|
|
  |
| | |
|
» Features
| Ups and downs in Abu Dhabi
The people, food and shops are strange. During summer it's unbelievably hot and you hop from one aircon environment to another. It's incredibly safe, has an amazing mix of 'West meets East' and everyday is an experience. In August 2002, after a six-week delay for visas, we finally left South Africa’s winter to arrive here in the full blast of summer. My husband, Terry had flown out a week before me and warned me that it was hot. When I walked out of the Dubai airport at 6am, it was like walking into a sauna with your winter woollies on... The first three weeks passed in a blur – an exhausting emotional cocktail of excitement, anticipation and uncertainty. It can be rather tough in the beginning so a really positive attitude and a gargantuan reserve of good humour are definite requirements! Terry’s company had organised us hotel accommodation, during which time we had to find a place to live. This was an awful experience. After being shown some of the filthiest flats we had ever seen, we concluded that we would have to find a flat in a brand new building. Houses from hell On the whole, most buildings look okay from the outside, but on the inside it's a different story. Light fittings pulled out of the wall, dirty toilet bowls, stained kitchen sinks, grime caked into every crack, glue all over the floors. You need to bear in mind that rent here is paid six to 12 months in advance – so you should really like the place you take.
Along with central air-conditioning, we have a central satellite dish which picks up 26 channels – two of which are in English. We have a nice view from the lounge and bedroom of gardens across the street. And if you strain your neck, you can just see the Gulf down the road. We are on the first floor, which means apart from the traffic and street noise, we are also woken every morning by the morning prayer call. The call is timed according to sunrise, which is at 4.15am these days. We only brought our clothing with us from South Africa, so we had the task of furnishing the flat. And to our dismay we discovered what an incredible amount of odds and ends it takes to make up a home. Fortunately there are plenty of modern furniture stores here and choice is limited only by budget. Retail therapy There are three main shopping malls in Abu Dhabi. Marina Mall is built on reclaimed land and in the shape of a tent (marquee), it's big and shiny with an impressive, steaming fountain in the middle. Abu Dhabi Mall, nearer the centre of the city, boasts over 200 shops. It is lovely and feels like an Arabian version of Century City in Cape Town. Mina Centre is relatively new and it took us a while to discover it. It's located in the port area. All the shops are relatively up-to-date and stock mainly Western goods. Given enough time, you can find almost anything you are looking for.
After three very unsettled months, we have started relaxing and enjoying ourselves. That’s not to say we have found Utopia! Like everywhere and everyone, there are ups and downs. I guess the trick is to try put a positive spin on the bad days. And on the 'Missing South Africa days', a long phone-call home is cheaper than an air ticket...
| | | ||||
| |||||||
After much searching, we found a lovely little flat. It has one bedroom, with separate kitchen and a lounge/dining area and a tiny bathroom with only a shower. The
kitchen came with appliances - fridge, washing/drying machine and gas stove.
The sea
here is lovely. There no waves and the water is really salty, so it's very buoyant and you can float and swim for ages before getting tired. The beach looks incredibly tropical with its see-through blue water and white sand. It does, however, get extremely hot and when the blistering summer heat is at full blast, the water gets very warm and the beach sand is too hot to
walk on.