Abu Dhabi - A day in the modern desert state

On our way to Perth, we spend a night and a day in Abu Dhabi, the largest of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi presents itself as a modern metropolis with a lot of glamour, style, and luxury. Impressive buildings are lined up, one bigger than the other. Most skyscrapers have exceptional architecture and are surrounded by picture-perfect palm trees and well-manicured gardens.

And all this in a country that consists of desert. It is not surprising that the water consumption per capita here is extremely high. Coming from Cape Town, where there is a severe water shortage, makes one think a lot about the distribution of resources in the world.

In the morning, the hotel bus takes us to the number one attraction in Abu Dhabi, the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. It is the third largest mosque in the world, where up to 40,000 worshippers can participate in prayer. Not only Fa, but we are also totally impressed by the white/golden 'castle' with its many large domes. She wants to explore all the paths and see everything. Ma, on the other hand, prefers to go back to the hotel. There are simply too many people for him there. With loud protest, he enters the mosque with us. Inside the prayer room, there are beautiful colorful chandeliers made of crystals and gemstones, created in Germany. 1200 women worked on the hand-knotted carpet with a floral pattern for two years. The mosque has a dimension that is difficult even for adults to comprehend. Of course, we follow the customs and traditions of this religious institution. I have to pull up the hood of my sweater and cover my hair. When entering the mosque, we take off our shoes. We also use separate entrances for women and men. I would say Fa received the most intensive religious education that morning.

Afterwards, we board the HopOn/HopOff bus for a city tour and a small boat trip. This is more to Ma's liking, as he can admire the many construction sites of the emerging city. It is incredible what is being built and erected here. During the tour, we discover many buildings that are familiar to us. Abu Dhabi likes to 'copy' world-famous buildings such as the World Trade Center, Atlantis the Palm, the Louvre. Or the famous Marina Bay Hotel in Singapore. And it proudly admits it, as the buildings usually also bear the name Abu Dhabi. In the evening, we have dinner at the Yas Mall before taking a taxi to the airport and strolling through the mall, where you can buy everything with the necessary pocket money.