Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Abu Dhabi

 I visited Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), for a couple of weeks this month.

It was hot and extremely humid throughout my trip.

Check out the robot busser in the airport lounge on the way over to Abu Dhabi:

The inside of The Abu Dhabi Edition hotel, where I stayed for the duration of my trip:
Photograph of the inside of the hotel at night.
I had the pleasure of attending church both Sundays.

Videos of the LDS meetinghouse and surrounding area:





Here's a short journal entry I sent out to family members:

I went to church this afternoon (10 September). In the very international ward I attended, I met members from the following countries:


United Kingdom

Nigeria

Austria

Tonga

Australia

Russia

United States

India


I attended the afternoon ward. The morning ward is a Filipino ward conducted in the language of Tagalog. 


I met a nice sister from the United States who, with her husband, has been living here in Abu Dhabi for the last 19 years. Her husband used to be a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. 


I asked this sister when work would begin on the Dubai Temple. She leaned toward me and excitedly said, “I have insider information.” She proceeded to tell me that a delegation from the Church came to Dubai nine months ago to meet with the “city fathers” [the wealthy Sheikhs, city planners, etc] to show the first draft design of the temple to them, and to discuss plans. Her friend was at the meeting. Her friend reported that the Dubai officials were “underwhelmed” by the proposed design, because they know about the Salt Lake City temple and they want the Dubai Temple to be more impressive. 


I laughed, remembering back to when President Nelson announced the Dubai Temple and I joked with Sam that the Emiratis will want it to be the biggest, fanciest LDS temple on the planet, and they will probably offer to pay to make it so. 


The sister told me she does not know the current status of the temple design. Did the Church delegation return to Salt Lake City to work on a grander version of the Dubai Temple design? I don’t have the answer to that question, but I wish I did.


Now I will tell you about my taxi ride to church. Akramullah, a young man from Peshawar, Pakistan, picked me up from the hotel. Peshawar is located in northern Pakistan, near the border of Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden spent a lot of time there along with his mujahideen [we called them mujahideen (people engaged in jihad) back then; now we call them terrorists] during their 1980s, decade-long fight against the Russians in Afghanistan. Peshawar is/was a gateway for the mujahideen into Afghanistan.


Back to Akramullah. He is 21 years old. He married at 16, to a 16-year-old local girl. They already have two children: two boys ages five and three. Akramullah said he and his wife are madly in love with each other. He liked his wife even before their parents decided they should marry. Akramullah can’t see his wife in video calls because some time ago his dad got angry and smashed the screen on his wife’s phone. They have to be content with voice calls for the time being.


Taxi drivers here get paid an average of 800 dollars per month. They work in 12-hour shifts. Akramullah drives from 3am to 3pm and his cousin, also from Peshawar, drives the same taxi from 3pm to 3am. They work seven days a week. If they take a day off, the company they work for deducts a little pay. Most of the workers (Pakistani or not) in this country and other countries around the Middle East often work for two years or more before taking a short break to return to their countries to see their families. Akramullah hasn’t seen his young wife and children for quite some time, because he can’t afford to go home. If Akramullah and his cousin, Malik Raheem, stayed in Peshawar, they might be able to find jobs making 300 dollars per month. That is the reason they, and so many others like them, leave home for better opportunities. They send money back to their families.


The workers live in what the English translation on the highway sign describes as “Labor Camps.” That’s probably not the best translation. It sure doesn’t sound good. I would translate the Arabic as “Workers Compounds.” Regardless, the workers live in dormitory-style buildings with 5-10 workers per room. They are not allowed to cook in the buildings. So, Akramullah usually buys something to eat before his shift and then he doesn’t eat until his shift finishes 12 hours later.


I wish every American teenager had to leave home for a mandatory one-year experience living in a “Labor Camp” and working 12-hour shifts, seven days a week. Never again would they complain about their pampered lifestyles back in the United States.


When Akramullah dropped me off at the meetinghouse, I told him that if he would return two hours later to drive me back to my hotel, I would give him enough money to buy new phone for his wife so they can see each other while they talk, and he can see his two boys. He was waiting for me outside the meetinghouse at 3pm, the end of his shift. He drove me to an ATM where I withdrew more than enough money for a good smartphone, and then Akramullah drove to his cousin’s “Labor Camp” to switch drivers. Before we dropped him off, Akramullah told me how happy he was that he would be able to tell his wife she’s getting a new phone. He is going to pray that Allah will bless me and my family, and he hopes to see me again here or in Peshawar.


