Day 3: Abu Dhabi day. We booked a package that picked us up and took us by bus to Abu Dhabi. Went to Miraj, saw expensive carpets. Then went to Sheikh Zayed Mosque, visited Abu Dhabi Corniche (the opening to the seaface), and then went to a dates market. After that, visited Ferrari World!
Highlight: Sat on the fastest rollercoaster in the world at Ferrari World, Formula Rossa. Speed of 240 km/h.
The advantage of having people visit you at home is that sometimes you get to have experiences you haven’t had before.
I think it’s difficult to visit the United Arab Emirates without seeing it’s capital. Even if Dubai is considered more popular, and is sometimes misconstrued as being the entire country, with Abu Dhabi as the capital, Abu Dhabi has developed in its own right – and has always had a vibe so distinct from Dubai that it’s led to severe ego matches about which Emirate is better – between the NRI’s who live and populate the place.
I’m biased. It’s Dubai.
Visiting the Sheikh Zayed Mosque was serene. It’s grand, beautiful, and very, very peaceful. It also allows you to soak in the Islamic culture of the country really easily.
Ferrari World was something else entirely. After sitting on that rollercoaster, both Shits & I could barely move. We had to settle for doing less adrenaline-heavy stuff after that. I can still feel my heart-rate rise, just thinking about the coaster. It was definitely worth it. I really enjoyed sitting in a Ferrari model car and driving around Europe (by driving I mean, being steered, and by Europe, I mean a cardboard model thing). And eating pizza.
On my way out we realized I had left my laptop charger in the Burj Khalifa luggage room and did everything we could to recover it. We ended up getting it after visiting Dubai Mall again – the third time in three days. And we came home after my dad’s bed-time.
Another small note: grocery shopping is the best thing in the world. Snacks bring a lot of happiness into my life, and Shits & I gorged on several of them.
Tejas Rao 