Sex and the City

A movie with the same title of this post was made a couple of years ago in which our favorite "Carousing  Cougars", Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha decided to wing their way to Abu Dhabi and relieve a few wealthy Sheiks of their dish-dash-ah's and dignity.

The fact is the UAE government forbade the movie to be shot in the country due to the sexual nature of the film. Production was in Morocco and some sets were made in that country that mimicked Abu Dhabi landmarks. This is obvious in the above clips. In the first one, mountains are seen in the background. There are no mountains in the Abu Dhabi area except that big rock near Al Ain. The second clip shows an outburst by one of the gals in a public place that surely would have resulted in jail time and possibly deportation in Abu Dhabi. The middle finger is best not used there!

 You might ask why the producers just didn't have our lascivious ladies travel to Morocco in the screenplay. That would make more sense, right? Most Americans don't know the difference between the two countries anyway. I suspect the UAE government was a major investor in the film in exchange for Abu Dhabi's worldwide exposure by the film. Ironically, the movie was never screened there.

  What got me thinking of this attitude about sexuality was a Post by my Blog- Buddy Neil. In UAE supermarkets and pharmacies, all kinds of sexual lotions, oils and condoms are prominently displayed.  Viagra, Cialis and other ED drugs are sold over the counter right next to the headache pills. A lot of Westerners who consider Arab countries as extremely prudish would be surprised at what goes on.

One Dirty Little Secret is that prostitution is rampant in Abu Dhabi, much less than in Dubai but common nonetheless. In just about any tourist hotel you can find ladies that "play for pay".  Some venues are more active than others. In the bar of one internationally branded hotel, I would get latched onto and my crotch grabbed by a girl(s) 5 minutes after walking in the door. It was Ladies' Night  all night, every night at this place. A co-worker had a phone number he could call and "special order" a girl and she would show up within the hour. I've heard rumors of brothels on the outskirts of town near the labor camps to service those guys.

 These women are not the "crack whores"  one would find at street level in many Western countries. They are regular women that are supplementing their meager day jobs as housekeepers and cooks.. Most are Fillipinas and Chinese but a large number of Eastern Europeans are showing up. This type of activity is about as open as can be without being obvious to the average citizen. The police and officials certainly know about it and seem to turn a blind eye. I have several theories for this:

1. Money. Someone in the high strata of the local society and/or business community is making a fortune and the word coming down to police is to ignore all but the most attention-attracting behaviors.

 2. Seeing how the vast majority of expats are men, the government is quietly allowing the sex industry to exist as an "outlet". In a country where it is illegal for an unmarried couple to co-habitate, dating is next to impossible due to the M/F ratio and local women are Verboten!, such "outlets" are normally few and far between.

3. A  combination of the above. The UAE is a very self-conscious country with a tinge of an inferiority complex.

If my theories are right, I think it is an example of forward thinking to unofficially allow the sex industry to quietly operate. It solves what could be potential problems although I think the money angle trumps any altruism from the government. Hey, I don't care...it works and everybody seems happy with the arrangement.  Just like everything else in the UAE, things are very different when you scratch below the surface. Beware not to take so much rope that they can hang you with, however. Keep your head low.

Damn Banks II

I received a comment on my last post from Anonymous who seems to be an insider at one time. It was very informative and brought up some good points that I had to answer. The comment was long and my responses were at least just as long so I decided to make a new post. Maybe we all can learn something and clear up some misunderstandings, if any.

Anonymous is in yellow text, mine in white.


Anonymous said...

    LOL! SOME of what you said is true, some are "spiced" if you will.

    BTW, that building that you said came from somewhere... It isnt OWNED by NBAD. That building is owned by a member of a royal family. 3 floors are rented by NBAD.

You maybe have me there! I looked for a stock photo of a big building with the NBAD logo on it for the first photo. Its kind of a blogging thing. Here is the real HQ, the NBAD tower.

NBAD Tower

    There is no link with immigration, or with the traffic dept. If you want I will tell you the exact process (I had sadly asked that many ppl be bared from flying myself)

When a person properly quits their job, they have to surrender their passport to their employer/sponsor and will only get it back (on the day of travel) after all paperwork, including clearance letters from the banks et al, are submitted. If an expat cannot provide these, they do not get their passport back until all debts are paid. They can't leave as they have they have no passport, job or home at this point. I have heard jail is a desperate option.

