Abu Dhabi Doo

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June 7th 2015

Published: July 19th 2015

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Delek Delek

Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque

The highlight of Abu Dhabi's sights.

Did you know that The Flintstones is banned in Dubai? They're not allowed to show it and so they don't. But Abu Dhabi do.

My stint in South Africa now over, I was now on my way to London via what seemed like a joke as bad as the one above - a fifteen hour stopover in Abu Dhabi.
No matter - I have a habit of making the most out of long layovers such as the ones I had in Singapore, Segovia, Seoul and Dusseldorf.

Arriving in Abu Dhabi at 7.30am and departing for London at 2.00am the next morning, I pretty much had an entire day to check out the sights and sounds of Abu Dhabi.
Now I usually cringe at the idea of getting on those hop-on, hop-off double decker buses that take tourists to all the sights of a city, thinking that they're way more expensive than they're worth. But with no subway system in Abu Dhabi and much distance separating the main sights which would rack up a shitload of taxi fares, on this occasion it would definitely be US$60 well spent to get me to all the places I wanted to go in one

Etihad Towers

Atop the top of Tower 2, is an observation deck affording a view of Abu Dhabi's skyscraper-lined shoreline.

day.

Leaving my bag at a left luggage kiosk at the airport, I took a taxi to Abu Dhabi's signature sight - the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque. The biggest mosque in the country, it certainly is grand. It can accommodate in excess of 40,000 worshippers and took eleven years to build, with construction complete in 2007.
It is definitely a breathtaking sight - certainly one of the most impressive mosques I have seen complete with its elegantly landscaped gardens, bleach-white exterior and pool and column-lined walkways. To give you more of an impression as to the scale and size of the place, the mosque boasts the world's third-largest chandelier inside.
The reason I taxied to the mosque was because it is the closest Big Bus Tour stop to the airport. So on I hopped onto the double decker bus, where unlike the buses of its kind in Europe, the entire bottom level of the bus and half of the top is enclosed and air conditioned in recognition of the scorching temperatures outside.

Passing the seashell-designed UAE Pavilion along the way, my first stop on my tour was the World Trade Centre Souk - a modern shopping mall that

Emirates Palace

THE grandest hotel complex in Abu Dhabi. This is just the gate into the place - only the well-heeled guests are allowed past it.

has been designed to take in elements of what the old, traditional markets looked like. It is all wooden beams and natural light and is cleverly and tastefully designed - it was also nice to walk around inside merely for the air conditioning.
Looking at the distance between the next couple of sights that I wanted to see, it looked eminently walkable. In most cities around the world it would be - but in Abu Dhabi in May, in the 41ºC heat? Not so much. But in typically foolhardy fashion, I did it anyway.
Passing Al Ittihad Square and its huge sculptures of traditional cooking objects, I then make it to Al Hosn Fort, which is the oldest stone building in Abu Dhabi and the traditional centre of the city. It was unfortunately closed for restoration and archaeological research, but I was desperate to cool down so I took some time out in the air conditioned museum which was actually quite interesting and free to enter with my bus ticket. The fort was originally just a watchtower defending the only freshwater well in Abu Dhabi and later became the residence of the ruling sheikh.
Braving the heat again, I made

Capital Gate Building

Another one of Abu Dhabi's architectural gems.

my way by foot to the "corniche", which is the beachside promenade. It was unsurprisingly deserted. I never thought that it was possible and I never thought I'd say it, but it was just too hot to go to the beach. It actually felt like an oven outside and it wouldn't take long for anyone to get heat stroke. I don't think I was far away from it myself as I desperately searched for the closest bus stop. Once I found it, I then faced an agonising wait in the heat for the bus - or would I? The town planners of Abu Dhabi like to think they are on the cutting edge and they certainly are with their bus stops - they are completely enclosed and air conditioned with automatic doors keeping the heat out. It was an absolute godsend.

