As I write this I am sitting in the airport about to embark on my 15 hour flight home. Security to go to the U.S. is rather intense - we went through four separate entry points before making it to our gate. Luckily we left our hotel early, and I have some time to write before heading out.
Yesterday was an incredible day. We decided to depart Abu Dhabi to spend a day in Dubai, which is about an hour and a half away by car. We left the hotel around 9 a.m. and were able to rent a van that took the remaining eight of us into the city. We had plans to go to to the Burj Kalifa that night, so as we were driving into the city we all frantically looked around to see if we could find it amongst the other buildings in the downtown area. It was kind of odd, because we really couldn't spot a building that was that much taller than the rest, even though everything seemed to caress the sky already. One of the funniest moments of the trip was watching Eileen and Kevin trying to distinguish which building it was, and expressing disapointment when we realized that it wasn't even that tall....
At least that's what we thought. Until we learned that there are actually TWO downtowns in Dubai. How crazy is that? We drove through an entire metroplex that was larger than downtown Dallas and it wasn't even downtown. It took us another 25-30 minutes to reach the true downtown, where we finally did see the Burj Kalifa. This time we had no doubt that this was it, as it looked as if it was double the height of all of the buildings around it. The excitement in the car was thick, as everyone was struck by how incredible it was that man could complete such an impressive endeavor. The architecture of the surrounding buildings was also beautiful. Everywhere we looked there was a building that would be the feature of any other city. If I were an architect, I would flock to Dubai to be able to make my mark in the playground of all architects. Today in Dubai must be the equivalent for architects that the renaissance was for painters. It provides an environment where creativity gets pushed to the next level because someone else, at the same time, is trying something that is just a little bit riskier than you are, and they're going to win if they make it.
When we made it into the city we started our expedition in the gold markets. I have never seen heavier jewlrey in my life - the necklaces could have doubled as shields. I'm not sure if everything we saw in the shops was actually gold. It would be awe-stricking if it was - it was like El Dorado of the Middle East.
As you probably could have guessed, we didn't make many (read: any) purchases at the gold market, but then we went on to the spice markets, which was an incredible experience. It wasn't quite as interactive as the spice markets in Istanbul, but it's a huge thrill to be able to smell and taste all of the different offerings. Some markets even sold pure sulpher.
After leaving the spice markets we took a river ferry for one durhim across the way to the textile market. It wasn't too different than the first few, although I did pick up some nice pillow cases and a pair of embroidered shoes.
After we departed the markets our group broke up and went two different ways: the first group went into the financial district to explore the malls and see some of the architecture up close, while Shuarya and I went out of downtown area and into the "second" downtown to go out to the Palm Islands. The Palm Islands are a man made creation, and each of the different frawns are filled with homes, while the circumference is packed with luxury hotels. It was fascinating to travel out onto an island that had no reason to exist other than as a showcase of wealth. To get there, Shaurya and I had to take two subways, a tram, and a monorail. The end destination was the hotel, Atlantis, which was at the very furthest point on the islands. They made an incredible vacation destination out of that resort: on the grounds they had waterparks, pools, beaches, restaurants, bars, and a massive aquarium.
We left the island to meet back up with the group at the Mall of Dubai in the other part of town. When we arrived at the mall the first thing we saw were two new Lamborghni's parked out front. It was a fitting entrance to the LARGEST MALL IN THE WORLD. I don't particularly love malls, but this place literally had everything you could ever want. There were food and dessert options from around the world, every clothing store you had ever heard of, and lots of interactive activities. We were at the mall, however, for one reason: to enter into the tallest building in the world.
The Burj Kalifa was completed in 2010 and is 829.8m tall (about 200 stories). The top 40 floors of the building are not open for the public, but we were able to ride the elevator up to the 124th floor. The view from the top was pretty breathtaking. It was a joy to see everyone's reactions as they stepped out onto the balcony to explore the entire city below. Eileen said that she thought she could see the curve of the horizon because it was so tall. A fun fact about the building that we learned was that it is so tall that you can watch the sunset twice every day by starting at the base for the first one then watching the second at the top.