What this does is creates the runner/absconder phenominon. Things go bad here with some folks for various reasons and they are deep enough in debt they cannot come up with the cash to settle local debts. So instead of having the option of leaving and paying the debt from abroad, they get desperate and just escape. I see enough dusty cars with flat tires in airport parking lots to know this is quite common. I think most people want to pay their debts but these rules force some into a corner. Seems the banks stand to lose more the way things are than trying to work with their customers before it becomes a legal problem.

Curiously, as I said in a previous post the banks seem uninterested in retrieving these automotive orphans to mitigate losses.

Banks Seem Unconcerned About Recovering These Assets, They Are Everywhere

 
    Also, there are reasons why banks here cant allow people to pay for debt from abroad. Mainly because you cant enforce it in any way. If a bank scares you into thinking that it can "get" you when ur back home, they are usually mistaken. Few are the countries in which a bank here can get a bad debt holder to pay. Truth.

I think that is changing. I recently got a small personal loan and was asked for family addresses back in the US and my Social Security Number so I could be easily located.Debt collector firms wordwide purchase bad debts from banks all the time and take on the risk of recovering the debt. VISA and Mastercard are also global companies with aggressive collection methods and could damage my credit rating back in the US.

    There are however non official ways to continue to pay for asset backed loans (Like a car or house) but we wont get into those. I will say that I had set a few such schemes up for customers and they did not cause me any issues till the day I left. But not all customers are like that. With 20% of the country being labor, and another 30% being low level employees (with low incomes) you simply cant take chances with everyone. It it really is a chance.

    The banking system here is based on caution. In the UAE it's the exact opposite. Yes, a healthy way to be would to have a nice balance, but you have to understand the contact, this region is not a stable one. the UAE may be stable, but it's surrounded by shit and bad stuff.

    Also, with 90% of the country's population foreigners, the control you have over securing your loan is close to nil. Truth is if you take out 500K worth of loans and leave within a week, the bank will have no warning and little recourse.

I think any of the banks here would go after someone owing that amount of money. They would be crazy not to.

    As for banks not being all they can be to consumers, it depends both on the bank and the consumer.

    If you have a salary of 55K, a 1.6 million mortgage, a car loan, a personal loan, and credit cards, the banks are the best you'll ever deal with.

    If you make 55K and send 45 back home on the same day, most banks wont care about you.

I truly understand about the demographics here and the difficulties they bring.

    Also, not all banks here have the same focus. NBAD has, and is, and probably always will be a corporate bank. Its main job (originally, and still) is to be the banker of the Govt of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi as well as govt owned companies, semi govt companies, and large corporations.

    Do they have consumer banking solutions? yes. Are they good? Maybe. Are they the best? No.

    For a consumer, a more consumer focused bank like RAK bank might be a better option. RAK Bank is one of the few UAE banks that does NOT have a corporate banking section. Only consumer (you) and SME (Your small business)

    As for consumer rates (You mention a credit card at 35%) yes, it is highway robbery. But things are getting better. A few months back the central bank limited what a bank can offer and charge in terms of base banking and lending. CC were not included. Maybe in the revision next year. (Last year a certificate of liability costed 400, today its no more than 100 by law)

I have VISA and MC CC's with US banks that charge 10-12%. I agree 35% is very excessive for the same here. I took that aformentioned small personal loan (unsecured) for a very reasonable single digit rate. The credit cards are a cash cow and are aggressively marketed by commissioned salespeople. The rules seem lax and a lot of naive newcomers succomb the the lure of easy and high credit limits.

    The lack of a central lending database = ppl can get into debt easily and with multiple banks without the banks knowing. But this isnt the banks fault. The lack of the data base is the system's fault, but no one forces all these morons to sign those loan agreements.

 You are right on this. Theoretically, a person can get multiple credit accounts from several institutions without being qualified for the aggregate of the limits. This would not happen in countries with an independent credit bureau because that person could be tracke and info shared between financial institutions. In the US, every citizen has a credit score which sets limits on the amount that can be borrowed.

    It simply isnt anyone else's fault if you cant manage your finances.