Here are some of the foods I enjoyed (or did not enjoy) during my trip:

Chicken biryani - tasty, but too spicy. I'm a wimp with spicy foods.
French toast using brioche bread, with blueberry yoghurt and blueberry compote on top.
Eggs Benedict with fresh-squeezed orange juice and pineapple juice.
Avocado toast with seeds and nuts, with two eggs on top.
They gave me wooden utensils whenever I took food to go.
The nice staff who cleaned my room often left notes for me with tokens for free food, or other souvenirs.

They even wrapped my computer and cell phone charge cords with little Velcro straps.

Each morning for breakfast I could choose anything I wanted from a variety of breads and pastries, along with other breakfast items.

Dark-chocolate donut and strawberry Berliner.

Shakshuka eggs (tomato and capsicum sauce, with feta cheese) and fresh pita on the side.
I tried some of these detox drinks. Some were good, others disgusting. This one was good.

Lentil soup with little microwave rice bowls I brought from Costco. 😁
A medley of fresh fruits.
View from the hotel room looking out toward one of Abu Dhabi's man-made islands.
The pizza was good.
This was one of my favorite meals. They call it مشاوي (mashawee - mixed grill). There are two pieces each of beef kabob, chicken, and steak, and one piece of lamb on the bone, with some veggies on the side.
My favorite croissant at the hotel - za'tar croissant.
These two were gross.
The ginger in the orange one burned my throat the entire time I sipped it, and the green one was just plain disgusting . . . but healthy.
Another note from the wonderful staff.

One of my favorite meals in the Middle East:
I love shawarma with fresh orange juice.

Watermelon juice, orange juice, and a pistachio danish.
This one was good.

I had a delicious meal at a Persian restaurant called Asyak Grill. The food was amazing and the decorations were equally so.



I ordered pomegranate juice. It came in this "can" made of plastic with a metal top.
Fancy baklava for dessert.
I wandered around after the yummy meal, stopping to buy some "royal dates."
I traveled halfway around the world and what did I find in a little gift shop in Abu Dhabi?
Something made in Clearfield, Utah. It really is a small world.
Post-dessert dessert: saffron and pistachio ice cream.

Nobody on the playground when it feels like 111 degrees outside.

Sunset on the way back to the hotel.
Pistachio-cream-filled croissants. This (and many other photos in this blog post) is one of the reasons diabetes is so prevalent in these affluent Middle-Eastern nations.
Pancakes with fruit, Nutella, and maple syrup.
Waffle with fruit, coconut whipped cream, and maple syrup.
Orange juice, lemon-mint juice, pomegranate juice


Last, but not least, we can't forget the hummus with tahini! It is the Middle East, after all.

Some observations about this tiny, affluent country:

There is a lot to like about the UAE. The people are friendly. There's no cold weather, ever. There's a lot of humidity, which I love. The UAE is extremely safe. Very low crime rate. Whether or not you're staying at a nice hotel, the food is excellent. The infrastructure is great. Nice roads. There are very few traffic accidents. There's quite a bit of freedom. I saw women in public wearing full burqas and I saw women in public wearing shorts and tank tops.

There aren't many actual Emiratis in the UAE. Almost 90% of the population (nine million) are expats. Emiratis number just over one million.

As you saw above, it's extremely hot in the UAE. It is difficult to do things outside for 7-8 months out of the year, unless you enjoy being wet with sweat. If I go again during the winter, when temperatures are more moderate, I'd like to visit Ferrari World and perhaps ride the world's fastest rollercoaster:

Most, if not all, of the letters of the alphabet (LGBTQ etc.) are illegal in the UAE. One evening at the hotel, I got in the elevator and held the door for a woman wearing a full burqa. She did not get on the elevator, but the male hotel employee got on with her luggage, to take the luggage to her room. As we ascended, the hotel employee asked, "Did you see the woman outside the elevator?" I replied that I did. He  said, "She's not a woman. It's a man, but he would be arrested if he dressed and acted how he wants to. I've helped him several times before."

Why is there such a low crime rate and why are there very few traffic accidents? One reason is the fact that the UAE is a police state. There are cameras EVERYWHERE. If you drive over the speed limit at all, you will receive a ticket electronically. Unlike the United States where we routinely drive 5-10mph over the speed limit (or more), the speed limit in the UAE means the speed LIMIT. If you run a red light, you receive a hefty fine. 

Various apps and websites are blocked by the government. For example, you can't use FaceTime and other popular messaging apps without a VPN. Annoying.

I'm not sure I would want to live in the UAE long-term (I love the United States!), but I thoroughly enjoyed the two weeks I spent there.

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