Abu Dhabi
While my travel bucket list is lengthy and ever-growing, I have to admit that the United Arab Emirates hadn’t ever been on it. I suppose it just never crossed my mind to trek out to the Middle East and explore the famed desert metropolises. So when work decided to send me out to Abu Dhabi and Dubai for two weeks, I was excited at the opportunity to explore a place I might not ever have come to.
The first and enduring sensation is the heat. While I knew, intellectually, the kind of temperatures I’d be experiencing (35-38C but feels like 45C with the humidex), there isn’t anything that quite prepares you for the wall of heat and humidity that hits you when you first step outside. It truly felt like stepping into a sauna. And 30 seconds later, stepping into an ice box that was my taxi. The humidity surprises most people—we think desert, and we assume a nice dry heat. But its location on the Arabian Gulf creates ideal conditions for moist air.
I stayed at The Edition hotel, beautiful 5-star accommodations on the marina in Al Bateen. It was also one of the nicest hotels I’d ever stayed in: the air was perpetually scented, the service was wonderful (one day, cleaning staff took it upon themselves to arrange my make-up in an organizer), and the included breakfasts were legendary. No sad continental breakfast here where you’re serving yourself cereal out of a bulk dispenser and eating yogurt out of a plastic cup. I worked my way through the menu, everything from smoked salmon eggs benedict and Turkish eggs to French toast and cheese plates.
The oppressive heat yields urban design that is not particularly conducive for walking. People, quite understandably, prefer to be comfortably sequestered in air-conditioned cars. As such, the areas of Abu Dhabi I was in tended to have long blocks and deserted sidewalks. As an avid traveller, who enjoys hitting the streets and walking the city to get a feel for the place, it was a bizarre mode of travelling to be shuttled everywhere.
Touring the desert
I spent most of my first day in Abu Dhabi on a desert excursion with Desert Rose Tours. All I really wanted out of my trip to the UAE was to be able to see the desert and ride a camel. The Edition had a recommended tour operator and so I booked a half-day adventure that seemed to come with quite the laundry list of activities: dune bashing, camel riding, sand boarding, belly dancing, shisha, BBQ dinner, and more. I was picked up at the hotel in a Toyota Outlander, and we went on to collect the remaining members of the group. Four dramatically dressed women from Vegas piled in—wearing harem pants, crop tops, and gold jewelry and proceeded to do their hair and make-up during the hour long drive out to the desert.
Once we reached the desert, our driver let some air out of the tires (which from my years of watching Top Gear, I knew was necessary to be able to effectively drive on sand). Then to the boisterous shouts of my travel companions, we set off for “dune bashing” (off-roading on sand dunes). We sped up dunes, precariously drove along the tops, and drifted down terrifyingly steep descents, kicking up dramatic clouds of sand in the process. I’ve never been one for rollercoasters, and so I was gripping the seats the entire time. I was grateful for the skill of our driver, as I had no idea what magic of physics enabled us to not roll the car.
We stopped briefly at a camel farm, which admittedly was underwhelming. We looked at camels clustered around a feeding trough some distance away and that was pretty much that. From there, we bashed some more dunes before mercifully stopping to take some photos in the desert. My tour companions had been primping for just this moment, and so set off with the driver for their photo shoot. I was happy to scamper around the dunes and enjoy the endless seas of rippled sand stretching before me.
Once we’d had our fill of dunes, we made the short drive to the Desert Rose encampment—a touristy spot with different activity stations. Naturally, I beelined for the camels and discovered I would be able to ride one, though only for about 5 minutes in a circle. Nevertheless, I happily mounted my camel, who started to stand up during that process, and so it was a bit of a scramble to stay on. Camels, I learned, are very tall (6 to 7 feet typically). We were led in a circle, and it was like sitting in a swaying armchair. To dismount, camels first kneel down, which involves a dramatic, lurching drop to the ground.
As the sun set, the buffet BBQ opened up, and we piled our plates high with kebabs, hummus, and pasta and watched the various dance performances on offer, including belly dancing and Egyptian tanoura (whirling Dervish) dancing. While great dancers, I was acutely aware that none of these dance forms reflected local Emirati traditions. Overall, it was a sweaty, sandy, lovely day—while obviously not very authentic, I appreciated being able to get out into the desert and experience a kind of environment I had never been to before.
Louvre Abu Dhabi
I was surprised to learn that Abu Dhabi has its own Louvre. Opened in 2017, the museum has an agreement with the French government to be able to use the Louvre’s name until 2037. Housed under a massive dome structure that appears to float above the museum, the permanent collection involves 12 stages, guiding you through the annals of history from around 3100 BCE to modern times. The premise of the collection is a showcase of what unites us: creative arts that transcend specific cultures and places. As such, they would often juxtapose pieces that share a similar underlying function or theme (e.g. praying figure, funereal urn) but from completely different parts of the world, highlighting the cross-cultural similarities that bind humanity together throughout time.
