8 Dec 2011 (Thursday)
After a six-hour flight from London Heathrow Airport, we touched down at Abu Dhabi at 6am to a temperature of 16 degrees Celcius. By the time we reached our hotel The Millennium it was 8am. After checking in and a hearty breakfast, we decided to just rest in the hotel. We woke up from our nap at 3pm and feeling famished, we had paratha bread with dhall curry at a nearby restaurant. We then walked around the area near our hotel and explored the shops. Since the shops didn't look quite exciting, we took a taxi to Marina Mall which is touted as the most upmarket mall in Abu Dhabi. We walked around the mall but didn't buy anything as we found the prices of things to be more expensive than back home. A cab ride took us to Chilli's restaurant where we had dinner before taking a slow walk back to our hotel.
9 Dec 2011 ( Friday)
Woke up at 9am and had a leisurely breakfast. By the time we finished breakfast it was already 10.30am and hubby decided to wait for Friday prayers which was at 12.30pm, before we proceeded with our plan for the day.
We took a taxi which cost us 8 dhs to the bus station . The bus ticket for Dubai cost 15dhs and the trip took us one and half hours along an 8-lane highway. Upon arriving in Dubai we had lunch/tea at an Indian Restaurant partaking lamb briyani and masala tea,the food is cheaper in Dubai than Abu Dhabi. A taxi trip which cost 24dhs took us from the bus station to the Burj Khalifa area.We have been to Dubai before but at that time the Burj Khalifa was still under construction.
The area around the Burj Khalifa area is stunning. On one side is the massive and ultra modern Dubai Mall. On another side is a cluster of buildings with Mediteranean architecture. Between these two is a man-made lake with crystal blue water and ample terraces, promenade and walkways. Right in front of us loomed the Burj Khalifa that seemed to be touching the sky. At 2716 feet high and more than 160 stories, it stands as the tallest building in the world.We wanted to go up the building but unfortunately the tickets to go up had been sold out except for special tickets that cost 440dhs each (the normal price is about 150dhs). As it was too costly we had to forgo it. Instead we decided to just walk around the promenade and gardens, and admire the building from all angles. The temperature was a cool 23 degrees celcius and a cool breeze was blowing. We sat on the terrace and watched the sun set with its glorious orange hues behind the silhoutte of the modern buildings of Dubai.
We then went inside Dubai Mall to see what the shopping complex had to offer. It is an upmarket mall selling all the major luxury brands in clothing and leather goods. Dubai people must really love chocolates, because one part of the Mall has a number of specialty shops selling chocolates with names like Patchi and Godiva and others which I am not familiar with. The Patchi shop is very big and luxurious and the sales personnel look more like boutique managers with their suits . One chocolate shop even has a leather Chesterfield sofa and crystal chandeliers !
After exploring the shops we decide to have dinner at a restaurant called Socialise. We were fortunate to get a table outside facing the pool and the Burj Khalifa which looked magnificent against the dark sky. At half hour interval the musical fountain displayed a symphony accompanied by tunes of an English song, an Arabic song and even a Chinese song ! The water seemed like a group of ballerinas dancing gracefully to the music amidst applause from the audience. For the rest of the night we sat there sipping hot chocolate and watched the world go by. Arab ladies in flowing black robes and the unmistakable Chanel handbags glide by leaving a trail of strong Arabian perfume. Other Middle-Eastern girls in tight designer jeans and baby tees seemed to jump out from a European fashion magazine. Tourist from all over the world especially from the northern hemisphere came to Dubai to escape from the winter cold.
At 10.30pm we decided to catch a cab back to the bus station for our bus ride to Abu Dhabi which cost 25dhs (we wondered why the difference in fare but the bus operators couldn't give an explanation)
10 Dec 2011 (Saturday)
After a late wake up call and a scrumptious breakfast, we left our hotel at 11am in a pre-arranged taxi. A half hour ride took us to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque,an imposing white marble building that reminded me of Taj Mahal, but on a bigger and grander scale.
Sitting on a 22000 square metres site, the mosque can accommodate 40000 worshippers at a time .Upon setting my eyes on the mosque I was struck by its beauty and magnificence. Indeed the mosque is the jewel of Abu Dhabi and a must-see for travellers.
The ladies were required to cover themselves with black abaya (robe) provided at the mosque entrance as a show of respect to the house of worship.There were busloads of tourist from all over the world who came to admire this beautiful work of art.
The first thing that I did was to perform the Tahiyatul Masjid, a prayer that we are encouraged to perform the moment we enter a mosque.As it was close to Zuhur (midday) prayer, the guests were told to vacate the mosque in preparation for congregational prayer.While waiting for the prayer to begin, I spent time reading the Quran in the quiet sojourn of the ladies section of the mosque.
After Zuhur prayer visitors were allowed to enter the prayer hall to admire the beautiful architecture and craftsmanship.The floor and walls of the foyer are of white marble with in-lays of coloured marble in the form of flowering climbers.The columns inside the mosque's prayer hall are also white marble inlaid with mother of pearl.The domes,arches and doors have inticate designs typical of middle eastern architecture.Huge Swarovski crystal chandeliers in red ,green and gold hang like jewels from the high ceiling.The main prayer hall is said to house the world's largest chandelier under the main dome. The floor is covered by the world's largest hand-knotted Persian carpet.
We left the mosque for our next destination,the Grand Palace. The Palace reminds me of the Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya and the Palace of the Golden Horses Hotel with its brown facade, Moorish domes and arches. Unfortunately we were not able to get inside the Palace as it was booked by other tour groups.
Our next stop was the Heritage Village which depict the way people lived in the past. There were replicas of desert tents and houses inhabited by the locals at one time and souks depicting crafts such as glass blowing, tannery,carpet weaving,pottery,wood carving and cloth weaving.The Heritage Village didn't impress me very much as I was expecting something better. The only thing I found nice was the view of the city skyline framed by clear blue sky and shimmering blue sea.
By the time we completed our tour of the Heritage Village it was 3pm and we were famished. Our next stop was the nearby Marina Mall where we had lunch at a chocolate cafe.At 5.30pm we were back at out hotel for a rest before our flight home later that night.
