Abu Dhabi: The desert city

Since we only have 6 full days here, I have opted for daily updates because we have so much to cover! After this week I'm guessing they won't be as frequent or crammed :-)

20.20 (16.20 GMT) :We had landed and arrived at our first destination, the capital of the United Arab Emirates; my first time in the middle East (not Blair's).
After a long wait at passport control we were met by Dave. We hopped into the car and made our way to his flat. The roads were a hybrid of the huge six lane American highways and the bright highways of the States. Abu Dhabi's oldest building - a small turret- zoomed passed, a blink and it would have been missed. Everything else was new and brightly lit. We dipped into a huge tunnel named after Sheikh Zayed, the last President of the UAE.
We pulled up to Dave's building, the entrance beside the Porsche building. Dave led us to the lift and up to the twelfth floor, flat number 1203. Inside were Tigi, Desda and the beautiful napping Lydia.
Tigi served a Lebanese feast of lamb, falafel and humus, it was delicious. After chatting and contacting home to let you all know we were safe, we went straight to our huge bed - we worked out that five of me could fit in width ways! We slept soundly until eleven the next morning.

After breakfast Tigi served us Turkish coffee. It was so good even Blair enjoyed it, black and with only one sugar. Never again will I buy the over priced coffee of Starbucks, Costa coffee or Cafe Nero, who's coffee is bitter in comparison to this silky smooth Turkish 'delight'.
Tigi informed us of a few Arabian customs ; I immediately felt guilty; I had not read or researched the municipality's ways. So I learnt that: you should never offer your left hand to an Arabian, to do so would greatly offend, the right hand is the hand you eat and greet with and the left is used for the nether regions; house help such as Desda are employed under contracts, and whilst under the contract, can work up to eighteen hours for every day of their employment, which may last up to two years at the end of their contract they will return home. They are not allowed to socialise at all, although Tigi is more lenient with Desda because she has no other housemaids to chat with. Tigi told us that Help can earn up to dr100 a month ( currently there are dr 5.75 to the pound) so essentially Help would earn £16/17 a month.
Blair and I set off down the Corniche. We walked the entire length. The weather was sunny (21 degrees) but quite windy on the sea shore. The sea on our right was aqua, and on our left towered the skyscrapers of hotels and businesses. Window cleaners dangled half way down a building at around 500 feet wiping away the desert dust. Palm trees, shrubs and flowers line the walkway, irrigation systems maintaining all the stunning greenery. Everything is so clean and well maintained here. People walking, running or taking advantage of the exercise stations; 20 boxed areas are designated along the Corniche walk way, with signs suggesting possible exercises. We had lunch at a cafe on the the beach. It was really windy. We couldn't help but feel sorry for our waitress, who was balancing our empty lunch plates as she took our coffee order and was trying desperately to stop the leftover salad flying about the terrace. Entertainment was supplied in the form of a German TV programme being filmed. I was just waiting for a huge piece of rolling lettuce to slap one of the actresses across her face. We had finished lunch when the city was engulfed by a melodious male voice, it rebounded off the building and I couldn't understand why it seemed to be coming from every direction. Blair informed me of the call to prayer; Mosques from all over the city sang out to their followers. The balance of new and old; the city's simultaneous embrace of a cosmopolitan and progressive attitude with the preservation of their identity and religion is wonderful, and you are reminded of this dualism in everything you see, hear or do.
We walked all the way to the Marina Mall, a two and a half hour walk. It was crazy walking into this incredibly chic shopping mall to find signs to a H&M, Oasis, Woolworths and Accessorize. Of course, all of the famous designer brands were there as well as boutiques selling the most stunning traditional Arabic dress wear. Amongst all the water fountains, there was one that we both sat at and watched for a while; water was released in certain rhythms from high up , so as the water fell and hit the mosaic bottom it would repeat the rhythm. People of all ages were entertained by it.

I couldn't help but compare this shopping mall with its security guards and well dressed shoppers to the shopping centres of Telford or Shrewsbury; there were no chavs crowding the benches, blaring music from their phones or shouting out random abuse. You sense the respect here. Elders are respected, and teenagers aren't feared or a cause for worry or intimidation like they are back home; you feel safe. Blair suggested it was because the punishments here are more severe, and tolerance here is much lower in comparison to back home. 