I then had a mandatory stop at the Marina Mall, which to be honest is a little old and crusty in comparison to some of the other malls on show in the UAE but boasts an ice rink like the Dubai Mall in er, Dubai. It also has a tower which you can go up for free although

Colonnade

Pool-lined colonnade at the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque.

it is a little awkward as the viewing platform is a revolving restaurant, where diners have to put up with riff-raff like me, who have gone up there just for the view and are constantly walking around the tables.
I got some lunch at the rather less fancy food court downstairs before jumping on the next bus to the Etihad Towers from where I got a peek at the ridiculously ostentatious Emirates Palace, which lies on 1.3km of private beach, has 85 hectares of gardens and lawns, and has 394 rooms in a complex with 114 domes, each 80m high.
The view of Abu Dhabi however, is from the ear-popping Etihad Towers, 74 floors up. The towers themselves are a bit of a landmark as is its extravagant interior full of marble and Cartier shops. Unlike the tower at the aging Marina Mall, I did have to pay US$15 (with discount) to go up the Etihad Towers though the view itself was disappointing. I knew before I went up that it might be like this; I noticed on the ground that the air was full of dust and sand and it duly served to conceal the view of the skyscrapers

Al Ittihad Square

Home to large sculptures recognising the traditional culture of Abu Dhabi.

lining the corniche - the view of Abu Dhabi. Although disappointed, I had no regrets - it is one of the things that you have to do while in Abu Dhabi.

I wanted to spend the last part of my day on Yas Island, a newly-developed enclave which is home to theme parks, plush modern hotels and Abu Dhabi's Formula 1 circuit. Unfortunately however, there are only limited double deckers that go out that way and I had missed the penultimate one - meaning that I had a couple of hours to kill before catching the last one. Having had little sleep on the plane and having arrived in Abu Dhabi so early, I opted for the couple of hours in the air-conditioned comfort of the bus as it made its way endlessly around Abu Dhabi - like a baby, I fell asleep as the bus went around and around and around and arou....

As it was the last bus of the day, I didn't have the opportunity to get off at any of the stops on Yas Island which included the architecturally interesting Yas Viceroy Hotel, which is right next to the F1 circuit. Yas Waterworld looked

World Trade Centre Souk

One of the more subtle yet elegant shopping malls I have visited, fusing features of traditional Arabian markets into a modern shopping mall. The mall makes great use of natural light.

like a kid's wet dream (literally) and I was then advised by the driver to get off the bus at Ferrari World, which is right next to Yas Mall. I'd be able to get a cab back to the airport more easily from here as there are more taxis here than there would be at the closed Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque, and I'd be able to grab some dinner here too. It made sense, so off I hopped and my double decker bus tour was over.

Ferrari World is huge - it is the world's largest theme park and it has the world's fastest rollercoaster. Unfortunately, it was far too dear to enter - it would have been about £40 - so I ended up walking around Yas Mall for a while, which like most things in Abu Dhabi, is huge, modern, opulent and plush. I did have a good burger and shake in there however, at the Shake Shack.
With the sun having set, I had to miss out on a visit to Masdar City, which is a city project aiming to be a environmentally friendly municipality that will primarily serve as a place of work where technology

Abu Dhabi Investment Council Headquarters Towers

An example of some of the startling modern architecture that exists in Abu Dhabi.

companies dedicated to renewable energy and "clean" technology will be based. There is an research institute that lives on-site that is dedicated to alternative energy, environmental sustainability and clean technology - things that the world are in desperate need of - so I admire the project and can only hope something good will come out of it and that it can be an example to follow.

Utterly exhausted, I got a taxi back to the airport where I still had four hours to kill before my flight. I have to say I'm not a fan of Abu Dhabi airport - it is difficult to get around and the maps and directions are useless. They did have showers though, which I was grateful for although I needed to spend US$7 on a disposable towel and a shower kit.

Much like Dubai, there isn't much culture in Abu Dhabi - like its cousin, it is all about the biggest, the fastest, the tallest, the best. It is all flash buildings, glass shopping malls, whopping theme parks and modern, cutting-edge architecture. Dubai has had a head start on Abu Dhabi however, and as a result Abu Dhabi is pretty much a

Under Construction

The pace of development here in the oil-rich UAE apparently continues unabated despite the slow down in the world economy.

Dubai-lite, although there is an admirable goal of making the city the cultural centre of the country in opposition to Dubai's financial might.

I'm now off back to London where I will visit friends, run errands, visit old haunts and attend Glastonbury. However, there will be time to make a couple of trips to spots in the UK I didn't get to while I was living there - and these will be covered by the next blog entries coming your way.

As-salamu alaykum,
Derek

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