I didn't feel any emotion leaving, even at the airport where I thought it would finally hit. But that's okay, because I think it confirms that my decision to leave was the right one to make. Of course, saying goodbye to friends is always hard, but I figure with modern communications they will never feel that far away.
Now I have started my travel adventure home via Abu Dhabi and Morocco. So welcome back Uncle Travelling Pat!
I came to Abu Dhabi for one main reason: the weather! April is the best time to come to the UAE because the temperatures are high, but not too high. When I visited Dubai before, it was over 50 degrees most days and just walking from A to B was a bit of a challenge. In Abu at this time of year it's 25-30 degrees and a comfortable dry heat.
Abu Dhabi (which means Father of the Gazelle, in case you're interested) is the capital of the seven emirates of the UAE, as well as being the biggest and the richest. It has a lot of oil, but in an effort to diversify and ensure post-fossil fuel prosperity, it is pumping big money into becoming a tourism and culture hub. As a result it is way more beachy than I expected. Here is the beach on the Corniche that I went to every day. Not too shabby.
There are segregated beaches for women, families and unmarried men, but the divisions don't seem to be strictly enforced, as you can see below.
Overall, it seems that diverse cultures coexist fairly well here in Abu, and, while an Islamic moral code is definitely prevalent, other ways of behaving seem to be largely accepted at most times.
The Corniche is a long, well-serviced sea front. People walk, roller blade, relax, play sports, fish...I walked the Corniche every day, and for me the main attraction was that it's a great place to drink a coffee and people watch.
A lot of the architects and civil engineers working in the UAE come from Australia, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Corniche was some of their work: you'd swear you were in Perth.
The Corniche feels like one of the main arteries of the city, and it certainly is if you're not driving a car. Abu Dhabi is far more pedestrian friendly than Dubai: I even saw Emirati out of their luxury cars walking, which I never saw in the neighbouring emirate.
Abu also has lots of pedestrian underpasses to help you safely tackle the 10-lane highways. Each passage has a different decorative motif that holds a special significance for the people of the UAE: horses, falcons, camels, oysters, and so on.
Before the disvocery of oil in '58, pearl diving was the main source of income and wealth for the locals - until the Japanese developed cultured pearls and put them out of business...oops!
Abu's main sightseeing attraction at the minute is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
It's the third largest in the world and the largest outside Saudi Arabia. It's also the burial site of Sheikh Zayed, former ruler of Abu Dhabi and much-loved founding father of the UAE.
The exterior is awesome. It feels like the Taj Mahal and you cannot help but be impressed by its elegance. The inside... not so much.
A little gaudy for my taste - other large mosques that I've been to have had much simpler interiors that - combined with great size - created a stronger impression. It's a wonderful place for people who like taking photos and deserves the title of must-see in the region.
It's not such a great place to easily contemplate and feel spiritual though. The tours are constant and I probably had the odd rage stroke trying to deal with my fellow humans, as I'm sure they did with me.
The other big attraction (for now) is the Emirates Palace Hotel.
This is a palace to extreme wealth and conspicuous consumption. It boasts numerous statistics to stake its claim as the most luxurious hotel in the world (which no doubt irks their neighbours in Dubai who try to claim the same title). I can't remember all the reasons, but one factoid that stuck with me is that they apparently use 1kg of edible gold leaf a year for decorating food. Can that be right? If so, that's a lot of precious metal going down the drain pipes! I was half-thinking to set up a prospecting station in the sewers.
The thing about Abu is thay everything feels like it's just not quite there yet. I mean, this most luxurious hotel is still right beside a construction site.
I know your room would be far from here and you'd probably arrive by helicopter or something if you had the money to stay here, but it still somewhat takes that luxury sheen away. Similarly, there's going to be all these great cultural attractions: Abu will have its own Guggenheim and Louvre and all will be displayed in buildings designed by the world's leading architects). But none of this stuff is open yet. It chapped my ass to think that these new attractions will open later this year, but for now it feels like the city is saying, "Please wait, come back shortly and we promise we'll have a world-class city to offer you." Maybe. But the danger with these urban-planning projects is that they can feel a bit theme-parky. London, Paris, New York & co. built up over time, and with this time came atmosphere. At the minute, Abu feels like a Disney version of a cultural capital. But it is still fascinating and I would certainly recommend it for a few days' stay.
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