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Will that be gold with your cappuccino, m’aam?
At first I imagined that the big grey helicopters hovering overhead in menacing circles were for us. Maybe hoping to catch us holding hands or even nude sunbathing but, no, the military airbase is not far from here. It is just part of the daily routine.
The guidebook tells us that Abu Dhabi is a lush, modern metropolis with tree lined streets, futuristic skyscrapers, huge shopping malls and international luxury hotels, developing at a breakneck speed to become a truly 21st century destination. In little over half a century, it has seen a dramatic transformation from a small Bedouin settlement to a thriving business and tourism centre of global stature.
Our end of town is more old Abu Dhabi than new, the local shops more Arabic than international, that is, aside from the nearby Pepsi factory. The residents are mostly locals, apart from one young Chinese woman who seems to spend much of the day sauntering up and down the street fastened to a mobile phone.
Tuesday was spent starting our quest in earnest to absorb the sights, sounds and smells of Abu Dhabi, by bus and foot rather than Porsche. First stop the breakwater by the Marina which looks back over the skyline of the city and which houses a heritage village, the re-creation for tourists of the city’s Bedouin beginnings. Further along there is an enormous 100 metre high pole flying the UAE flag, the guidebook proclaiming that, until recently, it was the largest self-supporting flagpole in the world. Behind the breakwater, the Marina shopping mall, complete with viewing tower, Ikea and cinnamon bun shop.
Back towards the city is what at first glance looks like an extraordinarily lavish palace but which turns out to be only a palace of sorts, the Emirates Palace Hotel. Its website describes it as the iconic landmark of Abu Dhabi, costing a billion dollars, presumably U.S., and taking 20,000 workers three years to build. Time Out tells us that guests wanting that extra touch can have cappuccino with gold leaf sprinkled on the top instead of chocolate. Five kilograms of pure edible gold is used each year at this hotel, mainly for deserts.
Of course, in shorts and jandals we can’t even get beyond the sentry box so it is onwards, past the road to the ladies beach and down the “Cornishe”, the local waterfront promenade, and on to shops on the outskirts of the main shopping area. We ran out of time to see the souks and dhow yard, but that awaits us.
Wednesday is given to domestic chores. Washing to the laundry (about 20 dirham to wash and fold a small bag load) passport photos at a local store, then down to the Indian Embassy to arrange for visas. The Embassy was advertised to be open until 1.00pm, when we arrived at 12.15 it was closed. Not a good omen.
The find of the day was undoubtedly Sheikh Zayed’s Grand Mosque, the second largest mosque in the world behind Mecca. It is immense, its 22,000 square metres has the capacity to hold 30,000 people, and its exterior of pure white marble just glistens against the sun .Typically we find only after our visit that the mosque is open to non-Muslim visitors between 9.00 and 11.00 in the mornings. An excellent reason to return.