United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi and Dubai

May 8-9, 2024

$1 US = 3.6 UAE Dirhams

Until about a week before we arrived, I had completely forgotten we were visiting Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE. The region was in the middle of a heat wave, so hotter even than normal, so outdoor activities did not sound promising. In Googling “what to do in Abu Dhabi” I discovered that Abu Dhabi has an extension of the Louvre. And I love museums.

It wasn’t far from the port, but did require going over a bridge. I’d read that taking taxis was better than using Uber here, so we got a taxi. I was mis-informed. The taxi stated at the outset that there was a fee of 20 dirhams due to port pick-up – this as on the meter as a starting fee, so “OK”. We arrived at the Louvre and he stated we owed 24 more dirhams than on the meter. I argued that no – the fee was on the meter, he replied that it was yet another additional fee. I paid him with a 50 dirham bill (14 more than the meter), and we Ubered from then on. And something I didn’t know until after the fact – taxis in Abu Dhabi are REQUIRED to accept credit cards, and he had said when we got in that he couldn’t take them. We were not the only ones to get scammed by taxi drivers coming out of the port (all different amounts and stories). I should have taken a photo of his license plate.

After that inauspicious beginning – we had a lovely day. The Abu Dhabi Louvre displayed art in an unusual way – instead of having a “Greek Room” and a “Roman Room”, etc – they juxtaposed artwork from around the world in the same era, so objects from Asia, Europe and other places created in the same century would be displayed near each other. This allowed the patron to see how art from one region could effect later art in other areas.

The exterior architecture mirrored the quality of art within.

The traditional name for a marketplace is “souk” – in modern Abu Dhabi, this means “mall”. We Ubered to the central souk – and meandered a 6 level mall with shops, restaurants (including an Irish Pub) and a grocery store. It turns out UAE was not the best place for restocking essentials – they had everything, but at 3-4 times the price we would have found in the US, let alone other stops up to that point. (I decided against purchasing my Venus shaver replacement heads – it would have been almost $17 for a 4 pack).

With the lowering sun bringing in a breeze and cooler air, we ventured out into a park to walk and see the sunset.

The next day in Dubai, we had booked a walking tour. The starting point was a local chain restaurant – with five locations. “Unfortunately” – we clicked the wrong one, so missed the tour. I melted standing in the shade waiting for our Uber – so not sure if it was a Freudian mis-click or the Universe protecting me from heat stroke in a walking tour. Instead – we wandered the Dubai Mall. At 3,800,000 sq feet, it is the second largest shopping mall in the world (the largest is the West Edmonton Mall tied with Fashion Island in Bangkok). We saw the signs for Chinatown expecting to be taken to an exit with Chinatown on the outside streets – nope – its part of the mall. The world’s cleanest Chinatown. My lunch was roasted duck at a Michelin starred kiosk.

The mall has an ice skating rink, waterfalls, artwork, and almost every kind of retail establishment.

We didn’t try to take the world-renowned tram system – flooding the week before had damaged the computer circuits that controlled the trains so a lot fewer trains were running with just as many passengers.

Many of our friends spent the $50 to go to the observation deck of the Burg Khalifa – the tallest building in the world, and some even spent the $200pp to do the longest zipline over the city.

We were dutifully back aboard by 3:30 – but due to waiting on supplies, we didn’t set sail until well after dark.

Unfortunately, Dubai brought the end of segment two, and some good friends headed home.

History lesson

The Trucial States, seven sheikdoms established on the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula by the British in the late 19th century (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah and Ras al Khaimah) joined together into one nation in February 1972 after the British withdrew their involvement in the region in 1968. The need to band together became evident when Iranian forces attempted to take the islands of Abu Masa (Sharjah) and lesser and Greater Tunbs (Ras al Khaimah) – the islands remain under dispute to this day.