Postcards from Abu Dhabi

Posted by Jason--Since Pam is out of town, I decided to visit our friends Emily and Ulrich in Abu Dhabi. Although I have been to Abu Dhabi many times, this was the first time I attempted to "see the sights." First priority, however, was to go to Fuddrucker's and get a real hamburger. You would never guess that you would miss Fuddrucker's, but trust me, you do...

The next morning, we decided to go into the Rub al Khali (aka the Empty Quarter), which is one of the largest sand deserts in the world. First we had to cross through Abu Dhabi's massive oil fields. Ulrich managed to take plenty of photos, despite several signs warning not to take pictures and a military checkpoint (think Humvees with roof-mounted machine guns).

Once we reached the Rub Al Khali, we did some traditional dune bashing. Dune bashing is great fun once you learn how to avoid getting stuck (it takes practice!). I had a good time, and I don't think I scared them too much... On the way back to Abu Dhabi, we stopped to view the private car collection of Shaikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, aka the "Rainbow Shaikh." The Rainbow Shaikh is a very wealthy member of Abu Dhabi's ruling family. His private car collection, which is open to the public, includes hundreds of vehicles. Most notable are the world's largest truck and a collection of seven matching Mercedes sedans, one for each day of the week, each in a different color of the rainbow (hence the name). You have to understand--he didn't just get them painted. EVERYTHING is color-matched on each car--the exterior, seats, dashboard, grille, ceiling,...everything. It's pretty funny. My favorite, however, is the Mercedes monster sedan--the ultimate dune bashing machine! Our last stop was the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, built and named in honor of the late founder of Abu Dhabi and ruler of the U.A.E. It just opened a few months ago. It's a sight to behold, although I'm still partial to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat.

So, next time you are in Abu Dhabi, enjoy the sights!

Desert Trek

Well, it only took us a year and a half, but we finally made the big trek across the Omani desert. Yes, we have been to the desert before, but only a short ride into it with civilization just around the corner. One thing that is a must do here is to cross the desert, known as the Wahiba Sands, end to end, finishing at a fantastic view where the desert meets the ocean. We took 2 cars worth of people, plus a guide, because if your car breaks down in the middle of the desert, you are more than slightly screwed. And of course, the guide is there to make sure we didn't get lost in the middle of the desert, never to be found again. We left on a Wednesday afternoon and set up camp at the edge of the desert. And yes, I'm talking about proper camping . . .tents and all. I just have one requirement if I am going to be forced to sleep in the middle of nowhere . . . I have to have my camping toilet seat! You can't really see it in the far right of the last picture, but if you can somehow get it blown up, you'll see what I am talking about. If I have to camp, we have to bring the toilet seat, which of course served as a very entertaining bit of conversation over the course of the weekend. The next day, we met up with our guide and made the day long trek across the desert. The views were absolutely amazing, especially to see these beautiful sand dunes rolling right into the ocean at our journey's end. But I apologize . . . the pictures don't come close to doing it justice. Once we made it to the coast, we set up camp for one last night in the desert. And just for the record, you don't really want to be in the desert when the wind starts to blow. That sand can hurt! The last picture shows what us girls look like after not showering for a couple days! Not too pretty, eh? It's a good thing the internet doesn't come with smell-o-vision!