I agree with you on that, but it seems a lot of people get into trouble in the UAE and that trouble can cause very serious legal consequences. In my opinion, the banks are like drug pushers making easy credit available to most. Hell, I bought a 99,000AED car on 100% credit after just 90 days on the job. Was that dumb...yes! Would I do it again...no! That car is sold now and I currently free of debt, at least in the UAE. I know many that are way over their heads in credit balances and will have to be in the UAE many more years than they want.

But ultimately it was my decision as I rose to the bait and took the hook.The banks are enablers but it is ultimately the individual that is responsible to refuse the offer.

    But yeah, you added alot of "baharat" (Spices) to the story Ace.

I didn't intend on singling out NBAD. They have treated me quite well except for the online banking troubles. My post tended to drift toward the overall financial system in the UAE as seen by a retail customer.

You are/were obviously a bank employee. I appreciate the insight and if there is something I failed to understand, let me know and maybe I won't sprinkle as much "baharat" on my future posts about the rules here.

UPDATE:

I just received an email today, 19 November, from the bank addressing my initial question I asked on 29 October, see below.

Email from Ace to the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, 29 October:

I am now blocked from my online account. I need this fixed as I have bills to pay. Your phone message says 24/7 service for the online accounts and I was informed I could not be helped after 11:00 PM as the technical service was closed.

Ever since the website has changed, there have been problems.

Ace

The "prompt" reply 3 weeks later, 19 November:

Dear Ace,

              

Thank you for your recent email.

You are kindly requested to reply the following to help us process this faster:

                         

1. NBAD Account number:

2. PO Box number:       

3. Branch you received the password from:

4. Mobile/Telephone number:

5. NbadOnline User ID: 

6. time to be contacted :        

                                           

For any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us again on toll free 800 XXXX  from outside UAE) between 8:00 AM to 12:00 AM on all UAE working days (from Saturday to Thursday) or send us a reply email.

                                             

Thank you for using nbadOnline.

                                        

Regards,                                 

                                        

Back Office Person

Internet Banking Unit

National Bank of Abu Dhabi

I had better luck with the telephone help-line and the problem was solved 2 1/2 weeks ago through them.  Apparently the email guys are not only unaware that the problem was fixed a long time ago by a 1 1/2 hour call to the help-line, they are just getting around to looking at the problem 3 weeks after my initial email complaint. Unbelievable!!!!

I expect things to work once they are set up. Here  internet , banking , electricity and cable TV services are very fragile and I have experienced many unexpected shutdowns. I cringe when I have to enter the labyrinth of what is called "customer service" in Abu Dhabi. It has always meant a time consuming and frustrating experience trying to correct a situation that was not of my making.  

And I Thought Traffic in Abu Dhabi was Bad......

I often complain about the bad drivers and daunting traffic in the UAE, but when I stumbled across these videos I realize I was just being a wimp. This is the real deal!

Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India. Not much density here but the way the large trucks, cars, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians interact is hypnotic to me. I watched this several times in awe at the cooperation between the different types of transport. Pure impromtu choreography without middle fingers or shakened fists displayed. Everyone just kept moving and dealt with it.

The two videos above are from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The traffic is denser and almost takes on an organic look as if the mass of vehicles are the corpuscles of some large animal. Its almost as like each driver knows what the others are going to do through some understanding of universal unwritten rules. It is lawlessness and anarchy that somehow seems to work without too much bloodshed. I think it is an uniquely Asian thing. Could you imagine this chaos working in the Western world? I can't, we need our traffic lights, signs, cops and turn signals.

And finally Kathmandu, Nepal. I have experienced this personally during  a long weekend there. I hired a driver who deftly navigated the vehicular mayhem without a care in the world. He was in tune and did just fine.. I was in the back seat white-knuckling the grab handle above my head and getting sensory overload from the speed, congestion, horns, exhaust smells and the "coat of paint" proximity to our fellow motorists.

I am of the impression that these are not bad drivers, in fact I envy the skill demonstrated in such a hostile environment. I couldn't do it without a few dented fenders or spearing a moped. I would need a drink after (or before!) a few blocks at the wheel in these places.

On the other hand, some of the drivers in the UAE are just stupid. The roads are first-class here and there are more than a few that look at that as license to drive like maniacs just because they can. They tend to lack the concept of self preservation or responsibility to their potential innocent victims. One example of this is the red light runner captured on the video below, selfish bastard!