We walked out of the mall and it was dark, the sky orange on the horizon. We could now see the Emirate Palace Hotel, we only saw its outline on the way over, with the sun glaring behind it. Now it was lit up, and appeared golden. A glass dome sat at the top, glowing in alternating colours: sapphire, amethyst and emerald. The impressive building stood back from the high fences surrounding it and its gardens. It was a magnificent sight. We looked back at the city, the midnight blue sky glowing a peachy purple from the lit buildings.
So we had walked around six hours and actually caught some sun, and unfortunately for Blair a monster of a blister appear causing him to waddle home.
Our first full day in Abu Dhabi, and we both loved it. Blair had admitted earlier on in the day, when we were at the pool area on the top floor of the apartment building, that he would love to live out here. My first impressions had been more reserved, I felt it lacked character and was a mass of austere buildings and work sites in the desert. But now, having learnt about the city and how its only in its infancy, these superficial faults that bothered me are forgiven; I am completely converted and think Blair bear may be onto something.

Day 2: Beach day today. Were meant to go on a bus tour of the city, but lo and behold I slept in until an ungodly hour - surprised anyone? Was around 23 degrees but the wind was quite cool. We walked along the Corniche again and paid dr 20 entry fee to the beach, but well worth it. The Beach was super clean, quiet, with lovely loungers and small huts selling food. We went for an authentic lunch of cheeseburgers, fries and coke. Blair went back for a double scoop of Baskin Robbins ice cream, which he hadn't had since being in the US. Pretty relaxed day.
Dave and Tigi had to take Lydia to have her photo taken for her passport in the evening. While mother and daughter prepared for their outing, Dave took Blair and I, one at a time, for a ride in his new golden Porsche Caymen. Wow, purring along the Corniche was awesome! Betty I know you'll love that!
Plan tomorrow is to get on the tour bus. Until then, much love from Abu Dhabi.

Day 3
Weather: sunny, clear blue skies, 24 degrees.
What we did: We took a taxi to the Marina Mall and bought tickets for the big bus tour, and got discounted prices for our bus tours of Dubai tomorrow and also for the Burj Khalifa!
We jumped onto the bus and started the 2.5 hour tour of the city. Our first stop was the stunning Emirates Palace Hotel. Blair was denied entry on account of his unsuitable attire; he was wearing shorts. So I walked up and was snappy happy for about 30  minutes. I definitely felt out of place, I must had looked it too, as I walked through the fourth reception room of marble floors and gold lifts, a doorman asked me if I was lost, I smiled and reassured him (as well as myself) that I was fine and thanked him, he smiled back, I managed to hide the fact that I was actually cacking myself! 

Interesting facts about the Emirates Hotel: it boasts 302 rooms, 91 suites with the presidential and largest permanently booked for State leaders and prominent families; it has 85 hectors, a 6.4 km running track, its own private beach; it uses 5kg of pure edible gold a year to decorate mainly desserts; it has an open air arena that holds 40,000 and has had the likes of Elton John, Coldplay, Bon Jovi, Shakira and Justin Timberlake play there; it cost $3,000,000 to build; it imported marble from 13 different countries.
We passed the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the largest Mosque outside of Saudi Arabia. It was breathtaking. Stunning white and gold exterior against the backdrop of a perfectly blue sky. It has a capacity to accommodate 40, 000 worshippers. There is a Persian rug in the centre prayer room that took 12,000 Iranian women two years to create. Embedded in the floors are are rare and semiprecious jewels. The exterior is Italian white marble. Its main dome boasts one of the largest diameters: 32+metres. The Mosque is surrounded by immaculate gardens maintained by the vast irrigation systems that have earned Abu Dhabi the nickname: garden city of the desert. The metres upon metres of irrigation pipes snake through the earth and the beautiful vegetation. Non-Muslims are allowed entry to the Mosque , and guided tours are offered. We both decided to make a morning of this, so decided to wait until Thursday, particularly as non-Muslims are, a rule, prohibited from entering Mosques. There are stringent rules, and Blair would not have been allowed entry due to his shorts! During these tours, abayas are provided for women, which I'm excited about, offering a more authentic experience.
So, deciding to stay on the bus, we drove through Zayed Port, the cultural zone of the city, pat the huge oil plantations and into the Iranian Souk. The guide on the bus had really praised the market, so Blair and I hopped off. We were looking forward to experience the hustle and bustle, bargaining and the huge range of products on offer. We soon realised why we were the only ones. We were far too late for the early morning fish and fruit market, and so were left for half an hour walking around a market strip of half a kilometre selling aluminium cooking pots, plastic bins and shrubs. Blair was far from amused. So we waited rather awkwardly by the Port Security booth for the majority of the time until the next bus arrived. We continued with our tour, hoping that was the last and final low.
We were now on the beautiful and familiar Corniche. The sea was calm and still, and the sun was now strong. The bus drove then entire length of the road , over the bridge, past the Marina Mall and towards the Heritage Club; it was a free outdoor museum , showing the old traditions, history and culture of the Arabs; old mud huts, farming equipment and instruments, early weapons, animals, clothes and early and basic irrigation systems were on display.  At one end we walked through some palm trees and arrived at a small beach looking towards the Corniche and the impressive Abu Dhabi skyline. We took in the view, Blair - ever the trusted photographer - captured some great shots for the photo album. I finally dipped my feet into the Iranian gulf, when I noticed tiny transparent blobs in the sea; I suddenly realised these were miniscule jellyfish, barely visible; I jumped back on to the safe sand! Other people were wading along happily enough, so seeing as nobody else was enduring painful stings, I returned to knee high submersion. We sat for a while on the beach and soaked in some rays, although Blair quickly and wisely sought shade; I obliviously (naturally) stayed slightly too long and as a result am sitting here writing a blog with a bright pink nose ( in my bid to avoid the dreaded British tradition of the lobster look, I cleverly managed to miss lathering the most exposed part of my body with factor 25). 

