Safa Park markets

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We’re in the market for a few things for Lewis rather than wait to get our stuff couriered over. So we spent yesterday at Safa Park with friends who told us about the markets they have there once a month.

I’ve been pricing most items at Mother Care – a UK based chain. The prices though for basic things like a bouncer, high chair and stroller weren’t that great. So instead we bought all these items and a few things for Myles at a fraction of the cost. But scoop sale of the day went to Paul who was with us. He picked up a full set of great condition Titleist golf clubs, bag, and brand new buggy never used for less than $150 AUD. It was such a good deal I don’t feel bad at all for stirring him at the car by asking if he knew they were left-handed. He paused with a worried look on his face before laughing out with a “You bastard!”. His family are clearly pros at this market business. His 9 year old son asked about a TV aerial or something. The shopkeeper said it was 5 AED (about $2 AUD), to which he responded, “Yeah, good luck with that” before walking off.

While the specials are great for shoppers, it was suggested it could be a sign of the financial crisis. The size of the market has grown considerably in a month, the same time that the number of expats leaving the country has gone up. Having said that, I think we’ll be back next month. I’m sure there’s something else we need ..

The afternoon finished with us video conferencing into my Nanna’s 90th Birthday party in Shorncliffe, Queensland. Although the internet connection between us was terrible, it was still great to see the whole family there to celebrate Little Chugger’s milestone. The crowd included my two cousins from the Northern Territory and their kids. We wanted to buy some party hats and blowers, but we just ran out of time. I’m still waiting for the piece of birthday cake they said they’d fax.

They’re finally here

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Friday morning a bit before the schedule of 5:45am local time my wife and two boys touched down in Dubai. From Melbourne that was 16 hours of mayhem my wife does not want to repeat alone.

I booked a driver to pick me up on the way to Terminal 3 Arrivals. The coordinator was adamant I should be picked up at touch down time, then drive the 15 minutes to the airport from my place and still have plenty of time to spare. But I couldn’t do it. I made it 5:30am, and even then I felt a bit jumpy if they were already there. In fact, the night before I had a very disjointed sleep with similar scenarios playing in my head. At times I woke up probably ever 20 – 30 minutes just to check my alarm.

When I arrived, it was around 5:40am and the board said the plane had just touched down. As Elle would have her hands well and truly full I booked the Marhaba service, which provides a meet and greet service. Apparently the extra flowers thrown in were well-received. It’s a good idea to book this when coming to Dubai to avoid practically any queues. The porterage service is very convenient also for someone weighed down with rugrats.

It felt like an eternity waiting at the Meeting Point for arrivals. I had a relatively clear view of everyone coming, and was in a constant state of readiness for when I spotted them. Each time I saw the shape of a young boy in the distance I would get my hopes up that it was Myles and co., but when they got close enough for me to see it wasn’t them, I’d swear under my breath. All the while, I’m expecting the absolute worst, that the Marhaba people never met them and they’re walking around totally lost and helpless. Almost 40 minutes later, I spotted them. Myles was holding the hand of a young Filipina Marhaba lady. Although he was 70- 80 metres from where I was standing, it was already clear he was talking her ear off. Elle was following with Lewis in a pram. It was quite emotional finally seeing them after five weeks away from them. Thankfully I had my sunglasses.

As they got to the door from Arrivals Myles finally broke sentence with the lady to look out and see me waving frantically. He looked so cool. He had new jeans & shoes, dress shirt (he still avoids wearing anything else), jacket and there was also a kids Emirates backpack they gave (full of toys) diagonally across his chest. He ran up to the glass barrier where I was standing on the other side where we did a brief high five through the glass. Then we walked out to the opening where I got a huge hug from him, once he saw it was alright from the Marhaba lady for him to run off. Elle had a huge smile, which you could tell was 90% relief. And Lewis was looking very curious. And HUGE! My goodness!

