24 Dubai... Playground for the Rich... so we went to Abu Dhabi

Sorry for the lack of pictures but this internet is really bad at the moment....

Sailing into Dubai has not changed... you see the city looming up in the distance but it is all clouded in a haze.... Not from pollution but from the surrounding sand storms. 

As you get closer you do not realise just how tall the Burj Khalifa is until you realise that the  high-rise around it only come half way up its towering height. 

In front of us already docked was the Queen Elizabeth. We were lucky enough to get the prime spot in front of the Port Rashid Terminal, and later in the day, our old partner in crime the Europa 2 pulled up behind us having last seen her as we passed her near Vietnam.

Today we went to Abu Dhabi. We had a Mini Bus of 21 people and once again I booked our wonderful guide Shehnaaz. We had a wonderful day and most of that can be attributed to her.  Her energy, knowledge and passion is second to none.

It is approximately 90minutes to Abu Dhabi from Dubai, and Shehnaaz kept us entertained with everything you needed to know about the area.  As we drove through Dubai she would point to all these landmarks and talked about how they hold the Guinness Book of records for one thing or another. I think Dubai holds the Guinness book of records for holding the most Guinness book of records!!

Driving through Dubai is like driving through a gallery of sculptures, as each building looks just as amazing as the next ... so many works of art in one place.

As you drive along the freeway the road changes colour, and then you know you have passed over the border. Abu Dhabi is made up of a group of islands linked by roads and you don’t even realise that you’re passing from one to another.  Though not as busy as Dubai, Abu Dhabi is catching up fast.

Our first stop was the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque.  This was the most exquisite Mosque we have ever seen.  Made from white marble with beautifully inlaid columns, stunning chandeliers and magnificent carpets. From every angle this mosque is a master piece. The shimmering blue pools out the front, the many gold top columns, and the many domes that line the roof... First we headed down to the bathrooms...  Even if you didn’t need to use them they were not to be missed.

The first room we walked into, the marble was of the purist white with beautifully inlaid flowers and stunning stain glass windows. This room is specially designed for the women.  You then enter the main prayer room which featured 3 amazing chandeliers made from Swarovski crystals. We tripped over our jaws as we walked into centre (I love those OMG moments) ....  You know when you go to a shopping centre and you see a child frantically running around looking for its parent ... lost not knowing where to go next... Well that was me... I stopped to take a photograph and when I turned around everyone was gone and I was surrounded by all these strangers.... do I stay put, or do I follow the crowds... do I sit down and cry until a nice security guard comes and finds me and takes me to the lost persons tent.... phew no need.... Shehnaaz came to the rescue and found me and led me back to my family...

Many of those on tour who have also been to the Taj Mahal said that they thought this mosque was much more impressive.

Next we went to the Emirates Palace Hotel... the only way that we could enter was by having a booking at one of the cafe’s with a minimum spend of 100 dirhams.  This palace is a replica of the Kings palace.. just beautifully decorated in elegant creams and gold.

The cafe’s cakes looked so delicious, dripping in gold leaf, and how could you come here and not have the speciality of a Cappuccino topped with 22k Gold flakes. They use approx 5kg a year of gold leaf in their foods. For lunch we passed on the gold leaf camel burger and went for the simple Mezze with lots of dips, breads, samosas and stuffed vine leaves.

After dragging ourselves away from all this decadence we headed over to the Heritage Village for glimpses of life before the discovery of Oil in Abu Dhabi in bygone days.  There was an Arabic campsite, with traditional houses, old traditional markets and a small museum.  There were little shops dedicated to their crafts. One shop for leather goods, a glass blower, pottery maker, ship builder and blacksmiths.  The place was a-buzz as it looked like there was an Abra regatta about to take place just in front of the village.

 

Shehnaaz treated us to a sweet that she just loves .... and lo and behold, out of the bag came what we greeks call Loukomades..... Donut textured balls... crisp on the outside, soft in the middle  and coated in a date syrup... hopefully once I can upload photo’s again you will see what I mean...

 

One more stop before we head back to Dubai, and that was to Yas Island to visit the formula 1 track and Ferrari world.  Shehnaaz is a gem; her adage is “let’s try, they can only say no”.... As we drove around the outside of the track she points out the Hotel that the track actually goes right through the middle... She tells our driver “lets drive up the gate and see if we can get in....” ha no one there and straight in we go.... we hop out and we can look straight onto the track... there are 3 ways of watching this race ... 1 is from the grand stands, 2 is from the hotel, being from your window, at the bar, in the restaurant or by the pool, 3 from your boat that is parked in the Marina that also lies next to the track.. As bold as Shehnaaz is she takes us all into the hotel and onto the restaurant balcony over the track... “Keep walking” she says “keep going until they kick us out “ lol

 

We left the hotel and headed over to Ferrari world, the big red roof that sports the Ferrari Logo cost the owners $1,000,000 for the rights to display it.  We only went into the building as far as the turnstiles and of course the souvenir shop where they are obviously trying recoup their money as the prices for the merchandise was unbelievable.

 

Back on the bus and it was time for a little rest on the 90 minutes back to Dubai.... one last call ... the dancing waters just in front of the Burj Khalifa. Once again Shehnaaz instructs the driver to try and sneak into one of the hotel entrances so we can be dropped off close to one the best viewing vantage points.... and we are in....

By now this tour is teetering on 12 hours and we are one weary bunch of people....  She takes us back to the ship where we make our way back up on deck for a quick bite, and then what ended up a long drink!!  There was music and dancing and first time on this cruise we didn’t go to bed till after midnight.....