I do love walking through museums—it evokes a reflective, meditative state as you pass through the space. I enjoyed seeing these ancient artifacts and art pieces set in this hyper-modern environment, with its clean white walls and sharp edges.
It was peaceful to walk around outside under the protective cover of the dome. Something about the dappled sunlight filtering through the intricate metal weave of the canopy and the vast expanses of angular concrete.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
One of Abu Dhabi’s highlights is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Inaugurated in 2007, it is the largest mosque in the UAE, capable of accommodating over 40,000 worshippers. As it was my first visit to a mosque, I researched the appropriate attire, which for women requires no bared skin or hair. Decked out in long, flowy pants, a long-sleeved cardigan, and a headscarf, I arrived at the entrance to the visitor centre some distance from the mosque itself. It was a bit jarring to descend via escalator into what was essentially an underground mall, replete with McDonald’s and other fast food joints and stores hawking their tourist wares. After a long-ish walk underground, facilitated by moving walkways, I emerged at the mosque entrance.
As I’d arrived just before sunset, the stunning, immense structure was bathed in a warm, soft light. Floral motifs adorned the vast expanses of polished white marble. I appreciated that there were designated “photos areas” that were cordoned off (though photo-taking elsewhere seemed to be permitted), as it largely kept the main areas clear and pristine.
Despite being nearly dusk, the air was sticky (being fully covered up didn’t help), so I was grateful to have moments of air-conditioning upon entering prayer halls. I had not sufficiently researched headscarf-wrapping techniques, and so spent much of my time fiddling with with my scarf, trying to keep it from blowing off my head. I did see some folks just wearing a jacket with their hood-up, which in hindsight would’ve been a much easier sartorial approach to achieve the same effect.
I enjoyed the ruddy glow of the sun setting behind one of the 82 domes, but I’d wanted to get a more holistic view of the mosque. Some quick Googling suggested that my best bet would be to go across the highway to Wahat al Karama, a war memorial commemorating fallen Emirati soldiers. It wasn’t immediately evident how to walk there, and after asking numerous people, a security guard indicated there was a free shuttle from the mosque parking lot. Sure enough, a large bus, with me as its sole passenger, made the 5-minute drive and deposited me at the memorial.
It was stunning to be able to take in the full picture of the Grand Mosque—its 4 minarets and multitude of domes silhouetted against the skyline and mirrored in the shallow reflecting pool. I sat in the small amphitheatre and watched the sunset, the sky aglow with pinks and oranges, as the lights turned on to illuminate the mosque.
Gastronomical Highlights
Alba Terrace, The Edition Hotel
I spent the majority of my time in Abu Dhabi at the hotel and because it would typically require taking a taxi to dine out, I ate several of my dinners at one of the hotel restaurants, Alba Terrace. Mediterranean-inspired food and good, if not perhaps overly attentive service, I enjoyed all of my meals there. This ranged from beef moussaka smothered in a delicious béchamel, gazpacho, truffle mushroom risotto, to (because I can’t resist) creamy mashed potatoes. Everything was richly flavoured and well-portioned.
Coya Restaurant
Strangely enough, I ended up visiting this restaurant twice: first on my own and, by chance, with a client who took me out for lunch. A bit on the pricier side, Coya served up delicious Peruvian fusion dishes. For my first meal, I enjoyed a smoked tomato sorbet, potato croquettes, and Wagyu beef baos with, as one must with Peruvian food, a Pisco sour. On my second visit, I enjoyed king crab toast, potato churros, salmon ceviche and sampled a spicy beef fillet, grilled salmon with miso, and a Chilean sea bass rice iron pot. It was quite the array of delights, all of which were outstanding. I was impressed with the freshness and complex flavour combinations. Definitely a restaurant I’d return to!
Erth Restaurant
As it had come up on various ‘Best Of’ lists and was known for being an Emirati fusion restaurant, I was excited when I learned I’d be taken to dinner at Erth Retaurant by our Abu Dhabi-based sister company. By chance, it also happened to be Canadian Thanksgiving, so it was nice to be able to have a hearty meal to mark the occasion. We ordered a veritable smorgasbord of really unique, delicious food: mini taquito of Emirati shrimps, Mazaraa crispy fried egg, healthiest kale salad on “Erth”, roasted sweet potato, Emirati spiced hasselback potatoes, and grilled Emirati tiger prawns. My favourites included a zucchini gratin (outstandingly creamy and flavourful) and Margooga ravioli (with a delightful kind of Indian curry flavour). Already stuffed, we capped the night with a pile of luqaimat (an Arabic sweet dumpling, kind of like a donut hole dipped in date syrup) and a sago coconut dome (which included a very hard meringue that we amusingly referred to as flavourful chalk, in a good way). Definitely meal to remember!
