Travels in Abu Dhabi

Didn't manage to record where we've been for the last 2 days, so this is a quick catch up.

It is amazing how quickly the days are passing.

The day before yesterday we went to Dubai for the day. The roads are just amazing - up to 5 or 6 lanes wide in both directions. As we got closer to Dubai the traffic became more congested and we travelled very slowly after the very high speeds out on the open road.

In Dubai we visited the Soukh, in fact 2 of them, that involved crossing the Creek on an abra.

We had lunch at the Ibn Battuta Mall where 7 different areas celebrate the explorations of a 14th century Arabian explorer who visited the farflung borders of the Islamic world. The ceiling of the mall is amazing, looking like a well lit night sky.

Yesterday we travelled out to Al Ain, known for its oasis. This was a real eye opener. A large town has grown up around the original oasis which is now a rabbit warren of date farms with large walls around them. Quite different from my idea of a large pool of water with a few buildings around the edge.

After that we had lunch at the Mercure hotel up on Jebel Hafeet. Friday brunch is a very popular meal in the Emirates, a good start for the weekend. The spread at the Mercure was delicious, with a definite focus on prawns and lobster.

My picture is of the view from the top of Jebel Hafeet.

This entry must not go past without mention of the temperature for the last couple of days - a consistent 44-46 degrees Celsius, with an occasional flirtation of the car's temperature gauge with 50 degrees. Believe it or not, as the days roll on to August, temps will climb even higher.