Getting to Know Abu Dhabi/ Solo Trip to Dubai!

A friend and I went to see Twilight at the Abu Dhabi Mall. If you know me at all then you would know that Twilight would not be my type of movie! There was nothing else good out, though, so I relented. I was surprised that it was actually a good movie. The experience was much like America but different in its own way. When I got there, I was allowed to pick my seat from a ticket counter. I had to go back and ask how would I know where the seat was because I'm anal like that. When we walked in, an employee escorted us to our seats! Now, that's service you don't see in America. The Arabic teenagers squirmed in their seats and clapped for the hunks in the movies just like girls from the West! They made noises and talked loudly just like back at home too. This caused some disturbance in the crowd, though. A British man yelled out at them and asked them to be quiet. The girls had an attitude but did not challenge him. I found later that some scenes were edited because little to no adult content is accepted in the UAE and much of the Middle East. In the middle of the movie, I thought something was wrong with the projector until a notification came up that it was time for a brief intermission. Afterwards, we went to a great Mongolian restaurant across from the Abu Dhabi mall. The food was tasty and very reasonable. Most plates were under 30 dirham ($9 US) and you got a a whole "heap" of food! My beef spare rib plate was only a little more than $7 US and it was tasty!

The next morning, I decided to make the solo trek to Dubai, a little less than two hours away from Abu Dhabi. I caught a cab to the bus station with another teacher that was riding with friends to Dubai for a music festival. The bus ride was only 15 AED ($4 US) What?! That's right. For $4, you can catch a two hour ride on a charter bus! I couldn't turn that down for a nice day of sight-seeing. The line was super long. Women get preferential treatment and get to stand in the front of the queue (or line as we call it). I had an advantage though since all of the teachers I was with were female. The security officer let me stand and enter the bus with them to the disdain of all of the men that were in line for at least half an hour. We arrived to the Al Gubaibai bus station in the northern part of Dubai and I was overwhelmed! This was the main hub for the buses so I had to orient myself quickly. I initially came for free horse racing as well but that option was nixed when I got a map and saw how far it was from downtown Dubai. I decided to find one of the big malls where I heard there was a big aquarium. I asked around and found that I needed to take the 93 bus. I paid 16 dirhams ($5 US) for an all day bus pass! It was perfect because I got to take pictures on the way. With all of the frequent stops, it took an hour to get to the mall. On the way, I saw impressive four-door Porches, a Bentley, countless Mercedes Benz's, BMWs, and mansions. There were a lot of UAE flags and pictures of Sheikh Zayed, the deceased leader responsible for much of the region's economic success. This outpouring of national pride is always evident but more so as the area is gearing up for 40th anniversary celebrations at the beginning of December.

When I arrived, I realized that I had chosen the wrong one. I went to the Emirates Mall instead of the Dubai Mall! I caught a 8 dirham ($2 US) ten minute ride on the Metro, a state of the art train system that was attached to the mall. We got out at the station and I was impressed that I had arrived right in front of the Burj Khalifa (formerly Burj Dubai), the world's tallest building! At over 828 meters tall (2,716.5 feet), it was difficult to get the whole building in site of my camera. I gasped at the enormity of the structure! (Click on this link for a video on the making of this awesome building!) On the brief bus ride to the Dubai mall, I overheard an Arabic man on the phone talking about flying aircraft. He had on a Boeing shirt and I knew through his conversation that he was legit. I overheard him say something about the prince and flying him around. He said that he needed to hire more pilots and that money was no problem. The prince (either of Dubai or Abu Dhabi) could easily pay 150,000 dirham ($50,000) per month. I spoke to the man briefly when we got off to see if I could get more information. He told me stayed in America and took his lessons in New York at the White Plains airport. That's where I fly in to visit my family in Connecticut! He was very cool and we traded information. Who knows? Maybe I can get hired by the prince to be a private tutor for his children one day!

The Emirates mall was nice, but nothing could compare to the Dubai mall. I found the aquarium and it was breathtaking to say the least. Picture the Georgia Aquarium inside of a shopping mall! Massive water tanks were viewable to non-paying patrons. Inside were scuba divers, sharks of different species, stingrays, and more exotic fish. I walked around and was impressed with the opulent store fronts of the world's top fashion designers. I hung out briefly and then started the three hour trip back to Abu Dhabi. Although tired from a long day, I was happy that I stepped out alone to get just a small view of Dubai!