Abu Dhabi Golf Championship 2011

I went to the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship the other day. The weather was appropriate as the cool temperatures, overcast skies and occasional drizzle were reminiscent of the sport's birthplace in Scotland. The climate was very unusual for Abu Dhabi as for four days in a row it was cloudy, cool and rainy. In all my time here I don't recall a series of days it was this way.

The Falcon is the State Bird of the UAE,,,,Hence the Design of the Clubhouse

I have a love/hate relationship with golf. I used to play at least twice a week back in the day. While I enjoyed being in the groomed beauty of the links, I got frustrated in the difficulty of the sport. One millimeter off on a swing and the ball careenes into the woods. There is nothing worse to a golfer's ears than to hear his ball bouncing off of tree trunks that are out of bounds of the fairway. It is almost impossible to find the ball when this happens and a snakebite is risked looking for it anyway. Best to take the penalty.

Go Left...Left...Left...Dammit!

Golf is unique as your competitor is yourself. You don't actually play against your partner, you try to best your last score despite who you are playing with. Of course score is kept, but golf has handicaps which means the less skilled are spotted strokes so in theory everything is supposed to be equal. Unlike football, cricket or baseball, there is no direct competition between you and your partner. It is you against the course.

An Unconventional Stance

I actually have not played in several years as I found I could get angry and frustrated without gripping a 5 iron and paying a green's fee. I have been known to throw a club or two after a bad shot and I discovered that despite the bucolic setting, other golfers tend toward the rude. They just take themselves too seriously.

This really can't be too comfortable, have the caddy hold the club

Some of the aspects of golf I enjoyed is that like bowling, one can play while smoking cigars and drinking beers. Unlike bowling though, you are outside and the whole world is your urinal. Yes, golfers pee in the woods but the cultured ones take their glove off first.

Then there are the golf carts. I have never seen vehicles so abused as these were when out of sight of the clubhouse or a course marshal. I have seen these in full tilt four wheel drifts on fairways, run high speed through creeks, driven up tree trunks and more. The original off-road vehicle. Besides, driving under the influence is overlooked on most golf courses.

Golf Cart...Abu Dhabi Style

So I quit playing. Because of this I am saving money and my blood pressure is way down. This doesn't mean I don't like golf, it is a game of finesse played in beautiful venues. If I had my choice, Ii would just take a nice walk along the fairways. There is nothing more peaceful than a golf course at sunset.

The Leaderboard

That being said, the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship pulled off another winner. I enjoyed being there as the location and people were great! A class act and a great spectator experience. There were activities there for all. They put on a good show and I recommend everyone attend future events. I have to admire the guys who play professionally, it is a tough way to make a living.

Repatriation Realities

Humans are very versatile and flexible creatures, these facts explain how ancient cultures in such diverse areas as the Arctic and our own Arabian desert thrived. In the last few years I have lived and worked Abu Dhabi, I did some adapting of my own to this country and culture. Now I hardly notice the everyday things that would have shocked, irritated, or even thrilled me when I was a rookie.

All of this made me realize that when the time comes for my return to the star spangled arms of my Uncle Sam, I will have some reverse-adapting to do. Some things in the U.S. will seem foreign to me upon my repatriation so I compiled a 10 most potentially disruptive personal issues list:

1. I will have to force myself to actually take speed limit and stop signs seriously again

2. Required to get reacquainted with “The Taxman” and pay my legal burden (ugh!)

3. Metric versus Imperial measures, always a struggle for me, back to miles, yards, feet and inches

4. Possibility of getting arrested because my shisha pipe is assumed to be "drug paraphernalia"

5. The eerie sense of an important bathroom fixture gone missing, my toilet looks lonely  

6. My terror of drinking tap water must be conquered or I will be considered a wimp

7. Surprised at all the old, dented and cheap cars on the road back home

8. Trying to regain comprehension of that “funny-sounding” American accent

9. My sweat glands are stuck wide open after years in the U.A.E. heat and humidity, I now shiver at 27 C

10 "Middle Finger” rights are restored for use in disputes, but better not as the opponent may have a gun

Some things will feel the same, KFC for example, but the longer I am in Abu Dhabi the further I drift from my original culture. That is not a bad thing as adaptation makes me more comfortable here as time goes by and when I do return home, it will seem as exotic and new as when I first set foot on these shores.

