Cars, Free Music, Good Company

I'm not much of a Formula One fan. I don't really understand it. So, when tickets went on sale a couple months back priced at over 2000 dirhams ($560 USD), I opted out. The ticket price did include 'invitations' to the concerts on Yas Island-Abu Dhabi's recently built Forumla One car circuit thingy. Beyonce, Aerosmith, Kings of Leon (I think that's the name), and Jamiraquai all performed over the course of 4 days. Tickets weren't sold for just the concerts (you had to buy the Formula One pass), but a few friends managed to win some tickets for Jamirquai on Friday evening, so off we went!

We arrived around 4:30, and an hour or more of the racecar noise were more than enough to satisfy what little curiosity we had for the cars. The photo above is as close as we could get to the action. To be fair, hosting the Formula One in Abu Dhabi was huge for the emirate. There were loads of free concerts on the Abu Dhabi corniche (Timberland seemed to be a big draw). The city was buzzing with activity, and it was my experience that the logistics were incredibly well-organised. We barely waited for beverages(beer was sold), food, and toilets. The buses that took visitors from the parking lot to the arena were plentiful. I expected a long wait after the concert, but the organisers had bus after bus lined up taking concert goers back to their cars. It was really well done! Those who attended Beyonce the night before (triple the attendance) were not so lucky.

Baen al Jasraen

This property is likely occupied by an Emirati family.

Between Two Bridges...a few years ago, expats wouldn't have dreamed of living "off the island". Many western expats flocked to neighbourhoods like Khalidiya-located just off the corniche. However, as parking woes have continually increased and residents look for more spacious bits of property, areas like Baen al Jasraen are becoming more desirable. Once a neighbourhood populated by UAE military officers, this part of town is now home to three high-end hotels that bring with them wonderful bars and restaurants (see my previous post on the new Fairmont Hotel that's just opened).

This shot was taken along the waterway that runs through Between Two Bridges. I don't know that this is a natural waterway. I've always supposed that it was man-made. It is salt water, though.

The New Fairmont Hotel Opens in Abu Dhabi

S and I are planning to walk a leg of the Camino de Santiago next summer. We're hoping to average about 20 km/day (12 miles), so we've started walking. Last night's walk around the Baen al Jasraen('Between Two Bridges') neighbourhood took us past the new Fairmont Hotel. We were sweaty, grubby, and gross, but that didn't prevent the staff from welcoming us warmly. We got a nice tour of the restaurants, bars, and pool area. The shot above was taken from inside Frankies-brainchild of jockey Frank Dettori and chef Marco Pierre White. We actually saw Marco Pierre White while we were there. The shot below is looking up the stairs into the main lobby. That ceiling changed to every colour of the rainbow. :) It's anyone's guess which hotel we'll wander into on our next walk?

Gettin' the Wheels Dusty

When I arrived in Abu Dhabi over a year ago, I bought a little Mitsubishi Pajero(a 4 wheel drive that isn't sold in the US). Part of my reason for buying it was to provide a bit of safety on the road. Cars here are BIG. Big cars are often driven by people with big egos. People with big egos and no real model for safe driving practices tend to drive much more aggressively. So, the Pajero has given me a bit of protection from the highway bullies. It's also a heavy vehicle-much sturdier than the cute and fuel-efficient Nissan Tiida or the Toyota Yaris. Touch wood-I haven't had to test that out yet.

While my main reason for buying the car was safety-based, I always wanted to take it off-road. Sure, I jump a good curbs in it. Occasionally I park in unpaved sand lots. Unfortunately, I hadn't had the right opportunity to truly test the car out in the dunes. After all, you need an expert driver to show you the ropes. Summer driving is out of the question, since the temperatures are just way too high for desert driving (and pretty much anything else). So, the recent change of weather and the Abu Dhabi 4x4 Club presented the first opportunity of the season for getting the wheels dusty with the help of some expert desert drivers.



My friend S road shotgun today on the Pajero's maiden voyage (we really need to give her a name-suggestions?). We started by meeting the members of the Abu Dhabi 4x4 Club in town. The club was very well organised. Safety came first and foremost. The marshalls leading the drive were seasoned vets of the sand. They divided us into 3 groups (a marshall with each group), and the cars were arranged with a more experienced driver in front of the more novice driver. We were fortunate to follow Tobias and Sylvia (great leader, Tobias-we learned a lot from just watching you today). Marshalls also positioned themselves near more complicated maneuvers in order to coach through.

