Blogs from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Middle East - page 29

If you ever find yourself in Abu Dhabi, may I recommend to you a Dhow Dinner Cruise? It was lovely. A group of Cerner folks and our new friend Barb decided to take the trip down the Corniche last Tuesday night. Corniche literally means 'by the sea' and here in Abu Dhabi it refers to a large seafront boardwalk. It is a really picture-perfect view of Abu Dhabi, especially from the water at night. We boarded the boat around 8:30pm and set sail along the Corniche. We cruised for about fifteen minutes before a dinner of fresh seafood was served. Everything was delicious (even if Laura didn't think so!) and the service was extraordinary. After dinner, around 10:00pm, we went back up to the top of the boat to enjoy the ride with the warm breeze ... read more

On Saturday we (my Cerner friends, Laura and Rebecca) ventured out on a desert safari - and what an experience that was! We went dune bashing - which basically involves driving like crazy people on the sand dunes in a Toyota Land Cruiser. The feeling is similar to a roller coaster, only slightly more terrifying because of the lack of safety regulations and such. After dune bashing, they took us to a camel farm to see the camels and their young…baby camels are too cute! Then we had a chance to put snowboards on and cruise down the sand. Let me tell you, climbing a sand dune is NOT easy! Going down was way more fun than climbing back up. Next, we watched the sunset over the desert and headed off to camp. At camp we ... read more

Hands down...the Grand Mosque is the most amazing building that I have ever seen. WOW. This mosque is still in the making - but when it is done will be able to hold 10,000 people at a time. The official name is the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque but it is known as the Grand Mosque -Sheikh Zayed is buried there. We were asked to remove our shoes, and women were asked to cover up with robes and head scarves (I am unsure of the official name of the attire). I was very impressed by how welcoming everyone was, my taxi driver told me that all people are welcome..."Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, whatever! All are welcome here!" The artwork in the hall was unbelievable. There was stained glass, mosaics, stone floors with intricate designs, carved ... read more

The best street signs EVER!!! At first we thought the 'Humps Ahead' sign was a joke...but then we saw these signs...and apparently they were serious! Hahahahahaha.... read more

Well, they warned me that it would be hot, but here I am - shocked by how hot it is outside. Therefore, I am facinated with the news and weather and am learning about the Celcius temperature scale a bit more. 38 degrees Celcius is approximately 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Today, the temp is 41. ... read more