Abu Dhabi

After leaving Jo’burg, we had a 20-hour layover in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.  We really didn’t know much about that country at all, and we were fortunate to have Taryn’s friend Mohannad show us around.  He was the best host!  He picked us up from the airport early in the morning and took us all around the city.

Abu Dhabi is an incredibly wealthy city.  Everywhere you look there are examples of this wealth, including “Gold 2 Go” machines where you can buy different pieces of gold on the go!  How convenient! 

Mohannad’s tour of the city included:

·    Breakfast at a restaurant in the marina, with a beautiful view of the skyline.

·    Heritage Village where we were able to see what life was like in the UAE many years ago, as well as sit on a camel.

Keith on a camel at the Heritage Village

The Abu Dhabi skyline

·         A walk through a few of the city’s malls, which have just about any store you can name.

·         Emirates Palace Hotel, which has rooms painted with real gold.

Enjoying the luxury of the Emirates Palace Hotel

·         Early dinner at Nasr, a Lebanese restaurant with delicious food.

·         A tour of The Grand Mosque with its pristine, white structure and ornate detailing.

At the Grand Mosque right before we were
not allowed to touch

Mohannad showing us around the Grand Mosque

The Grand Mosque

·         An introduction to his wonderful family!  We met his new, baby nephew, and his mother even packed us a bag full of snacks to take on the airplane with us!

 
We had an amazing time and learned a lot about Abu Dhabi and the UAE!