Alas, all the coaching can't prevent getting stuck. In the pre-drive meeting we were told that if we didn't want to get stuck, we should stick to driving on the roads!The marshalls also advised that should we get stuck, we were to be laughed at, photographed, and helped. All of those things happened on the two occasions that I buried the car. :) In the shot above, S opened up her car door into the dune. Yes, that's my front left wheel mid-air. Everyone got a good laugh out of it (myself included), and many photos were snapped. All in all, a great day out! Thanks a milllion to the Abu Dhabi 4x4 Club. You created a really newbie-friendly environment. I'll definitely be out on the next trip!

Pork Room: The Other White Meat Room

I scream, you scream, we all scream for pork loin.

Most of the questions I'm asked about living in the UAE pertain to alcohol, dress code, and pork. Yes, alcohol and pork are considered haram (forbidden) by Muslims. However, the UAE relies heavily upon a workforce of pork-eating nationalities. Filipinos, a large chunk of the expatriate population in the UAE, are likely to be the biggest consumers of pork products in this country (at least by my estimations). So, there's clearly a demand for it.


Lunch-meat: It's what's for dinner.

Pork products are sold in select stores around the UAE (and not at all in the Emirate of Sharjah, last I checked). They are typically kept in a room aside from the rest of the supermarket, and there is always a sign that reads something like this: Pork- For Non-Muslims Only. You can purchase pretty much every part of the pig for non-cured pork, and that's sold in the freezer section for obvious reasons(no pigs farmed locally). There are cured pork products from Spain, Italy, Germany, Poland (kielbasa!), and the US (Oscar Meyer), and there are also some products that you might not suspect of containing pork: Pop Tarts, Frosted Shredded Mini-Wheats, and marshamallows. Yes, marshmallows. It's funny, because I just purchased Campfire Marshmallows in Dubai in a non-Muslim part of the supermarket, but they are placed in the pork section of Abu Dhabi's Spinneys supermarket.


Anyone for pork gelatin s'mores??

Admittedly, I don't often wander into the pork room. I usually stroll in there when I've made the mistake of shopping on an empty stomach. During the initial wave of
H1N1 scare when the government released pamphlets telling people they could contract H1N1 from eating pork products (yep, you read that right), the doors to the Spinneys pork section were chained and padlocked. Fortunately, they've reopened for business. I've found the pork room has been nice for the occasional bacon or chorizo(overpriced, but oh-so-delicious). It's funny how many stores sell sauerkraut, but how hard it is to find a good kielbasa! When you're hankering for that bit of home, the pork room comes in handy. Now, if they'd only sell those spiral-cut hams like we get at home around the holidays...


Pork-a-licious potato chips

Photo credits go to K. Carpenter. K is new to Abu Dhabi, and I'm enjoying her fresh take on daily life here. Perhaps she'll oblige me, and permit me to use some other photos she's snapped from around town. Thanks, K!

H1N1 and Customs

This sign might seem odd outside of the context, but nose-rubbing is one way that Emirati men greet one another. It typically accompanies kisses on both cheeks. Not all Emirati men do this(I've yet to identify if certain ethnic groups practice it more than others), but it's certainly not uncommon. 'Pig Flu' mania is still in full-force here, so our workplace is covered with signs advocating prevention of it.

Digital Cuteness

Though feral and semi-feral cats help control the pest population here, their numbers are too great. Many of them are sickly and skinny. A friend mine, a reluctant cat lady, has inherited the responsibility of a mother cat and her three kittens, all of whom were much skinnier when S found them in the garden. They have been eating well, and they've warmed to humans-the mother cat chased me down on Friday in pursuit of food! They would all seem to make nice indoor/outdoor(more out than in) pets. Are you interested? The photos feature the small calico female, because she seems the most human-friendly. Adult orange tabby would appear to be Dad.

And just when you thought it couldn't get cuter, here's Oscar. He's an indoor/outdoor pampered pet. If he looks pissed-off, it's because he's got the wussiest haircut known to the feline world. Sugary sweet, though, isn't he?



So, if you're interested in ones of these kittens (not Oscar), have a garden or outdoor bit that they cat could enjoy, and you're not clinically insane, drop me an email. I'll put you in touch with their foster mom.