I called the driver to swing back around and pick us up which gave Elle enough time to down a rapid fire handful of cigarettes to calm the nerves. I gave the driver a MYLES sign to hold-up, but there were so many cars parked in the pickup area we did the dodgy and just jumped into the car when security weren’t watching. We’d probably still be there if we waited for a car to leave. That situation would never happen in Brisbane. There they make you feel guilty if you take more than a minute to drop someone off. But here I think the cars had been sitting there for hours, the engines weren’t even running. Our driver Zafir displayed the MYLES sign nonetheless, but the effect wasn’t the same.

We got back to the apartment and Myles was immediately curious about the place, and asking where his room was. I pointed out he was staying in the kitchen. He’d usually know I was joking, but in this strange new environment he watched me closely to see if I was being serious. I gave him a clue, that there was a present on his bed, which made him go through each room. He was eventually wrapped to see his room, already with a few of his items that I had packed with me. He was quite impressed with the Emirates Airline Boeing 777 I bought for him. However, he proudly countered it with a complete QANTAS airport set they picked up in MEL. No loyalty at all.

It was probably about 10 minutes later that my nice clean and relatively bare apartment was converted into a very busy and messy, free for all. There were toys EVERYWHERE. And it was absolutely wonderful.

After at least we moved the suitcases into the rooms they belong to, I got Elle and Myles to lie down and catchup on some much needed rest. Lewis on the other hand was not interested in sleeping at all. This was fabulous Daddy and baby time that I had missed so sorely. He’s the same baby, just bigger, stronger and much more intense. He used to love flapping around, but this has been taken to a whole new level. I think he was actually tired as well, but he was so keen to showoff his new tricks. I put him down on a rug to roll around while I started organising a few things around the place. Each time he spotted me walking past where he was, the legs would kick furiously, and the arms would flap up and down with no sense of personal safety. It reminds me of footage I’ve seen of a turtle when they’re caught and lifted out of water. Although Lewis always has a huge grin, which now has two bottom teeth! He’s also on the verge of another accomplishment with him at six months very close to crawling.

Although it was their first day, Myles and I still went for a walk over to City Centre where I had to pick up some final things – including the cot which arrived for pickup. We also walked to the local shop. Myles had asked about sand as soon as he got here, and where I’m staying in Deira it’s quite built-up so you don’t see much. Occasionally though we would pass a little plot where it was clear there was a sand base instead of grass or dirt. To this Myles would screech SAND! with an excited and hysterical sort of look.

The night was interestingly topped off with a minor emergency when I bought Indian takeout. Myles was not too excited with the Rogan Josh, Tikka, Biryani or rice, so he proceeded to make a “pizza” from putting some of the salad onto a Naan. We were just happy he was eating something on top of the snacks he had in the afternoon. However, one thing we didn’t notice was the “green bean” he put on was actually a chilli. As soon as he took a bite I knew what it was from his reaction. I bit a piece also to check it, and it was ___ing HOT! Immediately I got him to wash out his mouth with the OJ he had. Then we went into the kitchen where we each skulled as much milk as we could stomach (almost 2 litres). It was kind of a relief. However, still not enough so I smashed up some ice in a little bag and he just chewed on that until it got back to normal. Elle and I felt absolutely terrible, but the chilli looked so much like a bean, even after we knew what it was. He got an advance on his ice cream, with extra, which helped even more. But we’ve learned our lesson.

Conned again

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Last night I was conned on the street by Indian beggers.  The guy was holding a baby and with his wife, so his story of the family not having money for food or milk appealed to the senses of an absent father.  To be honest it felt a bit like a con (I mean I saw Slum Dog Millionaire), but when I asked if he was serious and how it could happen I couldn’t really take in his answer. I was just comparing the size of the little baby with my own son who has more than enough food (in fact this morning I heard for a 6 month old he’s off the growth chart!).

I gave them 30 AED before telling  him he needs to look after that baby. Then went on my way.  I was actually heading off to the Irish bar I found on my way home from work.  When I was there I asked the manager if he thought I was ripped off or not.  He shook his head at me, and said I definitely was.

It’s actually not the first time. Last week I met a guy nearly in tears cause apparently the taxi took off with his luggage, passport and all his money, and that he was so hungry.  After a long chat I gave him 50 AED to (allegely) get him through two days until his embassy will give him a ticket to go home. It sounded plausible at the time, and my doorman about said it was probably true. But the guy at the Dublin Arms said that’s a popular racket also.

