Thursday, February 19, 2015

Dubai it in Abu Dhabi

Red Bull Air Race- Abu Dhabi

I have a few busy weekends looming so really need to try and stay on top of my updates and photo filing. I should have gotten around to posting this last week, but at least I have gotten it done today- before the Tennis tomorrow!

So, a couple of exciting things happened last week. I was invited to an event where His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was in attendance. It was definitely an insightful and interesting afternoon/evening- but I have been asked not to say anything more about it, so I shan’t.  Other than it made me empathize (yes, even I know what that is like!) with all the English Language Learner students we have at school.  The entire event was carried out in Arabic and I just had to watch when others (who I assume spoke Arabic) stood up, sat down, looked left, looked right and applauded.  I hoped I was copying the right people and I was particularly glad I was not allowed to speak, as there was no chance of not being able to give a required answer.
 
Last weekend was spent back in Abu Dhabi- a city I love. Walking along The Corniche, and enjoying the trees, the fountains and the cycle tracks without feeling like I am either in the middle of the desert or surrounded by glass and metal buildings as is so often the case in Dubai. Not that I don’t like Dubai- just that I do like the change. That being said, the drive to Abu Dhabi is totally mental.  The cars come at you from left and right and if you get a piece of paper between you and the car in front that is an invitation for someone to try and pull into the gap.  Not unlike driving in Dubai and at least this dodgem madness takes place on tarmac and concrete roads rather than the Ghanaian efforts. 

One of the ongoing events was the Red Bull air race. Last time we were in Abu Dhabi for the FI this time it was an airborne equivalent in/over the Marina.
 It was pretty impressive to watch the planes fly that low over the marina and maneuver through the gates. I have no idea how they made their way through the chicane. Gate four seemed to be causing a few problems with a lot of the pilots clipping the edges.  I say this as thought I could do it better J

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