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Saturday, July 26, 2008A TRILOGY - THE GOOD, BAD & ANNOYING BITS OF LIVING IN ABU DHABI. Part 1I thought I'd make a couple of lists, 1 - 10 points, about the good, the bad & the downright annoying things about living in the Sandbox. Being in a positive frame of mind (for approximately the next hour or so) I've decided to start with the Good Things. 1. Shawarmas.  I used to buy shawarmas every now & again whilst living in Riyadh (y'know, that city where the tide just never comes in). They always gave me indigestion, so naturally, I'd never buy them without a good supply of Rennies. Here however, no matter where I've bought shawarmas, they have been divine. For the princely sum of Dh15 (about 2 skwid, 4 dorrars or R30) you can buy a shawarma 'plate', which consists of enough arab bread to feed several thousand refugees, a whole heap of tender chicken, an adequate layer of hummus & enough salted pickles to strip the lining of the heartiest of stomachs. Bloody good stuff I tell ya! 2. Neighbourhood Supermarkets. Most apartment buildings house a business (or 2 or 3) on the ground floor, but within the space of 3 apartment buildings, there will be at least one small grocery shop/micro supermarket. The owners of these shops regularly slide their advertising stickers under your door & if you can't be arsed to physically go down to the shop, you simply pick up the phone & ask them to deliver. Having lived in the bush, where I'd have to travel anything up to 7hrs drive away for supplies, this truly is the height of luxury. 3. Illuminated highways. The highway from Abu Dhabi to Dobuy is lit up at night, every step of the way. It's just one example. Main roads & even side streets are well lit, which is a real bonus for car travellers. Take the road from Tarkwa to Takoradi (in Ghana) & you'll see what I mean, cos there's not a sodding overhead light to be seen & the only warning you get from an accident is a few scattered leaves or branches on the road. 4. The Weather I know it's as hot as hell at the moment due to it being the middle of summer, but on the whole, the weather here is pretty good. We have sunshine for around 360 days a year. There might be a couple of months where it's literally too hot to ride the Harley(s) during the daytime, but that doesn't stop us going out at night, when it plummets to 38C. Hubs still rides Eish! to work every day. 5. The 'Green' Effect  The UAE guvment takes pride in the planting of vast forests of palms & trees which grow in this climate. I've heard rumour that the forests, planted by Sheikh Zayed, along the Abu Dhabi - Dobuy highway are going to be ripped up, to make way for even more buildings, which saddens me. Take a drive to Al Ain & feast your eyes on how much care & attention goes into the colourful approach to the town. It starts from about 20km outside of Al Ain & after miles & miles of fuck all - I mean sand dunes - you will see beautifully coloured circles/roudabouts & spashes of bougainvillea. They're a most welcome sight. I really appreciate even local stuff like the Corniche - I care not that it is immaculate & the petunias in winter are colour co-ordinated. 6. Free local phone calls (from a landline). I know there are other cities in the world that have this facility, but I've never lived in one, so to me this is a real pleasure! . 7. Free Hospitals .In Abu Dhabi, we have a huge guvment hospital - Sheikh Khalifa Medical City. It is staffed by various nationalities & their dedication is nothing short of superb. When I called for an ambulance for Grandma, it reached our apartment in under 4 minutes. The SKMC staff take into account where you are from & treatment that you (may) wish to refuse. I cannot praise them enough. We had to pay a small fee for the ambulance call-out. Everything else was free. The UK has the NHS, which is as much use as a handbrake on a canoe, as you're chances of surviving MRSA or a waiting list for treatment are about equal. South African guvmunt hospitals are now a total disgrace, as most supplies such as sheets, blankets & anything that isn't bolted down is stolen & chances are you'll get robbed or come out a damn sight sicker than when you were admitted. UAE guvment hospitals are, in my humble opinion, bloody gems. 8. The price of vehicles & the fuel that runs them.  There is a small import duty (tax) on vehicles imported into the UAE (someone correct me if I'm wrong please!) but on the whole, car prices here are very low, compared to elsewhere in the world. For example, a basic 3ltr Ford Escape will set you back around Dh79000* ($21,500/10,733skwid), a basic model Honda Civic around Dh54,000* ($14,670/7,336skwid) or if you've got issues, a Hummer H2 will cost around Dh210,000* ($57,200/28,532skwid). The cost of petrol is a mere Dh6 per gallon ($1.63/81.5p <--- poor Poms!) so yes all you plebs around the multiverse, you do have a right to utter a few choice obscenities about now.......................... 9. Architecture   We already have some stunning architecture in Abu Dhabi, such as the beautiful Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque & the Emirates Palace Hotel. New developments out on Reem Island include 'The Gate'. By the time Reem Island is fully developed, there'll be a whole new city to explore, full of the latest in designer buildings. . 10. Free Bus Service (until the end of the year) . The recent introduction of a desperately needed public bus system has been a blessing, but what's really nice is that from it's introduction at the end of June - up until the end of the year - no fares will be charged. Not all routes are operational yet, but even so, for a large percentage of the population of the city, a passenger can ride from one end of town to the other for free. . . *Prices taken from a UAE auto trader - drivearabia.com P.S. Dubs reminded me of an important 'good' factor about living here - the lack of crime. It's an incredibly safe city to live in & for that, I am very appreciative :-)  
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