abu dhabi re-run (week 1)

i'm finally getting around to re-posting the weekly emails i sent out during my 2006 abu dhabi trip... here's the one from week 1 (accompanying photos are on picasa):

hi all,
here are some thoughts about my first week here in the UAE. Desolee pour ceux qui ne parlent que francais... je n'ai pas eu le temps de tout traduire...

10/05/06 Thursday
i arrived safely in abu dhabi on tuesday evening after approximately 18 hours of travelling, and a reasonably decent night's sleep on Emirates air, and then quickly jumped into work on Wednesday morning. the last two days have been long and tiring, but the weekend here starts on Friday, so tomorrow will give me a bit of rest. this means that i can sleep until 8:30 a.m. instead of getting up at 7:30, because even though the client won't be there, we have a deadline on Sunday, so my colleague, Steve, and I still have to go in to the office (!)
my exploration of the city has been limited so far, but the two things that have struck me are the extreme weather conditions and the interesting hours that the population keeps during the muslim holy month of Ramadan. first: the weather: it is too hot and humid to walk the less than one mile from my hotel to the office, because carrying my laptop and wearing work clothes, i'd be drenched by the time i got there. everything inside is air condidioned (almost too much), and the difference between the indoor and outdoor climate is so extreme that my glasses fog up when i go outside. in the evenings it cools off a little, but it's still quite warm (like being in the nyc subway on a seriously hot and humid day).
as for the Ramadan schedule, most shops and restaurants are closed during the day, and reopen for Iftar, the evening meal that breaks the daily fast (around 6 p.m., or whenever it starts to get dark). then everything stays open (grocery stores, cell phone shops, malls) until about midnight or 1 a.m. so people are milling around every night really late. we went to the Abu Dhabi mall to wander around this evening, and aside from all the people in traditional Islamic dress, I would have thought I was in New Jersey or something.

10/06/06 Friday
tonight, for some reason, i'm feeling a lot of affection for this city despite the fact that i know little to nothing about it... even though Friday's are officially the weekend here, Steve and I had to work anyway, but the day went well (after the first two pretty rough ones), we got a lot accomplished, which made me feel good. even after a mediocre fish and chips dinner at a pub across the street from our hotel, i am in a good mood. i am looking forward to tomorrow, when i can sleep in, and maybe even see more of Abu Dhabi than the road between my hotel and the office. i've taken some pictures, which i'll upload to kodakgallery sometime in the next couple of days to send to you all...

10/07/06 Saturday
finally today I got out to see more of the city than what lies between my office and my hotel. I think I'm getting a little more adjusted to the heat, because I don't start to sweat as soon as I walk outside anymore. Steve and I ventured to "Heritage Village, which is supposed to be an open air museum which shows the traditional ways of Bedouin life (before oil was discovered in the region and all the development that ensued). unfortunately, as might have been expected due to Ramadan, it wasn't open, but we still wandered around the outside and caught a glimpse of some barasti (traditional huts with palm leaf roofs) and fishing boats. There were also great views of the Arabian (i.e. Persian) Gulf looking toward downtown Abu Dhabi.
There was another mall nearby (surprise surprise), so we checked it out… and then headed to what is supposedly the most extravagant hotel in the city (the Emirates Palace Hotel). Rooms start at 2,900 UAE Dirhams ($800) and go up to 51,000 for the 6,000 sq. ft. "Palace Suite" (roughly $14,000). I think the cost of the hotel I'm in for a month is equivalent to only a few nights in the cheapest of rooms at the Emirates Palace. They have a movie theater, and an auditorium where they present broadway shows, a couple of pools, golf course, etc. I guess I'll stay there on my next visit!

Facts of the day:

• Abu Dhabi means "Father of the Gazelle"
• The city had the tallest unsupported flagpole in the world (123 m) until Jordan erected a taller one (126 m) in 2003.

Tonight I wanted to check out the souks (markets) along the north side of the island (the carpet souk, the fruit & vegetable souk, the fish souk, etc.), which are presumably open late, but we were pretty pooped so we just went out for pizza (and it was really good!!). now i'm off to bed (tomorrow's another work day).

10/08/06 Sunday
when i'm in the office i feel as if i could be in new york, pittsburgh, paris, or anywhere, considering i don't have a view, and even if i did, there's a Pizza Hut opposite our building. globalization...harumph!
other general observations about Abu Dhabi (then i promise i'll send the darn e-mail!):

• the taxi to resident ratio must be similar to that of new york. little white toyota corollas with green taxi lights on the roof must outnumber the other cars on the road!
• men hold hands with men in public as a sign of friendship/affection
• people here are crazy drivers... pedestrians beware!
• restaurant and hotel staff are *extremely* polite...ALL the time. "sirs" and "madams" abound.
• lots of (very vocal) stray cats

MORE NEXT WEEK!
xo/bisous, cat