A Falcon at a desert camp outside Abu Dhabi;
Credit: Chronicle.lu
In my third of three articles on Abu Dhabi, I'll focus on entertainment, and a bit on shopping, giving you, the reader, an idea of what one can do in this new destination now just a direct flight away from Luxembourg.
To return to the first (introductory) article, click here; and for the second one on history and culture, click here.
Desert Safari
Abu Dhabi Desert Safari involved six Toyota Land Cruisers from “Desert Rose Tourism”, each carrying 4-6 passengers and who met up in a pre-designated spot around 75 minutes outside Abu Dhabi, in the desert. Stopping briefly to ensure everyone had assembled, the drivers half deflated the cars’ tyres to prepare for the off-road driving experience.
The first part involved a “roller-coaster” ride over the dunes, with plenty of shrieks of excitement as the various thrill-seekers got their fill of “dune bashing”. Out for a break after 30 minutes to admire the stunning landscape before we then arrived at the walled camp.
With tables and cushions arranged around an 100m2 stage, refreshments were available while participants could choose to go on camel rides, on dune buggies or quad bikes, or undertake more leisurely activities such as henna tattooing, trying on traditional costumes, bottle sand art, having one’s photo taken with a falcon, visit the small menagerie of deer and birds, or peruse the small gift shop. Dinner was served buffet style between three shows - traditional dance, belly dancing and a fire display, as well as a short presentation on the role and importance of camels in the UAE’s culture.
Aquarium
A visit to the Abu Dhabi Aquarium won over a trip to Sea World, only because of the time allowed. We had around 90 minutes to peruse the exhibits, which we could do at a leisurely pace. We were able to see up close various aquatic creatures including sharks, piranhas, reef fish and horseshoe crabs, to sea horses, sea dragons and jellyfish (with a lot of moray eels - who remembers the 1977 film “The Deep” with Jacqueline Bisset?) There were then separate displays of frogs (from tiny dart frogs to giant bullfrogs), to one display containing tortoises, capybaras and monkeys, also nutrias, to another of puffins… and then the chameleons, geckos, bearded dragons and various snakes. African manatees had their own display...
The collection was seriously impressive and was expertly presented, bringing the visitor on a tour of the continents and environments along the way - both educational and entertaining in equal measure.
Fish Market
The Fish Market showcases fresh fish caught from the Gulf that morning; open from 05:00 to wholesalers and restaurants, it then opens to the public later on, offering fish cleaning stations (separate for men and women) so one need only take home fillets, etc. It was noticeably kept spotlessly clean, a testament to the food hygiene standards applied. Another alternative would be to bring your freshly-bought fish to one of the many restaurants surrounding, and opening onto, the market, for them to prepare it for eating there and then.
Without listing all species of fish on sale, some noticeable ones I noticed were locally-caught (giant) sole, red snapper, kingfish, parrotfish, shark, yellow-fin and mackerel tuna, plus crustaceans including blue crabs, prawns, gambas, crayfish, squid, octopus and cuttlefish, as well as imported fish such as (Norwegian) salmon.
Date Market
The original date market evolved into also selling fruit and vegetables, with some produce local and others imported. There are over a hundred date varieties, and producers also make date syrup, date butter, pickled dates, etc.
The market comprised around a dozen rows, each of maybe 20 shops, each selling their own wares: some dates were available loose to "pick and mix", while others were already packaged, with some stuffed with different nuts, etc.
Abu Dhabi by Water
There are various options with which to go out on the water in Abu Dhabi, since it is built on islands in the sea. There are water taxis and slow boats on which one can enjoy some Arabian coffee, and then there are everything from party boats to kayaks and jet skis.
I was looking for a little more excitement so I went on a tour with The Yellow Boats who operate a 20-seat speedboat: the 75-minute tour allowed us to see a lot of the bay and islands, as well as of the city from the water - another perspective. Amongst the attractions we saw were the Yas Marina Formula One circuit and stands, as well as the W Hotel where I was staying, golf clubs, private beaches, mangroves, islands, palaces and many other pleasure craft out and about.
A fitting end to my three-day stay in Abu Dhabi, and I can't wait to return. Having a direct flight there is so handy, and being able to explore a new destination is really tempting, particularly when the sun is shining there and not in Luxembourg.
Overall
Without exploring the Yas Marina Formula One circuit (by car, bike or foot), or playing golf or visiting the nearby Ferrari World or other large entertainment centres, I felt I did pretty well for my first time in Abu Dhabi which was just three full days. It left very impressed, understanding how one lives in a very hot climate (even though it wasn't too hot when we were there), thoroughly enjoying the sights I saw, and yearning for more.
Whether I return just for another few days at Abu Dhabi itself, or if I avail of Etihad Airway's Stopover incentive to spend a couple of days there before I then go on somewhere else in their network, remains to be seen...
