  It is a high school for Mangyan youth, and has as its motto "Education for Self-Reliance and Community Service".  Miss Iggy liked it very much.

 Miss Iggy and the Peace Tree

 Oh, what a pretty flowe spider!!!  According to Miss Iggy's friend Ige, it's a white crab spider (they move sideways like crabs).  This spider uses camouflage to hide from unsuspecting prey, like a bee.

 Knowledge exchange! Here are Alangan Mangyan students learning about the Mag-antsi Aeta language.  Perhaps they were translating "Miss Igorota is a funny traveler!"  into their own languages!

 It's planting time!  The students of Tugdaan have a subject on agriculture--and, aside from "regular" subjects like Science, Math, and English, they also have a subject on Mangyan Culture--but of course!

 Five minutes away from the school is this clear, cool river.

 Miss Iggy wanted to swim, but she forgot to bring a bathing suit!

 So she just made friends instead.

The school also has a food processing facility as part of its sustainable livelihood program.

 This pineapple, like this hibiscus flower,

 will soon be processed into jams, teas, and juices.

It has been said that salabat, or ginger brew, is the singer's best friend.  Hmm...should Miss Iggy try it?

 The jam that industrious hands built--100% organic and made with love for the land!

Miss Iggy learned so much from the Mangyans and their commitment to take care of the land and their culture--the experience made Miss Iggy more proud to be an Igorota!