I'm in Cyprus for the next several hours but then will be traveling to Abu Dhabi today. So, I'll give a few tips about this fast-growing city in the United Arab Emirates.
First of all, Abu Dhabi is reputed to be the richest city in the entire world on a per capita basis. This is almost certainly the case amongst its citizens, but there is also a large expatriate population that the encompasses almost the entire economic continuum from the poorest to the wealthiest. So, I am not sure whether the total average per capita wealth is the highest -- but it must be very close. At the lowest end of that continuum are the domestic help. They are mostly from developing countries in South and Southeast Asia and they take contracts in Abu Dhabi in order to send money back to relatives in their home countries. There is a large number of domestic staff who handle most of the manual jobs of cleaning, gardening, driving, childcare, etc. There is also a middle class of professional engineers, accountants and similar roles who originate in South Asia, Eastern Europe, South Africa and Australia. Finally there is an expatriate workforce of seasoned professionals from Western Europe, the United States and Australia that are amongst the highest paid expatriate workers. Of course, there are exceptions to where these expatriates come from but as a general rule, the mix of ultra-rich Emiratis with a wide range of expatriates makes for an interesting and multicultural melting pot that is pretty cool to see.
The outward signs of wealth are everywhere in Abu Dhabi. From high-end automobiles on the roads, to enormous villas and innovative architecture. Abu Dhabi is reputedly much richer than its better known neighbor, Dubai, and it is generally more conservative. Recently, however, the government has instituted an "Abu Dhabi 2030 Plan" which is about transforming the Emirate into a world renown destination. The first and most visible sign of this is the construction that is happening all over the city. The following pictures are of buildings that are already completed or are being finished now:
This innovative architecture is designed to give Abu Dhabi a futuristic feel and it certainly does. While Dubai has slowed its building progress, Abu Dhabi seems to have accelerated. In fact, it seems that most of the construction crew who were working in Dubai have shifted to Abu Dhabi.
The "Shang" has great service and a fantastic pool -- which I never use. It also has a great Vietnamese Restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. I especially like the Shang, however, because it is connected via a walkway to a Suq (traditional mall) next door that offers a lot of dining options. My favorites include excellent Japanese at Sho Cho, high-end Indian at Ushna and fantastic meat at Steak Co. Rosa and I have purchased a few very nice pieces of Islamic Art in the Suq as well.
Shopping is great in Abu Dhabi but it is not as much "in your face" as Dubai. The Abu Dhabi Mall and the Marina Mall are great for shopping -- especially for high-end designers and jewelers. So, I generally try to pick up something nice for Rosa when I am in town. Duty Free at the airport is a bit disappointing, however, especially in the old part of the airport, so I advise shopping in town where it is possible to negotiate a bargain anyway.
My favorite place to hang-out after hours in Abu Dhabi is at the Yacht Club. It is an ultra-cool restaurant and bar. A DJ plays chill-out on a great stereo system that is kept at low volume until dinner is over. A wide screen TV behind the bar shows BBC's "Blue Planet" videos or Red Bull "X-Game" videos. The bar's specialty is vodka and it always has the newest high-end vodkas available. The Yacht Club is where I first tried Snow Leopard -- my current favorite. Other cool party places in Abu Dhabi include The Left Bank, Frankie's and Pearls and Caviar. Hemingway's is old school but still has a good community.
I highly recommend Abu Dhabi as a "must see" destination. It will grow a lot in the next decade so everyone should see it now, in my opinion.
Upcoming Travel:
My travel has changed since yesterday, which is nothing new ... I basically expect the changes now. I'm still going to mostly the same places, but on different days. Here is my schedule for the next two weeks:
- Monday, 30 August 2010: Larnaca - Dubai then a 90 minute drive to Abu Dhabi. I won't arrive at the Shang until about 03:30 but I will be able to attend the conference calls. Anyway, I'll hydrate before sleeping a few hours once I arrive at the hotel and this means I won't have to awake before sunrise.