We walked over to the other side of the Heritage Club, passing small gift shops displaying the most beautiful traditional Arabic jewelled gowns and silk scarves. An old man approached us and invited us to stroke blindfolded falcons, next thing we knew, we had them placed on our arms and taking each others photo posing with the birds. We returned the falcons, and as soon as I thought that the smiling old man sharing his beloved birds was to good to be true...he charged 20 dirhams! Next we came to a camel lying in the sand. We were invited to pet him and sit on him; I approached this situation with more care, and instead of naïvely being duped once more, I turned back to Blair for reassurance. We both had our photo taken with the camel, Blair leaning against his hump and I petting his soft, curly, woolen coat.
We returned to the bus and as the tour came to an end so did the day and we watched the sun set. We departed from the bus outside the Sheraton hotel, a short walk from Dave and Tigi's apartment.
We had another delicious dinner that included scrambled eggs with tomato, which, the Wyn Williams clan will well understand, reminded me instantly of Lalla; her signature dish of scrambled eggs, tomato and cheese came straight to mind!
Things we learnt: Don't show signs of affection in public; showing the soles of your feet is a sign of disrespect and greatly insults; Abu Dhabi produces 85,000 barrels of oil daily; the Islamic religion dictates that women and men pray separately; Abu Dhabi uses 250 million gallons of water a day, the water used to water the plants is mainly recycled or desalinated.

Abu Dhabi means head of the Gazelle; the city celebrated its 30 year anniversary in 2001 and to commemorate it raised the flag of the UAE and the largest flag in the world, weighing in at 45 tonnes; the four colours of the flag represent different attributes and ethos of the country- red for security, green for prosperity, white for peace and black for natural resources or simply, oil; Abu Dhabi has one of the lowest crime rates in the world; before the discovery of oil, the greatest trade was pearl diving; the national tree of Abu Dhabi is the date palm tree; Islam, the religion, translates to 'submission' and is the basis of their faith- to dedicate their life to the worship of Allah- the religion is founded upon the principles of justice, love, compassion and honesty; the punishment for raising your middle or two fingers to another here is jail, obscenities or violent behaviour are not tolerated - despite this, Pakistani's are renowned in the area for being  very hot headed (Dave was quick to warn us of their driving and we were soon witness to cars taking corners on main roads on two wheels, cutting up other drivers, breaking abruptly and all with complete disregard for pedestrians (I can just hear dad and Sion saying, "sounds like you Cat!"); during the seventies, the locals were dressed like Westerners, however the former President Sheikh Zayed decided that the locals needed to maintain tradition and identity, and so introduced a ruling whereby all locals wear full traditional dress. I can see the appeal of the abayas, and they're worn so elegantly that any westerner here ( no matter how smartly dressed) looks dull and are unnoticeable in comparison; it is prohibited to take photos of the locals - although there is no private law dictating or enforcing this, it is regarded as customary to abide by the locals preference and as a sign of respect, also, if ignored, you do so at your own peril, and may be faced with unwanted aggression and attention- the Arabs value their privacy greatly; Finally, Abu Dhabi is by far the most hospitable city I have visited.