When we came back down from the clouds we decided to head back to Abu Dhabi and to bed for the night. We woke up early the next morning to catch our 15.5 hour flight back home, and now we've made it back to the real world. Work starts back up today, and I'm sure it'll be a lot to catch up on, but the trip was absolutely incredible, and I am so glad that I got to take it with all of my dear friends.
Abu Dhabi Day 2
4/27/2015
Even though our first day in Abu Dhabi was an incredible experience, Day 2 definitely takes the cake. It was the perfect blend of relaxation, culture, and adrenaline. At the end of last night my friend Hannah asked me, "Do you know that state of nirvana that you reach when you're perfectly at peace in a vacation?" She paused a second and then said, "I'm there."
We slept in yesterday, which was pretty wonderful considering it was a Monday morning. For the eleven of us staying in this hotel, breakfast was a nice rotating table of six of us as we all meandered in and out based on when we woke up. I came in towards the end of the meal, and we quickly made a plan at the table to depart for the World Trade Markets. There was a mall there as well as a souk, where we had the opportunity to purchase suveniers, spices and teas. It was nice to have a place to admire the clothing, carpets and other cultural items that are demonstrative of the lifestyle in the middle east, but we didn't shop around for long. Instead, five of us went into the tea house to enjoy different types of teas.
We went back to the hotel briefly after leaving the markets, and a small sub-group of us went out to Yas Island (home of Ferarri World and some of the nicer resorts in Abu Dhabi) to spend some time on a beach. The public beach there had a small entry fee, but the sands and waters were just gorgeous. We swam and laid out for a couple of hours. It was just blissful. I could absolutely live my life on a beach.
We had to rush back to the hotel from the beach. We were really lucky to have found a van cab that seated 6, because the cabs only passed through the beach area every 10 minutes and we would have been in trouble if only half of us could have gone. When we made it back to the hotel we had 10 minutes to turn around and be ready to depart for our desert safari.
I had joked with Will previously during the day that the desert safari was going to follow a certain prescribed route. I thought that I knew exactly what to expect, and I couldn't have been more wrong.
The safari was AWESOME. It was easily the most fun I have ever had on a tour. We were picked up by Land Rovers at the hotel, and started the journey by driving an hour outside the city into the desert.
When we arrived at the site in the desert, we had to stop the cars. The driver got out and asked us to wait inside for 2 minutes, which was a no-brainer since there really wasn't anywhere we could run off to. He emptied air out of all of the tires on the vehicle, and then got back in and started driving really fast and would drift between the different sand slopes on the sides of the road. It was awesome, but in no way foreshadowed what we were going to do next.
Eventually we left the road and ended up driving directly over the sand dunes. This alone seeemed trecherous enough to me, but to made it even better the drivers would do tricks where the entire car would slide sideways down the dune, or we would get air over the top of the dune before baralleling over to the other side. Mom, I know you won't enjoy reading this, but it was SO MUCH FUN. I spent the entire time giggling.
We made two stops for pictures during the dune bashing section of our night. The first stop was with camels. At first I was very intimidated by the animals, and kept my distance from them. However, after being around them for 10 minutes I started to be able to sense their good nature. By the end of the photo session I was standing amongst 4 camels at a time, giggling as they would nudge my head or bend down so that I would rub their necks. It was an experience from another world.
Our second stop for photos was on top of a dune where we could see all of the stunts the other cars in the caravan were pulling. While we were standing there, Carissa's hat blew off of her head and down the sand dune. I ran after it, and had the best workout of the trip by climbing back up the dune. Kevin and Chris were inspired by my little sprint, and decided to race eachother to the top of a sand dune on the opposite side of our group, The dune was incredibly high, and I really didn't think that they would be able to make it, but alas - they did. I work with some athletes. The guides found their sprint extremely amusing.