"There's No Country Like Abu Dhabi"

I was in the navy sometime ago and when we received what were called "Flash Traffic" status messages, it was important that these highest level missives were disseminated as quickly and as widely as possible.

Today reminded of those days when an  important naval message would reel off the teletype. After a long nightshift, I decided to relax and catch up with my other UAE bloggers here in "The Dhab" and go to bed at 11 AM after a couple of stout rum and cokes. I noticed fellow blogger, Grapeshisa had an update and since this blog  has been around for awhile and is known for quality updates on life in the Emirates, I decided to see the what"s the hap.

Once there, I saw a link to There's No Country Like Abu Dhabi I clicked on it and found the song so satiric in a good way that I almost passed an ice cube from my nostril with laughter. Maybe you have to live here to understand. The ditty mentioned all the stereotypes but they got them really wrong. There were sounds of cobra-charmer horns and Talibans yelling through bullhorns. Abu Dhabi was never its own country either even thought that was repeatedly mentioned.  Desert flowers (not) and eagles (neither) were mentioned, too. All lies!

The band "Tex Glitter" sounds good and captures the West Texas accent and style very well, even though they claim to be Swedish. I doubt ABBA could match that. One word of warning: the Abu Dhabi Anthem was funny but some of the other songs on Tex Glitter's playlist you will see on their MySpace have a veeery strong adult content. You have been warned. If you are squeamish, click the back button right after the Abu Dhabi song. I learned the hard way :)!

Usually I ponder for awhile before I post on my blog. I want every post to be important and relevant ( I know, too late!), but this was my Flash Message for the day. Had to get it out! Click the link and enjoy!

Shukran, Grapeshisha for the find! Grapeshisha

A Tale of Two Cities

Map of the United Arab Emirates

I have lived in Abu Dhabi for almost two years and I am quite acclimated to my new home, but recently I had the opportunity to visit the famed Dubai. 100 KM's to the north.

I will have to admit something very embarrassing. It was my first trip to Dubai. A mere two hours drive away and I had never visited one of the world's most famous cities. I guess it boils down to my not having a concrete reason to go there. I am kind of strange that way. And I tend to be lazy. I grew up in a Florida resort town on the beach and never visited some of the most popular tourist attractions. 

Anyway, a fellow local blogger offered to show me around her domicile city of Dubai. We drove out to the end of Palm Jumeirah, you know, the artificial islands built out in the Arabian Gulf.  The Atlantis resort is there is absolutely marvelous!

Palm Jumeirah

There is a monorail that runs the length of the islands and it afforded some good photographic opportunities.

Monorail, Palm Jumeirah

Atlantis, Dubai

Atlantis, Dubai

The Atlantis sported a very nice aquarium. Very high-end stuff. Rooms were over $400/night.

Atlantis Aquarium, Leopard Rays in formation

After the Atlantis, we drove down the JBR Walk. As it was Friday, it was as empty as the below photo depicts. Apparently on other days of the week, this cobblestone street is bumper-to-bumper with Ferraris, Maseratis, Lambourghinis and the odd Corvette. It is the equivalent of Main Street U.S.A. where the folks drive up and down the street stylin', profiling, and birddogging chicks.

JBR Walk

Chrysler Building Lookalikes near JBR..

The real one in NYC is owned by the UAE. This is my favorite building. Art Deco at its best!

This street is lined with high-end eateries and retail outlets.

Next was lunch at a hotel sports bar. I had the fried hammour. Similar to grouper.

Then coffees curbside in front of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. 

The Burj Khalifa

I enjoyed my time in Dubai. It is very "Western Style" there and it is real easy to forget one is in the Middle East. There are a lot of things to do there and I was amazed at the overt consumerism. Not that this is bad in itself, but I felt somewhat inadequate as I was not piloting a bright red Ferrari while wearing a 24 karat gold Rolex. Los Angeles comes to mind.

After my trip to Dubai, I realized I am more comfortable in Abu Dhabi. Things are slower here and AD just seems more genuine, more exotic and well...Arabic. I am good with that!

Dubai has had its troubles lately and it has been said that Abu Dhabi has provided assistance, hence the last minute name change of the tallest building in the world.