- Tuesday, 31 August 2010: Abu Dhabi, staying at the Shangri-La
- Wednesday, 1 September 2010: Abu Dhabi - Manila
- Thursday, 2 September 2010: Arrive in Manila and check into The Peninsula Hotel
- Manila, staying at The Peninsula. Leave in the evening for Singapore
- Saturday, 4 September 2010: Singapore, staying at the Conrad
- Sunday, 5 September 2010: Singapore - Tokyo, staying at the Strings Intercontinental
- Monday, 6 September 2010: Tokyo
- Tuesday, 7 September 2010: Tokyo
- Wednesday, 8 September 2010: Tokyo - Sydney
- Thursday, 9 September 2010: Arrive in Sydney and check into the Holiday Inn at the Airport
- Friday, 10 September 2010: Sydney ... returning home via Dubai
- Saturday, 11 September 2010: Dubai - Larnaca then home to Tseri
- Sunday, 12 September 2010: Home in Tseri
As usual ... these plans are subject to near constant change at a moment's notice.
Rant:
Today is a bank holiday in the UK. Labor Day is also coming up in the US. I never seem to be able to have holidays at home. Cyprus has 14 public holidays a year and I'm almost never home. I can manipulate my schedule for a few larger holidays like Christmas Day and New Years Day because there is not much work happening around the world, but that is about the extent of my ability to be with family on holidays. Last year, I worked on New Years Eve and New Years Day from Singapore because work had to be completed before the end of the year and then set-up needed to occur for the new year.
The biggest holiday of the Muslim calendar is Eid Al Fitr at the end of Ramadan and usually lasts for three days. This is a time of celebration and relaxing with family. Of course, there is feasting and gift-giving. Eid Al Fitr is celebrated for a different reason (obviously) but it's Christian equivalent is Christmas. This year, I will be working in Tokyo on the first day of Eid and then traveling overnight to Sydney where I will work the following two days. After fasting for 28 days, I could really enjoy a holiday with Rosa. It would even be acceptable if Rosa met me in a Muslim country (like the UAE) where the community is celebrating, but this in not going to occur this year due to other commitments that we both have.
We will celebrate our own little Eid on Sunday (September 12) but I don't feel comfortable with celebrating Eid on Saturday (September 11). September 11 has too many raw memories and the linkage between the terrorist strike in New York City and the Muslim holiday is difficult for me to rationalize as an American citizen.
I like my job and love my lifestyle but missing holidays, birthdays and other special events is one of the bad things about this type of existence. Even though the pain is self-inflicted please spare a passing thought for me on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr.
Humor Section:
In honor of me traveling to the UAE, I offer the following joke about the rivalry between Abu Dhabi and Dubai:
Two dhows (traditional sailing ships) collided in the Indian Ocean far from land during a storm. The only two survivors were a citizen from Dubai, Mohammed, and a citizen from Abu Dhabi, Abdulla -- both fiercely loyal to their own Emirate. As they floated in a small lifeboat they argued about which city was the best place to live. This allowed them to pass the time and they had some limited food and water supplies but they soon irritated each other to the extent that they refused to speak. Mohammed was searching the lifeboat when he found a small brass oil lamp that had previously alluded his attention. He polished the brass lamp and a genie appeared. The genie offered them each one wish only. Since Mohammed had found the lamp and freed the genie, he was given the first wish. Mohammed looked hard at Abdulla and made his wish, "I wish that there would be a 100 meter tall wall all around Dubai with no gates or doorways so that people from Abu Dhabi cannot visit Dubai for any reason!" The genie waved his hands to indicate that the magic had been performed. Abdulla turned to the genie and said, "Is it done as he wished?" When the genie indicated that this was the case, Abdulla replied, "Fill the space between the walls with water all the way to the top!"
Last Blast:
I find it cumbersome to always have to check a bag when I travel. It used to be that I could carry-on a bag for a short trip, but my trips have become longer and it is simply not convenient to have "one plastic bag with liquids of no more than 100 milliliters" in my carry-on. I like my full-size shaving cream, shower gel, toothpaste and similar personal items. Plus, I normally am gone for more than one week (this time 12 days) and I cannot travel with a carry-on for that period of time.
Rosa always packs me and for normal length business trips this means two suits, seven work shirts, leisure clothes, dress shoes (I travel in casual shoes), etc. The trouble with this is that I never seem to have a bag that weighs less than 26 kgs (about 57 lbs). Most airlines now have restrictions on bags greater than 25 kgs and occasionally (as in South Africa the week before last) the limit is as low as 22 kgs. I can usually negotiate that the bag is boarded but I frequently have to pay a fine for excess weight.
It may also be my imagination that over-weight bags are misdirected more but I do seem to lose my luggage with some regularity. I generally lose my baggage when it is connecting but I have even lost luggage when I am traveling non-stop. A lost bag means a quick shopping trip to acquire work clothes that simply add to the weight of my check-in when the bag finally reappears.