After getting back in the car after the second stop we all started to feel a little car sick - riding over the dunes is incredibly motion intensive. Luckily we didn't have to wait too much longer before arriving at the camp where we were to have dinner. The camp was great - but much larger than we had expected. There were about 20 long tables with cushions as seats that surrounded a large stage. Along the perimeter of the camp were different activities that we could participate in - sandboarding, henna tattoes, shisha, a traditional garb photobooth, sand painting, and camel rides. It was such a tourist gig, but it was really fun nonetheless. Dinner was from a GIANT buffett, and although it wasn't incredibly authentic it was still delicious.
After dinner we rode back home, and spent some time unwinding together before heading to bed. We went into Dubai this morning, so it was definitely important for us to get a good night of sleep.
I am so grateful for this trip with wonderful friends. I will post the final day's adventures tomorrow after writing about them while on the plane. The trip is over, but the memories will last for a long time.
Even though our first day in Abu Dhabi was an incredible experience, Day 2 definitely takes the cake. It was the perfect blend of relaxation, culture, and adrenaline. At the end of last night my friend Hannah asked me, "Do you know that state of nirvana that you reach when you're perfectly at peace in a vacation?" She paused a second and then said, "I'm there."
We slept in yesterday, which was pretty wonderful considering it was a Monday morning. For the eleven of us staying in this hotel, breakfast was a nice rotating table of six of us as we all meandered in and out based on when we woke up. I came in towards the end of the meal, and we quickly made a plan at the table to depart for the World Trade Markets. There was a mall there as well as a souk, where we had the opportunity to purchase suveniers, spices and teas. It was nice to have a place to admire the clothing, carpets and other cultural items that are demonstrative of the lifestyle in the middle east, but we didn't shop around for long. Instead, five of us went into the tea house to enjoy different types of teas.
We went back to the hotel briefly after leaving the markets, and a small sub-group of us went out to Yas Island (home of Ferarri World and some of the nicer resorts in Abu Dhabi) to spend some time on a beach. The public beach there had a small entry fee, but the sands and waters were just gorgeous. We swam and laid out for a couple of hours. It was just blissful. I could absolutely live my life on a beach.
We had to rush back to the hotel from the beach. We were really lucky to have found a van cab that seated 6, because the cabs only passed through the beach area every 10 minutes and we would have been in trouble if only half of us could have gone. When we made it back to the hotel we had 10 minutes to turn around and be ready to depart for our desert safari.
I had joked with Will previously during the day that the desert safari was going to follow a certain prescribed route. I thought that I knew exactly what to expect, and I couldn't have been more wrong.
The safari was AWESOME. It was easily the most fun I have ever had on a tour. We were picked up by Land Rovers at the hotel, and started the journey by driving an hour outside the city into the desert.
When we arrived at the site in the desert, we had to stop the cars. The driver got out and asked us to wait inside for 2 minutes, which was a no-brainer since there really wasn't anywhere we could run off to. He emptied air out of all of the tires on the vehicle, and then got back in and started driving really fast and would drift between the different sand slopes on the sides of the road. It was awesome, but in no way foreshadowed what we were going to do next.
Eventually we left the road and ended up driving directly over the sand dunes. This alone seeemed trecherous enough to me, but to made it even better the drivers would do tricks where the entire car would slide sideways down the dune, or we would get air over the top of the dune before baralleling over to the other side. Mom, I know you won't enjoy reading this, but it was SO MUCH FUN. I spent the entire time giggling.
We made two stops for pictures during the dune bashing section of our night. The first stop was with camels. At first I was very intimidated by the animals, and kept my distance from them. However, after being around them for 10 minutes I started to be able to sense their good nature. By the end of the photo session I was standing amongst 4 camels at a time, giggling as they would nudge my head or bend down so that I would rub their necks. It was an experience from another world.
