31 - 42 degC (74 - 39% humidity)
As we were not due to be picked up until 3:30pm, off we
went to the Louvre Abu Dhabi which only opened at 10am. Admission was AED60
with AED20 for the audio-guided tour (an iPad a pre-used earphones!!) I gave
the iPad a miss after only 20 minutes as it was not keeping pace with my
movements. Not a real art gallery and a bit dis-jointed with lots of artefacts
from everywhere. Not the best money spent on an art gallery, but glad I did
something a bit cultured.
We then decided to venture up onto the 74th
floor of the Jumeirah Etihad Towers complex which gave us a 360 deg view of Abu
Dhabi. The entry fee was AED95 which included an AED55 restaurant voucher. We
availed ourselves of the food and beverages whilst admiring the pretty speccy
views.
Back to the hotel for a very quick shower and change of
clothes to go to the desert for the night. We were picked up at 3:45pm and
driven really slowly to arrive just before sunset. Camel and quadbike rides
were on offer upon arrival. We were also informed that to take in the best
sunset we should climb to the top of a dune. I went half-way up then decided it
best to come back as the sand was slipping and although it would have been a
soft landing, I was not willing to test it out. Before we got to our camp
though, we stopped at a camel breeding facility. These camels didn’t look very
healthy and were probably only fed and watered when they know they have
tourists coming along! Some actually looked undernourished and overworked. The
camel at our camp was not happy as she had a muzzle on to stop her from biting
and spitting presumably. She moaned the whole time she was being ridden, and
sometimes even when not.
Our camp site was rustic at best. Very, very, very basic.
The reason for this came to us not long after departing for the other camp
where the dinner and the belly and twirling dances were. That is, once the
guests see where they are to camp for the night, they will ask to be taken back
to their hotel and the guides can therefore go home too. Well, it sure worked
for our group. Admittedly it was still 35 deg C when we viewed it and not much
cooler after show, but still not even close to what was advertised on the
website. Whilst three of us remained “Swiss” the rest voted to be taken back to
the hotel, so we went with the majority and home we went. The drive back to Abu
Dhabi was at 140 km/h and we were back in time to shower and be in bed by 10:30pm.
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| I called these the Pineapple Buildings - the panels open depending on the time of the day to let light in or close out the heat |
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| Louvre Abu Dhabi |
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| Making our way up to the 74th floor for 360degree view of Abu Dhabi |
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| Camel breeding facility in the desert |
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| What I presume to be Australina feed for the camels |
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| Pano of our very basic accommodation in the dessert |
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| Our guide suggested we sleep on the stage as it was going to be hot overnight! |
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| At least they had good toilets, no showers though |
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| View of the outside of the camp |
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| Sunset in the Abu Dhabi desert |
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| Regis and Sylvain on the camel |
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| Entrance to the cmap where we had dinner and the show |
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| Inside the dinner and show camp |
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| Us at the show camp |
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