The other one to watch out for, he said, is a single lady will come up to you asking for money, then right behind her another woman will appear and then they together accuse you of touching them. Then before you know it a whole herd of women come out to say they each witnessed it. The sting is that they say they’ll go to the police if you don’t give them all your money.

The guy at the bar said he’s had a few attempts against him, but the safest way to get around it is to say you’re willing to help, and that you’ll call the police for them.  You’ll be amazed at how fast they scurry away.  So now I’m equipped.

This evening when the guy had the baby, part of me wanted to just cut through the possible B.S. and take him to the shop and buy the food myself – like my brother does back at home – but I was already late, and didn’t want to go out of my way.

Otherwise the night was great.  I had a few pints and watched the Rugby League World Cup Challenge, where Australia’s Manly Sea Eagles beat the Leeds Rhinos. I find it hard to believe that it’s the first time an Australian team has won in six years.  I knew we were having a bit of a bad trot, like maybe two or three losses – but six?!

Anthony Watmou certainly deserved man of the match for his early efforts, although he fell a bit quiet.  Can’t wait for State of Origin, the only other time I like him.  There was an interesting exchange when Jamie Peacock was sin-binned. It was a small TV in a busy bar while I was eating, but it looked like it was Jamie that did the high tackle, threw the first punch, and appropriately got smacked around, yet Josh Perry had to join him in cooling off for 10 minutes.  Perhaps I’m just one-eyed when it comes to watching sport.  I think it’s a sure sign the football seasons have almost begun. 🙂

Go the Broncos and go the Lions.

Can I point?

We were out having a picnic with four year old Myles when he looked up at the sky and spotted a plane.  Wanting to alert the others, he asked if he could point to it. We responded, of course you can point.

The others couldn’t understand why he had asked for permission. That was, until he figured it out in his head and clarified, “So I can point, just NOT at fat people.”

Dubai Jazz Festival, etc

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Some pix from Dubai Jazz Fest 09 - click for more

Some pix from Dubai Jazz Fest 09 - click for more

Last night I went off to the Skywards Dubai International Jazz Festival in Media City to see John Legend – among other acts. I love good music, especially live.  And the international artists they’ve brought to the festival are top-notch, I mean UK’s James Blunt played the night before. The night was wonderful, and certainly worth the trials and tribulations of getting there and back.

Before I went out, I actually got a guy to clean our apartment. I thought I would never get someone else to do this, but Sathi the cleaner we have in the building is such a nice and eager guy, I would hate to preclude him some money.  We had discussed it for a few weeks now, but our schedules never seemed to match.  Finally after work he grabbed me and asked if he could do it now.  I didn’t have to get to the festival til after 6pm, so I figured there was time and agreed.  But I couldn’t help myself.  After I saw him on ground floor where he had to pick up his equipment, I raced up to the apartment and cleaned it myself.  I realise it mostly defeats the  purpose, but I don’t think I’ll ever feel comfortable having someone else clean my place.

Dubai’s Media City is a fair hike from Deira where I’m staying, so I was forced to catch a taxi.  Thursday nights are not a good night for taxis as everyone is going out. I eventually flagged one down, but he did the dodgy open the window a little bit to find out where I wanted to go before agreeing to take me anywhere.  It’s not appropriate, but there’s little you can do about it.  He ummed and aahed for a while, and made a couple of phone calls to confirm if he had time.  He had existing plans with a friend of his. Instead of scrapping the plans he had with his friend, he decided to take me for the trip and drop me at the concert.  My awareness of directions have gotten to the point where I know when I’m going the totally wrong way. I raised it with him, and had some heated words about me paying while he picks up his mate. He eventually backed down, and gave me a straight fare.  All the while, trying to be jovial about where I’m from, and if I like cricket,etc.

I said I had no issues with a small bypass, if I don’t pay for it, and if it doesn’t take too long.  Well picking up his mate did take too long, and just as I was about to jump ship, he said he could get me there straight away so we then flew down Sheikh Zayed Road like a lightning bolt. Taking a few rapid detours on the way whenever the road was built-up.  I’m certain the guy was insane, but he eventually got me there on time.  A little shaken, but on time.