Our second stop for photos was on top of a dune where we could see all of the stunts the other cars in the caravan were pulling. While we were standing there, Carissa's hat blew off of her head and down the sand dune. I ran after it, and had the best workout of the trip by climbing back up the dune. Kevin and Chris were inspired by my little sprint, and decided to race eachother to the top of a sand dune on the opposite side of our group, The dune was incredibly high, and I really didn't think that they would be able to make it, but alas - they did. I work with some athletes. The guides found their sprint extremely amusing.
After getting back in the car after the second stop we all started to feel a little car sick - riding over the dunes is incredibly motion intensive. Luckily we didn't have to wait too much longer before arriving at the camp where we were to have dinner. The camp was great - but much larger than we had expected. There were about 20 long tables with cushions as seats that surrounded a large stage. Along the perimeter of the camp were different activities that we could participate in - sandboarding, henna tattoes, shisha, a traditional garb photobooth, sand painting, and camel rides. It was such a tourist gig, but it was really fun nonetheless. Dinner was from a GIANT buffett, and although it wasn't incredibly authentic it was still delicious.
After dinner we rode back home, and spent some time unwinding together before heading to bed. We went into Dubai this morning, so it was definitely important for us to get a good night of sleep.
I am so grateful for this trip with wonderful friends. I will post the final day's adventures tomorrow after writing about them while on the plane. The trip is over, but the memories will last for a long time.
Abu Dhabi Day 1
We made it to Abu Dhabi, and so far, this city has not disappointed us.
Our flight went by incredibly smoothly, with the exception of a delay at the beginning because of a big storm passing through Dallas. Although the flight time was 15 and a half hours, it seemed like we were only aboard for about five. I sat on the same row as Grace, and we had the middle seat open between us (which was such a blessing). In front of us were Shaurya, Amanda and Eileen, while Winston, Kevin and Will were further back in the plane. We had a great group to fly with, which made the time pass all the more quickly.
We landed in Abu Dhabi at about 9:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, and quickly grabbed two cabs to the hotel. We are staying at the Sheraton (which is a first for me with international travel since I am normally camping out in tents or hostels), and because of the amount we travel for work we were able to upgrade our room - which has been awesome! We decided to kick-start the vacation with a group dinner out by the pool and beach. The restaurant was Lebanese and the food was very interesting. I ordered what I thought was something like the Cevapcici I had in Bosnia, but it turned out to be like a hamburger quesadilla. We had great appetisers though, and the environment was perfect .
We started today by all gathering at the hotel breakfast buffet. The spread was incredible, and we enjoyed juices, smoothies, and coffee (or maybe that was just me...). After we were all fuelled up for the day we set out to go see the palace. We ended up getting into two different cabs, and quickly learned that we were not prepared. At all. First we learned that shorts and flip flops were not allowed. Although all of the girls had dressed very modestly, the guys were all wearing shorts and had to go back to the hotel. First, however, they thought that it would be a good job to drop the girls in the cab off at the mall... which is generally my least favorite place in any city. When we were at the mall, we learned from one of the girls in the other cab that we needed to have a reservation to the palace, and wouldn't be able to get in that day. Not too discouraged, we decided to go walk and explore the city instead of waiting around shops that were all American and European in nature before meeting up with the rest of the group to figure out what we were going to do next. That's when things started to get pretty amazing.
After only walking about 200 yards from the mall we ran into the waterfront. The water here is a beautiful deep aqua, and as we approached the rail separating the street from the stone beach we saw a group of 6 dolphins frolicking around in the water! They were so graceful, and jumped out of the water often as if they knew we were looking for a show. Across the waterway were two of grandest buildings I have ever seen - the Palace and the new home of the UAE president. I have been to some beautiful palaces before in Europe and Russia, but these two were unbelievable in scale and beauty. In front of the white house was a full marina stocked with super yachts, and both were sitting atop beautiful sloping white sand beaches.
