Exploring Abu Dhabi (1 hr south of Dubai)

Today we got up early to go to Abu Dhabi for the day to explore which is about an hour south of Dubai. Before I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things such as bottled water because you are not supposed to drink that tap. I find this very interesting maybe it is a snuddy thing and they want everyone to only drink bottled water. I don’t know exactly. I also picked up some burger king for me and Star Bucks for Aileen all right next to the house. Doesn’t sound like I am in middle of a desert anymore does it. Well this is not exactly today it was a little windy so the sky looked very hazy from all of the sand in it very similar to dust storms I experienced at ACU.

Anyways on the way I saw several huge billboards with fancy gold polls holding them up of his highness and his father and sons. The people here hold the royal family up very high. Because of their vision the local UAE people’s life is very good. So much so that I have taken some photos of peoples back windshields on there car have this same like huge sticker type things of his highness, son, or father absolutely unbelievable. On the way we also saw this huge Mosque that is still under construction you wouldn’t believe the size of it. It looked like the Taj Mahal. Abu Dhabi is the location of two of our Media Plus teams who had meetings all day. So all we really knew was to go to this hotel called the Emirates Palace. On the way driving along the coast we saw this huge palace, it was amazing since Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE where the Sheikh whom is also the President of the UAE lives we thought it was his. As the girls always do Aileen who was driving just says smile and wave as we pull right in and start talking to the guard at the gate. This usually happens and you get a much better look at the palaces by doing this.

This thing is one of the most amazing things that I have ever seen I would put it up to as nice as any other hotel I have ever seen if not better. Heres the website http://www.emiratespalace.com/en/main.htm The landscaping and the sheer size of it is amazing. The driveway is covered with Bentleys, Mercedes, Porches, and BMWs etc. As you walk in you are again reminded of the amazing size that you saw from the outside of the hotel that is represented in the open spaces and ultra tall ceilings of the lobby, entry ways and every other part of the hotel. The girls decide that they want the grand tour and give the concierge their press pass and ask for someone to give the full tour. The marketing director is excited to have opportunity to do so and sends a member of her team to great us. She is head of the food and beverage division of the hotel marketing department and is a local of Abu Dhabi wearing the traditional coverings of women in the area. In the main building is a huge lobby that shoots up into the sky that is only eight stories tall but looks to be three times that tall by normal standards. With tones of marble, gold plated everything (but classy not over the top trump stile) and huge chandeliers that are all done by swayvosrki. She takes us to the first lounge area which serves only champagne and caviar. Then the next is a lounge area that is for afternoon tea and a deli type area with the most amazing deserts and pastries. It is very interesting looking at the crowd in here tons of locals that all look like sheikhs and CEO from around the world. It is then that she informs us that the GCC (which is the Gulf Cooperation Council of the 7 neighboring oil rich countries) made up of their ministers is having a conference at the hotel.

She then takes us into the first restaurant that is serving lunch buffet style with the most elaborate carving stations, deserts, chesses etc. Then onto the other restaurants the Persian, Italian, Lebanese etc. Each one when we entered had the manager greet us along with their staff standing at the sides of the dinning rooms all greeting us as we enter. Each one had something special that they wanted to tell us about like the huge truffle that was the largest that they had ever seen, to the 100 different olive oil selection, and one of my favorites was the Lebanese coffee that they served us very rich, and one was the tea selections that were in this box all different types but not packages just the leaves that could be brewed one with roses leaves in it. And as we entered the seafood restaurant that had the aquariums along the walls that were full of the fish and shell fish that would be served when ordered we were told that the Ministers of the GCC were in having a late lunch whom we saw.

Then we were onto the conference facilities that had endless options to host parties and cocktail receptions, as well as several different boards rooms with huge plasma screen TVs one with plush chairs that had to be able to seat 30 people around it. Then onto the grand ballroom that had just hosted a wedding ceremony with 1500 guests for the Abu Dhabi’s Sheikhs daughter, as well as a Louise Vuitton fashion show.

Now onto the main lobby that I was talking about earlier that had palace suites on the 6 and 7^th floor. When we arrived on the 7^th floor we were greeted by the butler and security guard who opened the double doors entering into a grand foyer with more huge crystal chandeliers. We first went into the first bedroom with a huge sitting area, bedroom office, and bathroom all very plush but not over the top, then on to the second bedroom hosting the same amenities, then onto the master suite. The master suite was as big as most houses, with the bedroom being so enormous you could get lost in it, along with the bathroom (all of which I have photos that I will post). Next onto a huge living room off the main hallway and then in a separate room a 12 person dinning room with all gold plated plates, and glasses, the dinning room also had a private kitchen for staff to prepare meals. And all of this is one suite that is accessible by individual private elevators accessible by the VIP check in on the top floor. It was probably the most lavish suite/thing that I have ever seen in my life.

The butler told me while touring the suite that the 8^th floor housed the royal suites that were twice this size which we couldn’t go to because of the GCC conference going on. As well that recent guest that I would know would have been President Clinton and Secretary of State Rice.

Our tour guide said that the hotel is owned by the government but was managed and built by the same company that did the Atlantis, Venetian in Vegas and list goes on and on. Security was very tight with guards dressed in suits at every turn. The cool thing about the hotel is that it is as nice and as big as the great hotels in Vegas but the difference is there were very few people there which showed the sense of space that we had. Which is soo much different from the crowds that are at the Vegas hotels. The tour guide went on to say that the hotel is completely wireless even on the beach LOL. After having coffee in the lounge and reviewing our press packets and exchanging business cards the guide told us that she will be emailing us to send us information on upcoming events like the LV fashion show that we will be invited to in the future.

After the hotel we called the teams that were in Abu Dhabi to meet up for a really late lunch. Where we meet them at a local hotel I forget the name. Anyways we ate lunch at the Italian restaurant and had some great pizza. (Although at this point I have come to the understand that food is extremely expensive in the UAE) at least 15 but more like 20 US a meal. The first team that we had dinner with was a pair of girls one from Wisconsin and the other was from Madrid. Very nice and beautiful girls who were going to have to move out of their hotel the next day because their barter was up, but they were in the endings of talks with none other then the Emirates Palace to stay for the next 50 days. As they only had one of the signatures that they needed from the hotels approval and it was less then an hour for the deal to go through things weren’t looking too good.

Shortly after we finished lunch that looked out to the ocean, the other group showed up a man and a women and their new trainee that was from Vancouver. We had the best time sitting there getting to know one another and sharing stories and experiences that they had encountered while working. See in this type of work it was obvious that really the only people that can really understand the lifestyle and work that is done that is going on that it is enjoyable to relate and communicate with them.

After almost closing the place down we decided that it was our time to make it back to Dubai. In retrospect Abu Dhabi is nice, although everything is not a new and the buildings are not as tall as in Dubai. I much prefer Dubai between the two but one must come to Abu Dhabi at least once to experience the Emirates Palace.

Oh yeah, during the afternoon the girl from Spain was on the phone with the Emirates Palace and she was able to push the barter through at the last minute. Thus they will be staying at the Emirates Palace for the next 50 days. None of us could ever believe it and they invited us to come stay the weekend with them coming up. On the way home all the girls could talk about was how amazing it was that the girls were going to be able to stay there and how excited they were for them.

Once we got back to Dubai about 9pm we decided to go to the movies at the Mall of the Emirates http://www.malloftheemirates.com/ . The girls wanted to see a chick flick so I went in and washed MI 3. And even when we got out of the movie the shops were still open and their were tones of people everywhere which was very interesting because it was a work night. All for now!!!