DUBAI – This season Global Village, the region’s leading cultural, shopping and entertainment family outdoor destination, is hosting 37 pavilions, each pavilion retaining its own design and unique products differentiating it from others.



According to many loyal customers, the best of pavilions is set upon public demand for a particular product or a service which is only found at that pavilion and is hard to find anywhere else outside Global Village.



The Sri Lankan Pavilion exhibits a large collection of premium Ceylon tea. Mohan Jayaraj offers homegrown Ceylon tea in privately owned plantations. “The quality of work is different in our privately owned plantations. Apart from the worldwide popularity Sri Lankan tea enjoys, we also have our own added premium quality,” said Mohan.



With visitors coming to buy this special tea with its orange, lemon or fruity flavors in addition to plain or mix of green and black tea, Mohan assures that visitors come every year to buy their stock of tea, enough to last them until Global Village reopens again next season.



Apart from tea, the pavilion has few exhibitors with handmade pottery and leather items.



Foremost, the Sri Lankan Pavilion has a number of magnificent wall paintings and designs made by Shamen Manohansa, the artist stands near the main pavilion entrance with his airbrush ready to paint the portraits of visitors.



The Vietnam Pavilion features handmade bowls and chopsticks, plates, spoons and trays are lined up at the pavilion expressing the beauty of bamboo.

“We have many famous arts and crafts in Vietnam. Aqua painting on wood or bamboo, and eggshell or sea shell engraving on ceramics or wood”, said Hang Yen, one of the exhibitors.



“Applying the aqua painting and shell engraving might take seven days to complete a moderate size item. But it is what we love to do and differentiates our art from other Asian cultures”, Yen added.



The Philippines Pavilion treats every Goto (rice soup) lover with gusto, aside from other Filipino popular desserts like sapin sapin, kasaba and puto.



The Philippine Pavilion also showcases handmade chandeliers from various sizes of seashells. These are very authentic and can inspire artistic ideas for one’s home decor. – SG