I got settled in to  watch the first act, Kelly Dickson.  She was very good. As she was finishing I thought it was probably a good time to get a bite to eat before people start flooding in for the main acts.

The process was you had to buy books of 10 coupons for 50 AEDs. I bought a lebanese kebab with way too much tahini sauce for 15 AED, and I figured since it was the end of the working week – and the end of my first month here – I should celebrate with a Heinekin.  One stubby in a plastic cup cleaned the rest of my coupons, 35 AED ($15 AUD!).   I still think it’s interesting how much alcohol here is, compared to, well, food.  But it really doesn’t seem to stop people.

In a word, the rest of the show was fantastic.  All acts were very impressive.  I don’t know who my favourite was.  Jonathan Butler was very special – particularly with the ovation he got from the South African beauties dancing next to me.  Dave Koz certainly rocked, and John Legend was superb. Legend performing Green Light (with Andre 3000 on tape) was probably the most entertaining song I’ve seen performed. It wasn’t surprising to see jon his web site how much philanthropy and charity work he does.

The show  came to a close, after one encore of John playing a song by himself on piano.  Then at 12:15am it was time to try my luck at getting home.  I followed the early leavers to what I hoped was a taxi area.  Nope.  It was helter skelter. In fact I witnessed half an incident when a local guy started walking aggressively and swearing at an English woman before her husband chimed in threatening to call the police, at this he didn’t immediately stop which was a worry.  I kept walking.

I waited in a couple more lines that came to nothing.  Then walked a fair distance more, and just when I thought it was hopeless and maybe I should find a backpackers to stay the night, a driver in a Lexus asked where I was going.  Invariably these are private limo services for companies.  We have them for Emirates, but the drivers I contacted were no where near Media City at the time. Anyway the driver mentioned it would take him a long time to get out of Deira and back.  I realise I was not coming from a position of power at all, and knew there were hundreds, if not more people desperately wanting a ride, so I agreed. The price was exactly double what the other guy charged to get me the same distance earlier in the night. But this was more comfortable, and with greater chance of getting to my destination without crashing.

It was certainly all worth it. I’ll certainly be there again next year.

Technology can be misleading

While I’m in Dubai and my family are in Tasmania my four year old son and I have been using Skype to communicate with each other – until their visas are sorted and they can come and join me.

Last night, while chatting away with them, my brother Corey was online also, so I started a three way conference between me in Dubai, my son in Tasmania, and my brother in Brisbane.  We were only able to talk, the video didn’t work with three people.

It was interesting right at the start when my brother asked Myles how he was going.  Myles paused a little, then asked, “Corey, are you in Dubai?”

Terry Fox Run – 2009

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Some of my pix from the Terry Fox Run - Abu Dhabi

Some of my pix from the Terry Fox Run & Abu Dhabi – click for more.

This morning I decided to participate in the 14th Annual Terry Fox Run in Abu Dhabi. To get to Abu Dhabi around 8am for registration meant I had to catch a 6:20am bus from Bur Dubai. Some people warned me against catching buses, but although it was quite smelly and cramped, it got me there in time. I think the main problem with my seat was that I was one of the last to board the bus, so the only seats left were the dodgy ones above the back wheel. Just like I found on the abras, they don’t leave until it’s full. Luckily it never takes long on either to get packed. To get to Abu Dhabi was around 2 hours each way. And to go there and back cost a mere 35 AEDs – about $14 AUD. You can’t complain at those sort of prices. Although taxis are relatively cheap here, I’m scared to think how much they’d charge to cross an emirate, and go the same distance.

I wasn’t able to find an Abu Dhabi map the night before when I hatched the plan. So as I didn’t know where the Sheraton was from the bus station, I hailed a taxi. I have previously written how much better things in Abu Dhabi are. An exception to this, are their taxis. The majority of the fleet are either the Nissan Sunny – which in Australia we know as a Pulsar – or a Toyota Corolla. Another concern I had with my taxi was that there were no seat belts. Fortunately the driver seemed to drive much safer than his Dubai counterparts.