Abu Dhabi has the wealth and many plans for the future. I am convinced that AD's conservative and measured growth will see the city being the prominent venue of the U.A.E. in a few years.

Dubai is cool, but her dowdy sister to the south is finally waking up.

Abu Dhabi Skyline

Abu Dhabi Environment

Abu Dhabi Waterfront, Al Raha Beach

Abu Dhabi Sunset

Abu Dhabi Sunrise

I think I will stay put for awhile! I "heart" Abu Dhabi! Life is a bit more relaxed here and that suits me just fine.

Fun Food

I was at the local grocery market the other day and as usual, on the alert for offbeat and interesting things that tickle my funny-bone. This is a habit of mine in an attempt to turn mundane chores into something fun. Most of the time I am unsuccessful in the transformation but I find enough gems to keep me playing the game.  I was not disappointed on this trip.

American supermarkets are boring. They are homogeneous. One looks like the other with the same products, presentation and no surprises. Ethnic foods are relegated to a half an aisle next to the kitty litter. Here in the Abu Dhabi, everyone is from somewhere else and the market managers have to cater to the tastes of folks from Asia, Europe, the Subcontinent and of course the Middle East. This makes for an entertaining stroll through down the aisles. You never know what you are going to see. The inventory seems to change each week. One time you may see English cookies and the next, ghee from India occupying the same spot the cookies previously did. It;s a grab bag and you cannot rely on your favorite stuff always being consistently available. Part of the charm, I guess.

I am fortunate that my nearest market has a pork room. This is a small room off the main floor with its own doors displaying large signs warning that entrance is for non-Muslims only. I look at it as a generous gesture by the UAE government to allow us expats to slake our cravings for pig.and I appreciate it as a lover of bacon and grilled hotdogs. Turkey bacon substitutes suck!

So, the other day I walk into the pork room, got my bacon and Oscar Meyer links and continue to the freezer on the opposite side of the room to see what various porcine delights were available there, then I saw this:

Bingo! I just found my Gem o' the Day. Out came the mobile phone for this image, much to the bemused stares of the Filipino pork butchers nearby. 

Now the maker of these delicacies, cdo/Sea Quest, looks like a Western Company and they really should know a little bit more about marketing. I'll bet my last beer that the frozen items inside the bag are not actual cephalopod testicles but are probably the tenderest of squid meat formed into a round shape. They probably taste very good and would be something I would enjoy, but when the name "Squid Balls" is emblazoned over a clear plastic window showing some round objects inside, I get an unnerving impression. Call them "Calamari Rounders"or"Spheres Du Mar"; anything but Squid Balls!

I can imagine this Marketing Executive in the product launch meeting surrounded by his peers and the CEO of Sea Quest suddenly standing up and saying, "I know, let's call 'em Squid Balls!!!". They should have thrown him down an elevator shaft. But instead, they went with it. The plastic bag makers probably pissed themselves with laughter when they got the details of the order.

What Squid Balls were doing in the Pork Room is also lost on me.

As if this isn't bad enough, fellow bloggers Neil and Caz found these items in a downtown market: The Real Thing  A Pakistani friend of mine says these are a real delicacy back there. Bet you can't eat just one! They eat them in the US too, also known as  Rocky Mountain Oysters. All I can do is wince.

I did buy a bag of these though:

These are fried peas coated with hot Japanese wasabi mustard powder. They are very good and I was surprised to find them available here, but I don't understand the "& YOU" part. The peas never delivered on the personal relationship promised by this phrase. Come to think of it they kind of look like little green.................uh never mind!!!!

 .

Ode to Dust!

Sandstorms are a common occurrence here. View out of my window.

Damn Dust!

In my eyes and in my hair

And other places I dare not share

Fouls my couch and fouls my chair

I’d trade my Kingdom for some clean air

Damn Dust!

Always filthy is my car

In the summer one can’t see far

I know I can’t win this war

I just want to hole-up in a bar

Damn Dust!

Covers my clothes and covers my floor

Intrusive clouds when I crack my door

Open the windows, in comes more

Pisses me off to the core

Damn Dust!

Makes me have to clean each day

And I just ain’t made that way

All my efforts to do what may

Is never enough to keep it at bay

Damn Dust!