We spent a while walking down the waterfront to take in the beauty of the water and the architecture. After some time, however, we decided that it was time to rejoin the rest of the group and we set out to meet them at Heritage Village. The village was a collection of handicraft shops, history museums, and demonstrations of the different environments and nomadic cultures present in the UAE. It was an enjoyable experience, but it wasn't the most thrilling attraction and we didn't stay for more than an hour.
After leaving the village we decided to go to some of the markets. We were first dropped off at the Iranian market, which one of my travel partners described as "an outdoors Wal-Mart". I don't exactly agree with the title, but I think that it demonstrates the fact that the goods for sale at these stalls were not souvenirs or art work, but rather very practical things that people use in business and every day life - like cooking stoves, cookware, knives, and storage containers. We stepped into a furniture store to look at the rugs for a little bit, but then decided to turn around and explore some of the other markets in the area, which turned out to be very enjoyable.
The first market we walked through was the flower market. It was different from the flower markets I enjoyed this summer in Croatia and Peru, as the offerings were mainly potted plants rather than cut stems, but the flora was vibrant nonetheless. We saw a variety of plants that fostered fruits like pinaples, kumquats and grapefruit, as well as many flowering bushes.
After leaving the flower market we decided to go to the fish market. Although I really don't like eating seafood, the fish market was very cool (with the exception of the smell, of course). There was a massive variety of types of fish, and there were very adventurous shellfish and delicacies as well. It was definitely a place that only the locals visited, and it felt kind of awkward to not make any purchases. The people were kind, however, and Kevin and Chris made friends with one of the stall owners.
Following the fish market we visited the vegetable and fruit market, which is always one of my favorite things to do. I tried new fruits from India and Egypt, and we bought a bunch of mangoes as a group that the stall owner cut on the spot for us to enjoy. We were a loud group, and we attracted the giggles of many of the shop owners in the market. They told Shaurya in Hindi that they thought we were crazy (all in good humor though). We departed the markets after being on our feet most of the day and decided to head back to the hotel. Although we had spent the day cabbing all around, the fares were extremely affordable and made transportation much easier. I could only imagine what it would have been like had we tried to walk everywhere.
At the hotel we donned our swimsuits and headed out to the pool, where some of our group had retreated to after our first adventures at the Heritage Village. The pool felt amazing, and it revived the part of my soul that only really lives during the summer. The heat here, while it frustrates some, only makes me anticipate summer in Texas with even more excitement. After the pool we went out to the beach and spent some time lounging on a floating dock as a group before heading back in to get ready for our trip to the Mosque.
After dressing very modestly (closed shoes, long baggy pants, shirt, cardigan, and head scarf), we took cabs to go just outside the city to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. I can hardly express just how beautiful this mosque was. It was larger than the Taj Mahal (115m versus 73m tall), and its newness made everything glimmer. It was opened in 2007 to serve as a mosque not only for the people of each of the emirates, but to be a destination for people from around the world. The mosque has visitors from 100 different countries daily, and welcomes 2.5 million guests per year.
The architecture was beautifully modern. The massive entry doors electronically opened when the laser sensor was triggered, and there were 5 12 ton chandeliers throughout the prayer rooms indoors. In addition to the chandeliers, the entire entry was covered in the world's largest hand-knotted carpet, which took 1200 laborers 20 months to create. It's pretty impressive that they were able to build such an incredible building in only 11 years, when buildings of similar caliber used to take multiple lifetimes to complete in an older time.
I loved the floral decorations and the creative usage of lighting, textures and mosaics across the interior. The ceilings were unbelievably tall as well. It's hard to describe how impressive the building is, so I will just have to rely on pictures.
After the mosque we went out to another lebonese restaurant for dinner. The company was great, and our meal was out on a patio overlooking the entire harbor. The skyline reminded me of Singapore, and the warm night breeze was the perfect way to end the night.
Tomorrow we are taking it easy before leaving in the afternoon for a desert safari out to a Bedouin camp. It'll be an exciting day. So far, this vacation has been all of the adventure and fabulous company that I hoped it would be.
