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A slide into opulence, well almost
Andrea Bocelli and Coldplay were all in the house, and so were we, our rented Mitsubishi Lancer perched alongside the snub-nosed Rolls Royces and BMW Limousines in the garage at the Emirates Palace Hotel.
We had gone to see Emirates Expressions, an exhibition of contemporary and traditional works by local artists and found much more. A photographic exhibition, Europeans 1929-1991, by Henri Cartier-Bresson and a huge display of the proposed development of Saadiyat Island, 500 metres off the Abu Dhabi coast being undertaken by the Tourist Development and Investment Company (TDIC), the corporation that Jade works for . Described as an upscale cultural district, Saadiyat will be linked to Abu Dhabi by two ten-laned causeways and house Guggenheim and Louvre museums, a world-class performing arts center and concert hall as well as a New York University campus and a Gary Player designed gold course and academy. All this and more for a mere $NZ50 billion.
But back to the Emirates Palace, the hotel where you can get your cappuccino sprinkled with gold flakes, and where reservations are required even for afternoon tea. It is a huge and opulent place, one kilometer from wing to wing and a reception area about the size of a rugby field, its domed height more than 72 metres. It is one of those places they say that if you have to ask about the cost of accommodation or food you cannot afford to stay there. Its advertising boasts the world’s most expensive, one million dollar (US) tailor-made suite holiday. As for us, we lingered a while, sat in a few chairs, dawdled around and failed to spot a single star. Maybe next time.
Predictions of storms throughout the Arabian Peninsula have proved accurate, the Bocelli performance was partially muted by wind, the Coldplay concert was awash and we have had a series of fantastic electrical storms resulting in lightning and thunderstorms, hail in many places and, believe it or not, snow in Ras al Khaimah, a neighbouring emirate. Warnings have been issues not to loiter around wadis, the usually dry river valleys, as downpours have resulted in flash flooding.
The effect is interesting to say the least and the media has been obsessed, the Crown Prince photographed in the paper up to his ankles in hail, houses have lost roofs and there are traffic accidents galore, or more galore than usual. The roads weren’t constructed with drainage in mind and the combination of water, oil and drivers inexperienced in wet conditions is lethal, literally so. Twelve people have been reported as having been killed in road accidents across the UAE due to the wet weather.
As for us, we thought the rain might wash clean the car after our trip to Al Wathba, but not so. Its state, covered in sand and dust inside and out, was a dead giveaway that we hadn’t altogether complied with the rental car agreement prohibiting off-road adventures.