http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Middle East , United Arab Emirates , Abu Dhabi en-us Sun, 03 Jan 2010 13:06:35 +0000 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 13:06:35 +0000 This is a very belated entry sorry I know some of you have been curious about our little stopover in Abu Dhabi so while I have some time I thought I would update you on the last days of our trip.We were glad to be breaking the trip up the travelling had made us tired and we weren't looking forward to hours hours on a plane. Our flight left Brussels and the 7 hours to Abu Dhabi felt li http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-462961.html PrologueThe international airport outside of Abu Dhabi is in itself the perfect metaphor for that city. When I first arrived and my travel weary self emerged into that sparkling edifice a shimmering technicolour place that somehow resembles both a flowering lotus and a Turkish bath I remember thinking that I would need to dedicate some serious time to explore the building upon my departure. http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-445384.html The weather.... At the start of September AD was still unbareably hot.....like 45 degrees every day..with high humidity.....so it was an effort or stupidity to go outside much during the day. The dash to your car or waiting for a taxi was a debateable scenario...do you bother or not I am pleased to report that by the months end the weather has pleasantly changed We are still in high 30's bu http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-441017.html Tall towers of air conditioned comfort generally shield us from the approaching desert on our doorstep. Abu Dhabi island is surrounded by desert once you are near the edge of town behind the smaller buildings bitumen roads lies a vastness of desert which links each city here. Driving to Ras Al Khaimah Northern coastal Emirate of UAE we pass a deepening orange sand spreading out into dunes http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-438488.html As previously mentioned I have been experiencing the joys of having my underwear cleaned and pressed by those little men at Bombay Laundry. One day I asked a friend from school to pick it up for me as she lives in town and we are now living in khalifa B. The next day I was informed that my clothes were being held due to the fact that the school had not paid the complete bill yethellipWe are n http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-437480.html Ah......warmth heat..no wait a minute extreme 45 degree hot humidWell after a break from living in Abu Dhabi back in Melbourne for a while I was glad to be leaving the long dreary winter shedding the hat coat scalf gloves constant carrying of umbrella that had been adding weight to my winter hibernation..Flying across the globe my first views of reconnecting with AD were from the http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-435399.html I realise that the Middle East does not have a great reputation for Health Safety in the workplace or to and from the workplace for that matter but I'd like to redress the balance a bit and show an example of a company that is not only keeping up with European standards but knocking them into a cocked hat.Mushrif National Construction L.L.C. are building a 20odd storey tower right next to http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-435077.html And so it begins or The things ive learnt about international travel in the last 24 hours I find myself at a thankfully free internet terminal in abu dhabi airport at midnight. Thankful in part for the freeness and in in another part because it is midnight outside and dipping to a very chilly 33 degrees celcius. I am on a time limit so i will just list a few points i have been thinking abou http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-434685.html Hello everyoneI felt I could not go on withought first imparting some humorous things that were done to me someone else or was seen. The first thing would have to be where I go to get my laundry done. The school said they would pay for all our cleaning at this particular place across the street from the hotel Bombay Laundry. My adventure began when I opened the door and saw these faces. I w http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-432779.html Hello everyoneThis past weekend some friends and I went to the only mosque that I know of that allows visitors. Our adventure began when the women of the group had to dress in the traditional muslin dress basically covered from head to toe except our faces. Once suited up we had to remove our shoes before entering. There were doors next to the visitors center that had a sign saying Shoe Store http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-432762.html Goldeneye inflatables E34AIEPedagantyadaVizag44Ph9963515511 9247345722Emailgoldeneyeinflatablesgmail.com infogoldeneyeinflatables.com sureshgoldeneyeinflatables.comwebwww.goldeneyeinflatables.com http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-430570.html Hey everyoneI thought I would talk a bit about the school as I have been getting many questions about it. We had our first staff meeting today. All week we will be picked up at 830 a.m. Yes I actually drag myself out of bed at 630 a.m. to work out eat breakfast and get ready. It's a miracle...I know School officially starts the 30th of August so we have all this time to set up our classroom http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-429277.html Hello everyoneIt is my first official day in Abu Dhabi well actually my second but we arrived late last night. The flight was very long..I did not sit next to anyone with B.O. but I did play arm jockey for 7 hours with some guy who thought that a quarter of the space on my side should be his...so finally I just rested my arm on his. British Airways from Toronto to London was pleasant and the fo http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-428599.html I don't want to get into a big debate about ethnic origins of various races nor do I want to get into details regarding numbers but the fact of the matter is that the vast majority of the people on this planet are not white.The world population is currently estimated at about 6.78 billion. The bulk of the white people are to be found in Northern America Europe Russia and the Antipodes. Add tog http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-422526.html 20709Got the visa packed the bags copied all the paperwork got all the 'you beaut' travel things... pegless clotheline sleeping bag liner microfibre towel travel books maps diary journal torches ... etc...I've seen 23 of the kids and got emails from the other 13. Got photos of all the kids and grandkids... all girls can someone tell my kids how to produce boys then again it took http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-420223.html My stomach was growling and on a normal day I would have sprinted to sample one of everything that didnrsquot involve red meat. But this was no normal day. I needed a photo with Spike Lee. Part of me wanted the proof that I randomly came halfway across the world only to encounter the same successful role model who happened to drop by my humble Midwestern university about four years earlier. http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-411614.html I sipped a glass of red wine and chatted with the students who were eager to get to know the new girl. There were a couple of Kazaks and Russians some Lebanese and Syrians one overly cocky half Italian half French guy the adorably innocent twentytwo year old Iraqi secretary and several Iranians who tended to follow their introductions with ldquoBut donrsquot worry. I love Americans.rdq http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-411612.html I couldnrsquot believe it. For the last four years I had had two claims to fame. One was seeing Brad Pitt at the University of Missouri Columbia supporting a filmmaker who had made a documentary about John Kerry during his run for president in 2004. The other was the same year when Spike Lee visited and spoke about his education and early years in the filmmaking industry. What stood out to me m http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-411611.html I must have landed in Abu Dhabi about the same time as Spike Lee. Maybe we were even on the same plane. I wouldnrsquot have noticed anyway. I was too busy gawking out the window at the dazzling display of the yellow luminosity with intermittently dispersed white radiance all lined to perfection in an endless grid that seemed to simultaneously define and insult modern art on an astronomical sca http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-411609.html I've consulted an expert on this and yes a Golden Facial is exactly what you think it is. http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Abu-Dhabi/blog-407424.html