Our flight went by incredibly smoothly, with the exception of a delay at the beginning because of a big storm passing through Dallas. Although the flight time was 15 and a half hours, it seemed like we were only aboard for about five. I sat on the same row as Grace, and we had the middle seat open between us (which was such a blessing). In front of us were Shaurya, Amanda and Eileen, while Winston, Kevin and Will were further back in the plane. We had a great group to fly with, which made the time pass all the more quickly.
We landed in Abu Dhabi at about 9:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, and quickly grabbed two cabs to the hotel. We are staying at the Sheraton (which is a first for me with international travel since I am normally camping out in tents or hostels), and because of the amount we travel for work we were able to upgrade our room - which has been awesome! We decided to kick-start the vacation with a group dinner out by the pool and beach. The restaurant was Lebanese and the food was very interesting. I ordered what I thought was something like the Cevapcici I had in Bosnia, but it turned out to be like a hamburger quesadilla. We had great appetisers though, and the environment was perfect .
We started today by all gathering at the hotel breakfast buffet. The spread was incredible, and we enjoyed juices, smoothies, and coffee (or maybe that was just me...). After we were all fuelled up for the day we set out to go see the palace. We ended up getting into two different cabs, and quickly learned that we were not prepared. At all. First we learned that shorts and flip flops were not allowed. Although all of the girls had dressed very modestly, the guys were all wearing shorts and had to go back to the hotel. First, however, they thought that it would be a good job to drop the girls in the cab off at the mall... which is generally my least favorite place in any city. When we were at the mall, we learned from one of the girls in the other cab that we needed to have a reservation to the palace, and wouldn't be able to get in that day. Not too discouraged, we decided to go walk and explore the city instead of waiting around shops that were all American and European in nature before meeting up with the rest of the group to figure out what we were going to do next. That's when things started to get pretty amazing.
After only walking about 200 yards from the mall we ran into the waterfront. The water here is a beautiful deep aqua, and as we approached the rail separating the street from the stone beach we saw a group of 6 dolphins frolicking around in the water! They were so graceful, and jumped out of the water often as if they knew we were looking for a show. Across the waterway were two of grandest buildings I have ever seen - the Palace and the new home of the UAE president. I have been to some beautiful palaces before in Europe and Russia, but these two were unbelievable in scale and beauty. In front of the white house was a full marina stocked with super yachts, and both were sitting atop beautiful sloping white sand beaches.
We spent a while walking down the waterfront to take in the beauty of the water and the architecture. After some time, however, we decided that it was time to rejoin the rest of the group and we set out to meet them at Heritage Village. The village was a collection of handicraft shops, history museums, and demonstrations of the different environments and nomadic cultures present in the UAE. It was an enjoyable experience, but it wasn't the most thrilling attraction and we didn't stay for more than an hour.
After leaving the village we decided to go to some of the markets. We were first dropped off at the Iranian market, which one of my travel partners described as "an outdoors Wal-Mart". I don't exactly agree with the title, but I think that it demonstrates the fact that the goods for sale at these stalls were not souvenirs or art work, but rather very practical things that people use in business and every day life - like cooking stoves, cookware, knives, and storage containers. We stepped into a furniture store to look at the rugs for a little bit, but then decided to turn around and explore some of the other markets in the area, which turned out to be very enjoyable.
The first market we walked through was the flower market. It was different from the flower markets I enjoyed this summer in Croatia and Peru, as the offerings were mainly potted plants rather than cut stems, but the flora was vibrant nonetheless. We saw a variety of plants that fostered fruits like pinaples, kumquats and grapefruit, as well as many flowering bushes.
After leaving the flower market we decided to go to the fish market. Although I really don't like eating seafood, the fish market was very cool (with the exception of the smell, of course). There was a massive variety of types of fish, and there were very adventurous shellfish and delicacies as well. It was definitely a place that only the locals visited, and it felt kind of awkward to not make any purchases. The people were kind, however, and Kevin and Chris made friends with one of the stall owners.