I'm resigned to the fact that I have to check luggage but I want the airlines to implement technology to ensure that lost bags are very, very rare. Or, in lieu of this technology, I would accept teleportation of me and my luggage as acceptable.
Take care, my friends, until we meet again ...
Rant:
Today is a bank holiday in the UK. Labor Day is also coming up in the US. I never seem to be able to have holidays at home. Cyprus has 14 public holidays a year and I'm almost never home. I can manipulate my schedule for a few larger holidays like Christmas Day and New Years Day because there is not much work happening around the world, but that is about the extent of my ability to be with family on holidays. Last year, I worked on New Years Eve and New Years Day from Singapore because work had to be completed before the end of the year and then set-up needed to occur for the new year.
The biggest holiday of the Muslim calendar is Eid Al Fitr at the end of Ramadan and usually lasts for three days. This is a time of celebration and relaxing with family. Of course, there is feasting and gift-giving. Eid Al Fitr is celebrated for a different reason (obviously) but it's Christian equivalent is Christmas. This year, I will be working in Tokyo on the first day of Eid and then traveling overnight to Sydney where I will work the following two days. After fasting for 28 days, I could really enjoy a holiday with Rosa. It would even be acceptable if Rosa met me in a Muslim country (like the UAE) where the community is celebrating, but this in not going to occur this year due to other commitments that we both have.
We will celebrate our own little Eid on Sunday (September 12) but I don't feel comfortable with celebrating Eid on Saturday (September 11). September 11 has too many raw memories and the linkage between the terrorist strike in New York City and the Muslim holiday is difficult for me to rationalize as an American citizen.
I like my job and love my lifestyle but missing holidays, birthdays and other special events is one of the bad things about this type of existence. Even though the pain is self-inflicted please spare a passing thought for me on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr.
Humor Section:
In honor of me traveling to the UAE, I offer the following joke about the rivalry between Abu Dhabi and Dubai:
Two dhows (traditional sailing ships) collided in the Indian Ocean far from land during a storm. The only two survivors were a citizen from Dubai, Mohammed, and a citizen from Abu Dhabi, Abdulla -- both fiercely loyal to their own Emirate. As they floated in a small lifeboat they argued about which city was the best place to live. This allowed them to pass the time and they had some limited food and water supplies but they soon irritated each other to the extent that they refused to speak. Mohammed was searching the lifeboat when he found a small brass oil lamp that had previously alluded his attention. He polished the brass lamp and a genie appeared. The genie offered them each one wish only. Since Mohammed had found the lamp and freed the genie, he was given the first wish. Mohammed looked hard at Abdulla and made his wish, "I wish that there would be a 100 meter tall wall all around Dubai with no gates or doorways so that people from Abu Dhabi cannot visit Dubai for any reason!" The genie waved his hands to indicate that the magic had been performed. Abdulla turned to the genie and said, "Is it done as he wished?" When the genie indicated that this was the case, Abdulla replied, "Fill the space between the walls with water all the way to the top!"
Last Blast:
I find it cumbersome to always have to check a bag when I travel. It used to be that I could carry-on a bag for a short trip, but my trips have become longer and it is simply not convenient to have "one plastic bag with liquids of no more than 100 milliliters" in my carry-on. I like my full-size shaving cream, shower gel, toothpaste and similar personal items. Plus, I normally am gone for more than one week (this time 12 days) and I cannot travel with a carry-on for that period of time.
Rosa always packs me and for normal length business trips this means two suits, seven work shirts, leisure clothes, dress shoes (I travel in casual shoes), etc. The trouble with this is that I never seem to have a bag that weighs less than 26 kgs (about 57 lbs). Most airlines now have restrictions on bags greater than 25 kgs and occasionally (as in South Africa the week before last) the limit is as low as 22 kgs. I can usually negotiate that the bag is boarded but I frequently have to pay a fine for excess weight.
It may also be my imagination that over-weight bags are misdirected more but I do seem to lose my luggage with some regularity. I generally lose my baggage when it is connecting but I have even lost luggage when I am traveling non-stop. A lost bag means a quick shopping trip to acquire work clothes that simply add to the weight of my check-in when the bag finally reappears.
I'm resigned to the fact that I have to check luggage but I want the airlines to implement technology to ensure that lost bags are very, very rare. Or, in lieu of this technology, I would accept teleportation of me and my luggage as acceptable.
Take care, my friends, until we meet again ...
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