They didn’t have the facilities I’ve come to expect at this kind of event, such as portaloos. And as I went there on my own, I had a bag with a few things and there was no where to leave your belongings. Unfortunately the nearby Sheraton said they don’t have these kind of facilities, but I slipped the guy at the desk a 50 and he happily looked after it in one of his cupboards. As long as I didn’t tell anyone.

After I registered, there was still plenty of time before the 10am start. So I searched out a small supermarket which was hidden away, and bought a local newspaper, and a make-shift breakfast of a chocolate donut, a can of Red Bull, and a water bottle. Nearby there was a tall building being constructed, where they were trying to lift in and install a massive generator. So I plonked myself down in a chair there where I could view the activity. The shopkeeper came out to join me. It seems he was surprised to see an out-of-towner. He asked where I was from, what Australia was like, where I was living over here, and what I was doing here. He we such a nice, friendly and genuine guy I gave him one of the Terry Fox shirts I bought. I only had a big denomination note with me when I registered, so I felt bad clearing out their change so I bought two shirts which made it slightly easier for them. It wasn’t until that night when I saw my reflection in the lift that I realised it says 2008. I’m not sure if I bought some old stock they were clearing out – or was the run meant to have happened last year.

After I finished the paper, two guys wearing overalls came up to me and started talking Arabic. I had no idea what they were trying to say, and they didn’t understand any English. But going by their dodgy charades I think it was their job to wash the cars in the parking lot. I thought that maybe they thought I was impinging on their turf by sitting where I was. Not sure, but they seemed friendly enough at the end, after initially looking a little perplexed.

Anyway, when I went back to the race area there was around half an hour to go. By this time, the place was buzzing with people. I had a chat with some people from Aussies Abroad – Abu Dhabi in matching yellow shirts that grabbed your attention. Although they don’t have a chapter in Dubai, they suggested keeping in touch and keeping an eye on the events on their web site. They’re certainly a well-organised group.

One of the crown princes was also in attendance as a dignatory. He walked extremely close-by, and it looked to me like he was not a big fan of all the attention. The attention was a bit like a pop star, or movie star. I have Googled for him, but have found no information. His name was Chakram, or something similar, and he was one of the sons of the Abu Dhabi ruler.

There were some really stirring speeches before the run from people who had survived cancer, including Canadian paralympian, Jeffrey Adams. The Canadian Ambassador in the UAE gave a nice history of the Terry Fox legend, and explained how much the event meant to Canadians, and how encouraging it was to see so many people out to support the work of one of their national heroes.

Of all the places where the Terry Fox Run occurs around the world, Abu Dhabi is the second largest. The only bigger one is in Terry’s home country of Canada.

To get a full description of the event, and learn about Terry Fox you should go to the official site, but I’ll just say it was very emotional to hear the accounts, and to be part of an event to support his legacy.

took the camera with me on the run, and stopped to take pictures whenever I spotted an interesting site. I haven’t been running properly for over six months now. Thankfully there were many things to take pictures of to punctuate the run. It wasn’t until around the half way mark – when I had snapped most of the land marks – that I started to break a sweat.

It was a picture perfect day in terms of weather. One of the buildings had a temperature display where I saw that it was a pleasant 22 degrees. Everyone keeps telling me it’s just going to get hotter from now on, which is a bit of a worry. Particularly since I forecast my long training runs for my next marathon will fall in the middle of Summer. Depending on who you talk to, and which web sites you read, it either doesn’t get below 25, 30, 35, or 45 in the hottest months. I’m hoping it’s the 25 – but I don’t think so. On the impartiality of the media, I have heard there’s an edict that when the temperature is recorded as being over 50 on any given day, people don’t need to go to work. However, the newspapers have never actually reported it being over 50, despite most thinking it certainly has been.

When I finished the run, I visited my new mate at the Sheraton who told me I made his day, which was a nice end to the event. I found my way back to the bus station by following the general direction I remembered from the taxi ride, and looking out for a street numbered 4 which made things simple. It doesn’t make it easy at other times, when there are several streets with the same number.