Between my teeth I feel the grit

Pardon me if I need to spit

More of this and I’ll have a fit

I just had to pick this nit

Some Other Sides of Abu Dhabi- Part3

After beaching the kayak, we began exploring the area. The sand was a brilliant white with a clay-like consistency, slippery in some places. Some of the exposed sand looked like a sponge which was unusual as the origin of the holes was not obvious.

Porous Surface

Nearby, there was a shallow pond that was not affected by tide and it had seagrass growing on the bottom. In this grass there were numerous small crabs swimming about. and when I tried to catch one, it stopped swimming from me and in a surprisingly defiant manner it surfaced and snapped it's claws at my outstretched hand. It was too small to cause damage but the crab's unexpected aggressive action caused me to recoil my fingers. The crustacean, having foiled it's would-be captor, then disappeared under the sand. That little guy had "cojones"! 

The crab chase left me in the middle of the seagrass and after I lost the crab. I noticed a sinking feeling. I noticed that my feet were completely under the sand and getting deeper. I had visions of the old Tarzan movies where the bad guys got swallowed up in quicksand and feared I would be neck deep in muck before long. With great effort I trudged out of the mire and vowed to watch where i stepped from now on!

Seagrass, Crabs and Quicksand

I saw another marine creature near here. It was a a jellyfish like I have never seen before caught in a pocket of water a few inches deep. The tide was still going out and I wasn't sure if the slight depression it was in would end up empty, dooming the creature. It was pulsating like jellyfish do and was quite alive. I considered picking it up and placing it in deeper water to assure it's survival, but I decided against it. Ironically, the same painful sting that protects it also prevented me from rescuing it from a possible death. I hope it ended up OK.

Stranded Jellyfish

After reboarding the kayak, we ventured farther upstream and veered into a small slough. The water was but a few inches deep and the slough was but a few meters wide but it gave us a good look at the mangroves.

The Road Narrows

When we could go no farther, this small rapid of outgoing tide was seen.

Fast Tide

The narrow channel was surrounded by mangroves.They actually have roots that grow up.

Mangroves at Low Tide

Mangrove plants are essential to the health of tidal areas and are unique in that they are the only plants that grow in a high salinity area. The plants take up saltwater and exude salt crystals from the underside of their leaves. no other plant does this. Mangrove roots anchor the soil so it is not washed away by erosion and provides safe havens for smaller marine animals, which attract larger marine predators. The mangroves provide a fertile ecosystem. I saw a lot of fish.

The spikes you see are razor sharp and would spell instant severe injuries for anyone that would contact them.  Just joking!....the spikes are actually rubbery extensions from the mangrove root system. They are a way for the plant to get extra atmospheric gases and they eventually turn into baby mangroves. A way of propagation.

The Sun was getting low at this time and it was time to return. Luckily, we had the wind and current at our backs.

Underway Back to Port, Aldar HQ as Navigational Aid

Enhanced View of Aldar HQ Building. One of My Favorites

Approaching the 5 Star Resort beach, I saw another Black Jacketed walkie-talkie dude taking an extreme interest in our arrival. Sure enough, he met us right at landfall. He started asking us all kinds of questions as if we just paddled in from Iran and was getting increasingly aggressive. When he asked us what room we were staying in I knew there was going to be a problem. I did not answer the last question and tried to ignore him. For some strange reason, he shifted gears and asked who we worked for. That surprised me as that played into my court.

You see, I work for a well known quasi-governmental company in Abu Dhabi that is tightly connected to the tourist industry. I told the guy my employer's name and his tune suddenly changed! We became welcome guests, he became all smiles and even offered to help pull the kayak out of the water. I just then realized the power of "wasta" in this country and the reputation my employer has. I will bring my ID card everywhere I go from now on!

Many thanks to Al Raha Beach Hotel and Resort , our hosts for this voyage. They didn't have to let us launch the boat from their property but they did and I appreciate that. It is a beautiful property and I owe them this plug. The security guys were just doing their job. No hard feelings!

Al Raha Beach Resort

Al Raha Beach Resort

Al Raha Beach Resort

Al Raha Beach Resort

Don't forget to slow down and smell the roses and get out to the many undiscovered and under promoted natural areas of Abu Dhabi. This place is a natural wonderland if you know where to look.