So, last weekend, my good friends and I headed off to explore the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. It felt so strange to say, "Oh hey, I'll just be heading to Abu Dhabi for the weekend, no biggie." It's weird that it's so close to where I live now! We rented a car, and my flatmate drove us because she had just recently received her UAE license. Just to let you know, she is from Britain, so she is now learning to drive on the wrong side of the road (for her) in a country where traffic rules are not followed. People do not care if they cut you off and almost kill you/maim you. It's survival of the fittest on these roads. But, we survived, and headed to a 5 star hotel called Aloft, which was only 250 dirhams apiece (about 70 bucks). Super cheap. Of course that price would eventually change...
Here, there is this big thing about brunches. You pay a certain amount of money (about 250 dirhams or so) and you go to a "brunch" which could be during the day like 12-4 or night like 7-11. Obviously no one has looked up the meaning of brunch. We've been to about 4 of them now. You get unlimited food and drinks for the price you pay, and then sometimes there's a dance floor after, or you go on to another place for the rest of the evening. It is the weirdest feeling to hear rap music booming on a dance floor at 3 in the afternoon. Not unwelcome, but weird. So, to continue, we went to a brunch at this hotel, and ordered drinks and had lots and lots of food. It was about 200 d's apiece, so at the end, when we're feeling a little more (lighthearted shall we say?) we said to the man, "Oh, just charge it to the room! No problem!" That became kind of our motto for the weekend. "We have to pay this. Wellllll charge it to room 920!" It's like we said it, and our bill would magical disappear in front of our eyes. Not the case. It's quite laughable when you go to get your bill at the end of your stay, and it comes to about 500 dirhams more than the original price. Oh well. It was all for the experience. (I'll be eating my words instead of food this month, I think).
The next day, we went to do the most incredible thing ever. We went to what was basically a party island. It was called Al Maya Island, and we paid 100 dirhams for the whole day. They drove us on a boat to the island for about 30 minutes, and the views were absolutely gorgeous. No clouds in the sky and perfect blue water. It was amazing. I hadn't yet been on a boat since I'd been here, so I was very happy. We get to the island, and they have a beach, a HUGE swimming pool, a dance floor, an outdoor bar, and an indoor bar, and a whole space for cushioned lay-out chairs. We spent the day from 1:30-6 or7. It was lovely. We met lots of new people, went swimming in the ocean, were allowed to bring cups and bottles into the pool, laid out, etc. I haven't had such a good time in a long while. (I've included a photo).
After that we headed home, and once we got off of the boat, we were offered a ride home from two guys who had a huge SUV. There was about 9 girls and 1 boy in our group, and my friends were like, "Sure! Why not?" And my father doesn't seem to think this, but I AM THE SENSIBLE ONE at these times, and I said, "Girls, this car is parked in what seems to be the exact scene from Taken. We're not going in there. There are mini trailers around here. They will take us, and we will die. But, my words were not heeded, and my friends are infamous for their peer pressure. (Dad, don't worry, there was a man with us who was our friend, and who was an ex-Marine.) Once, we get in, I see that all of the seats are covered in plastic. Great. Good. Now the evidence of our deaths can be hidden. I tried to explain this to my good old pals, but they were not worried in the slightest. It was fine in the end. As you can see, I've survived! But, I wouldn't do that again in a hurry. Plus I had to ride with my neck bent at a 90 degree angle because there were too many of us. After that, we just went out and danced the night away (my dream). Hilariously enough, one of my friends was meeting someone there. When he came, she did not speak to him. (This was a young attractive guy). Instead she preferred the company of an crusty, old, fat man named Curtis on the dance floor. Curtis is the best name he could have had, right? But she came around in the end.
Sorry, this is dragging on, but here's my last bit. On our last day, we went to see the Grand Mosque! Absolutely breathtaking. We had to wear abayas, which were RIDICULOUS. (See facebook). The abayas were a little Amishy, but hey I'm getting back to my roots, I suppose. The mosque was gigantic, and we just went in and walked around the whole main room (which apparently contains the largest carpet in the world). I attached some photos for your viewing pleasure.
In conclusion, Abu Dhabi was nice, but not like Dubai AT ALL. It's very low key, hardly any traffic, taxi drivers knew what they were doing (I was flabbergasted), and not flashy. Think of Harrisburg vs. New York City. Dubai is more my style, but it was nice to visit Abu Dhabi and see what the rest of the UAE has to offer. More adventures to come!
Explanation: I found this at a mall in Abu Dhabi. You know you're in the Middle East when...this is offered as a viable option for a jogging outfit. 
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