I took a few pictures on the way back to the bus station. Including one picture of a random stranger. I was snapping a mosque between two high rise buildings that caught my eye, when he was set to pass me. But instead, he stopped and stood in front of me, and motioned for me to take the picture where he beamed a nice large smile.

For after the run, I actually packed a towel, change of clothes, and a can of deodorant (shower in a can). But I decided to not use any of these to get some revenge on the other bus passengers for the odours I had to endure on the trip to Abu Dhabi. I don’t think I made any impact though. I think it all just blended in. At least I had a more spacious seat. I read my book until I fell asleep, just like on the first trip. I made sure I fell asleep with a tight grasp on my bag which contained my valuables. Just in case.

After I got off the bus back to the Bur Dubai bus station, I caught an abra for the first time. These are the motorised boats that cross the creek. It’s an interesting experience. Everyone who comes to Dubai should try. I expected a normal boat ride, with the sounds of the sea. There were plenty of seagulls flying about. But nope. Just like their roads, there were horns going off every which way. And the drivers of the boats, pointing and motioning with their hands in quite a violent manner to each other.

That got me within 10 – 15 minutes from my apartment. So I walked back, to have a quick shower, a skype with the wife and kids, then head off to a friend’s place for a lamb roast dinner with other expats. It was absolutely beautiful! Plus I got a doggie bag.

It was quite a wonderful day. I look forward to doing the Terry Fox Run again next year. Although, I may drive there next time.

Plenty of variety

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In the morning I had to get a few groceries from the local shop. The large shop I go to more often has a Carrefour – the French hypermarket, which is largest chain in the world. Walmart is only bigger in terms of revenue.

Carrefore is definitely a superior shop for variety to the ones close-by, but it takes over 20 minutes to walk, so when I do shop there, I try not to carry too much.  I made that mistake a few weeks back.  They have a fully-organised taxi waiting room, with guards making sure people take it in turns, however there is not nearly enough taxis for the amount of people needing them. Most of the time there’s a bit of a wait,  but on the day I bought my laptop, plus 3 or 4 bulky bags of things for the apartment it just had to be the night that the taxi line had a 40 – 50 metre line-up.

Rather than wait around, and the pain of having to keep moving my bags up as the line shortened I decided to go for it, and walk all the way.  By the time I reached home I think my arms were a foot or two longer.

I’ve learned my lesson, and now just get a few groceries, more often.  Or I just get what I absolutely have to from the big shops, and get other things from the gritty supermarkets nearby. Actually, it’s not that bad.

All shops here have so many different things from back home. Not a lot of pig product, obviously. But the fruit juices are a highlight.  I’ve tried quite a few different varieties which I’m not used to seeing in Australia. My favourite is kiwi fruit juice, closely followed by strawberry juice.  Honeydew mellon is OK, but I’ve learned to avoid anything with coconut or sugar cane. What was I thinking. Ewww.

Two steps forward..

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Today I came back to my apartment feeling like I had some success.  Mind you, this was the second time I returned home. The first time I felt absolutely frustrated.  Just like many other days when I’ve had to deal with a certain area involved in visa processing, etc.

But anyway, back to the positive. Not only did I walk a new way home from the nearby shopping centre without getting lost.  I also managed to achieve almost everything on my shopping and to-do lists that had failed me for almost a couple of weeks.

My trips to the shops have usually ended with me giving  up cause I can’t find what I’m looking for, can’t get in and out of the shops without waiting an enormous amount of time, or can’t find someone with even basic English skills or the willingness to answer a simple question. Actually quite a few of my trips have combined all three.

I talk about it like a tremendous success, but in normal everyday life getting some passport-sized photos enhanced and printed; and buying things like a dish drainer, water bottle, and cotton buds are pretty minor things.  But here, when I have searched the web for info, and gone into plenty of shops and failed to find these everyday things to the standard I want, tonight’s purchases seem like fossicking some huge gold nuggets.