Following the fish market we visited the vegetable and fruit market, which is always one of my favorite things to do. I tried new fruits from India and Egypt, and we bought a bunch of mangoes as a group that the stall owner cut on the spot for us to enjoy. We were a loud group, and we attracted the giggles of many of the shop owners in the market. They told Shaurya in Hindi that they thought we were crazy (all in good humor though). We departed the markets after being on our feet most of the day and decided to head back to the hotel. Although we had spent the day cabbing all around, the fares were extremely affordable and made transportation much easier. I could only imagine what it would have been like had we tried to walk everywhere.
At the hotel we donned our swimsuits and headed out to the pool, where some of our group had retreated to after our first adventures at the Heritage Village. The pool felt amazing, and it revived the part of my soul that only really lives during the summer. The heat here, while it frustrates some, only makes me anticipate summer in Texas with even more excitement. After the pool we went out to the beach and spent some time lounging on a floating dock as a group before heading back in to get ready for our trip to the Mosque.
After dressing very modestly (closed shoes, long baggy pants, shirt, cardigan, and head scarf), we took cabs to go just outside the city to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. I can hardly express just how beautiful this mosque was. It was larger than the Taj Mahal (115m versus 73m tall), and its newness made everything glimmer. It was opened in 2007 to serve as a mosque not only for the people of each of the emirates, but to be a destination for people from around the world. The mosque has visitors from 100 different countries daily, and welcomes 2.5 million guests per year.
The architecture was beautifully modern. The massive entry doors electronically opened when the laser sensor was triggered, and there were 5 12 ton chandeliers throughout the prayer rooms indoors. In addition to the chandeliers, the entire entry was covered in the world's largest hand-knotted carpet, which took 1200 laborers 20 months to create. It's pretty impressive that they were able to build such an incredible building in only 11 years, when buildings of similar caliber used to take multiple lifetimes to complete in an older time.
I loved the floral decorations and the creative usage of lighting, textures and mosaics across the interior. The ceilings were unbelievably tall as well. It's hard to describe how impressive the building is, so I will just have to rely on pictures.
After the mosque we went out to another lebonese restaurant for dinner. The company was great, and our meal was out on a patio overlooking the entire harbor. The skyline reminded me of Singapore, and the warm night breeze was the perfect way to end the night.
Tomorrow we are taking it easy before leaving in the afternoon for a desert safari out to a Bedouin camp. It'll be an exciting day. So far, this vacation has been all of the adventure and fabulous company that I hoped it would be.
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi 2015
After this summer, it would seem that I am completely traveled out. Never fear, though. My colleague sent out a message on Christmas Day seeking fellow adventurers to act on a fantastic deal that he found: a $300 RT direct flight from Dallas to Abu Dhabi. Needless to say, I was very quick to jump aboard.
Tonight I will be departing Dallas for a whirlwind trip (the consequences of having to take vacation days). We will be sepending some time at the beach, exploring markets, experiencing the mosques and religion of the area, camping at a Bedouin settlement in the middle of the desert, and going on top of the world's tallest building. To make it even more incredible, I will be joined by about 15 of my incredible co-workers. Who said team building had to be done in the office?
Stay tuned to follow the adventure....
After this summer, it would seem that I am completely traveled out. Never fear, though. My colleague sent out a message on Christmas Day seeking fellow adventurers to act on a fantastic deal that he found: a $300 RT direct flight from Dallas to Abu Dhabi. Needless to say, I was very quick to jump aboard.
Tonight I will be departing Dallas for a whirlwind trip (the consequences of having to take vacation days). We will be sepending some time at the beach, exploring markets, experiencing the mosques and religion of the area, camping at a Bedouin settlement in the middle of the desert, and going on top of the world's tallest building. To make it even more incredible, I will be joined by about 15 of my incredible co-workers. Who said team building had to be done in the office?
Stay tuned to follow the adventure....
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