Déjà Vu

Posted by Kanga.

Remember this in Singapore?

This is in Abu Dhabi -

Gate Towers at Shams Abu Dhabi on Reem Island

Old Abu Dhabi Documentary

Posted by Kanga.

Oil Discovery and Distribution of Wealth in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (1968)

This is a 52 minute film about Abu Dhabi in 1968, prior to the formation of the United Arab Emirates in 1972. It is a bit blunt about some things. It definitely shows the drastic changes that oil discovery and production caused. The best part is seeing so much footage of Sheikh Zayed in a variety of settings. It is a little melodramatic with some forebodings about the future, but it turned out that Sheikh Zayed was a very wise man.

Supporting Artisans

Posted by Kanga.

Meet our new kitchen table.

The table itself is not important. It’s just an Ikea table with drop leaf sides and a few drawers. The cats were disappointed to find the drawers too small for them to get into. No, the important thing here and the reason for this post is the table runner.

This was made by an Emirati woman as part of the Sougha program of the Khalifa Fund. Emirati women who are skilled in the traditional weaving craft used in creating bedouin tents have been encouraged to develop smaller products and keep the weaving tradition alive and well.

My first purchase was a carry bag just the right size for my iPad. We’ve made our purchases at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair the last two years. They sell at other events and festivals, so keep your eyes peeled for Sougha products.

Info on other blogs & articles:

Cultural Arts Travelogue
The Office of the Brand of Abu Dhabi
Gulf News
The National

Abu Dhabi Heritage Village

Posted by Kanga.

We recently spent a day in Abu Dhabi and went to the Heritage Village. We were there close to closing time, so made a quick visit. The highlights include examples of different traditional housing, like the goat hair tent above and the rock mountain house below.

Palm fronds are also used to construct barasti housing. Due to the desert environment these can last 20 years despite being 100% biodegradable.

There is also a small museum. We had to speed through it in about 5 minutes as it was closing time. It is worth going back for, so next time we’ll get there earlier and start with the museum first.

DaddyBird paused briefly to admire the coffee pots.

There were some very beautiful items on display.

This battle axe was impressive. However, I think if I was going up against an axe like that one, I would want a bigger shield.

Traditional American Coffee Served in a Jar

Posted by Kanga.

This is a jar, ladies and gentlemen. And this, filled with coffee, was what I pictured in my head when I read “Traditional American coffee served in a jar” in the menu at La Brioche.

I also imagined just what kind of traditional Americans would drink coffee in a jar. Ma and Pa Kettle came to mind or maybe the Beverly Hillbillies.

Well, since it was only a dirham more than a regular latte, I took the bait. I had to see just what traditional American coffee in a jar was.

Okay, Frenchies, that is a coffee pot, not a jar.

Now having complained about bad translation, I must say I was happy with my coffee in a jar, because I got three cups out of it and that is almost like having free refills. (Although, considering I paid a little over $4 for it, not really free refills.)

More Comparison

So here’s the dome of the Emirates Palace Hotel looking up from below with my old camera:

Here’s what it really looks like with a good camera:
Man, that new camera was worth every penny.

There are two gigantic tapestries. One showing the hotel in a daylight scene and one in a nighttime scene.

Construction

My recent trip to the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi allows a comparison. These are the building projects that can be seen from the front of the Emirates Palace Hotel.
This is approximately one year ago:

This is the current view:

This is last year:

This is the current view:
I have a much better camera these days. Can you tell?

Make-up for Film

At the last minute, I got the chance to go along on a student field trip to the Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi. We went to a workshop on make-up for film done by artists who worked on Lord of the Rings and 30 Days of Night. Here’s a sample of how they turned an ordinary guy into a vampire in 1.5 hours.
Above, they have prepped his face and hair and are about to glue on the forehead appliance.
They added nose, lip and chin pieces.
They painted him and also put nails and paint on his hands. One has stunt nails that are flexible (won’t put an eye out), the other has harder nails meant to look good in close ups.
Here’s a close up. Notice he has blue eyes above. Below, his right eye has a contact lens that makes it look black. Left eye is still blue.

In goes the second contact lens. They also put in dentures, but my pictures of that did not come out well. You will have to imagine.

During the whole process they talked about the work they do, the products they use, and working with actors and directors. It was good to hear them tell the students that they are constantly reading and doing research and draw a lot from the medical field. What? Life long learning?

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque at night

This is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. It is quite beautiful by day, but even more so at night because it is lit and the lighting changes from white to deep purple and back again.
For those who do not already know, Sheikh Zayed is considered the father of the United Arab Emirates. He was the Ruler of Abu Dhabi and the first president of the UAE when it was established in 1971. He died in 2004 and is buried in the courtyard of this mosque. From what I have read so far, he was a very wise man and good ruler. The same can be said of Sheikh Rashid, the ruler of Dubai when the UAE was established. The current rulers are the sons of these men and are proving to be wise, good rulers as well.

Road Trip #2 – Abu Dhabi

So, here we are in downtown Abu Dhabi.
This shot shows part of a mosque in the foreground and a beautiful highrise in the background.
They do love glass and shiny things here.
I didn’t take this photo for the reflection in the glass, but it turned out kinda artsy fartsy. If I had been trying, I’m sure it wouldn’t have come out this good.
It is not uncommon, in fact it is very common, to see large billboards and murals depicting one sheikh or another. This is probably Sheikh Mohammed, ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE.
Here we are sitting on the steps of the Presidential Palace, which is not the Presidential residence, but an amazingly posh hotel.
Here’s what it looks like as you drive up.

They do love their fountains here. Water, water everywhere!


This is looking down from the steps. Notice the construciton in the background. It’s hard to find a view that doesn’t include construction and cranes.
More construction to the left.
There was a large greenscape all around the hotel. Very beautiful.
This is the view down the steps including the fountain flowing all the way down the steps. Water, water everywhere.
We came to the hotel to have high tea. It was very expensive, but yummy and fun. We each got a tray like this with three layers of plates filled with little sandwiches, pastries and desserts. I’ve decided that I really like clotted cream. Mmmm.
This is Daddybird enjoying a sandwich. I told him to look pretty and took a picture. Looked at it, then told him to look pretty with his eyes open. The golden glow to these pictures is probably due to the golden hue of everything there — the walls, the furniture, the lighting. It was very beautiful.
This is a shot upward at the top of the rotunda. Unfortunately, it is blurry. I failed to check the setting on the camera. But, hopefully, you can get a feel for the grandure.

Despite the grandness of it all, we both felt comfortable here. We didn’t feel like poor relations who had wandered in off the street. The acoustics were amazing, too. There was live music being played a short distance from where we were sitting and we could hear it just fine, but were unable to hear the people at the next table talking. We could also easily hear each other as we talked at our table.

Abu Dhabi is a beautiful city, but I don’t think I would take it over Dubai.