Actually I referred to  not getting lost like it’s a strange thing for me. It actually hasn’t.  Elle refers to me having a bad sense of direction, but it hasn’t been an issue here at all. I guess there’s no alternative to finding my way around. I’ve even helped out the occasional limo driver, who haven’t known where basic landmarks are.

It’s not entirely related to the topic, but typing directions made me think of it. As I was walking through the carpark on my way out of the shop, I probably pass about 20 – 30 drive straight in car spaces.  I would say, tonight when I passed these spaces, almost a third of all the cars were pointing in various directions – other than straight ahead.  No word of a lie, a couple were driven in and left at around a 40 degree angle! This adds to the examples of bad driving that you see everywhere, and that I’ve written about previously.

A few of the guys have asked more than once when I’m going to change my driver’s license over and hire or buy a car. My position is getting more concrete everyday, I’m going to put it off for as long as humanly possible!

But in reality, once the family arrive, it would be a good time to get more daring. There’s more to see in Dubai than the vicinity of Deira and the creek, and where I’ve been able to impinge on the kindness of others who have driven somewhere else.

The prices to hire cars is quite expensive, so a couple people I know hire the small and basic cars.  It might be a good idea until we get used to the roads, driving on the other side of the road, but most importantly, all the other crazy drivers.

Abu Dhabi – 14 Feb 2009

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Some of the pix taken on the day. Full pix available thru 'Happy snaps' link above.

Some of the pix taken on the day - click for more.

Yesterday ten of us did a roadtrip to UAE’s capital, and Brisbane’s latest sister city, Abu Dhabi.  I can say, Abu Dhabi would be considered Brisbane’s richer, more confident sister. I took my Broncos jersey, but no one else there were wearing there’s. Perhaps they hadn’t got Campbell Newman’s press release yet.

The place was a nice break, and more different from Dubai than I had imagined.  Dubai seems almost obscene with the height and number of its buildings in comparison.  There seems to be a lot more planning behind Abu.  They have far more space, and more green areas, and a nicer walk along the waterside. It is still in the desert like Dubai, but Abu Dhabi has cleverly put effort into making the pieces within sight green and covered, and all the sand is further out.  With Dubai it seems to be everywhere they haven’t built a skyscraper yet.  I’m probably talking prematurely, as I’ve yet to see half of what Dubai has to offer.  But it is often said that the planning behind Dubai lacks a level of detail, or a level of foresight. It seems buildings change the roads, electricity, and water networks quite regularly. As one of our group aptly put it, if only they had played Sim City when they were younger.

We visited the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, which is impressive to say the least.  One of the guys with us has visited the Taj Mahal several times, and says it was not nearly as grand, or nice. I’m sure other web sites can describe it so much better than I could, so I won’t bother – except to say, it was lovely, and a definite thing to see.

After viewing time finished, and the security chased everyone out, we made our way to the Emirates Palace – a huge notable five star hotel. Other people in our group failed previously to get in and see the place when they tried, as there was a VIP staying the night. This time, we weren’t allowed in without a reservation. Another from our group made it straight in a little while before us. Seems he just drove in confidently and wasn’t questioned.  His comments – perhaps just to make us feel better – were, it was very flash, but if you’ve seen one fancy hotel you’ve seen them all.

Lunch was in a cafe in their Marina Mall, and we also visited the Heritage Village to do the full tourist thing.  It was a nice place, although craving a bit more authentic ties to the area’s history for mine.

After many a photo, we decided to head back to Dubai. We saw many flash cars on the road on the way back to Dubai. One in particular that got our interest was a very flash Mercedes that a local guy was driving. The guy was driving like a real maniac, and obviously the hotted-up Mercedes had power to burn. Anyway, several minutes later as we were just cruising at the speed limit, we passed the very same red hotted up Mercedes pulled over by a police car.  Justice, for once.   Usually these cars own the road, and you just have to watch out.

I thoroughly recommend Abu Dhabi from the little I saw of it. It seemed to have quite a few green spaces – which I really don’t want my boys to miss.  In Dubai, they do have dedicated green spaces for kids to play, etc, but you need to search them out.  And to pay for the enormous amount of water and effort to maintain grass in a hot desert, you almost alwasys have to pay for the privilege.