The opulence

that is Abu Dhabi. Inside Qasr al Watan, a palace here. It’s just stunning. If you’ve ever seen the Grand Mosque, you’ll know how grand these structures are. Beautiful marble floors in swirly patterns, the oversized chandeliers and Islamic influences everywhere. Go, if you can.

I arrived about lunchtime, visited this palace then jumped on the bus to Dubai to meet a good friend whom I’d seen earlier this year in Cairo. We had dinner on Bluewaters Island, another of the many manmade islands here. Mexican, complete with Mariachi Band! Fun. Fun, but the band got me thinking. How do they survive here for this city is so expensive. The Band and the restaurant staff were all South American, most recently arrived and no doubt working extremely hard to make ends meet. Probably sharing rooms, doing more than one job. The staff in the service industries in these countries come for the promise of a better life. But is it?

Lovely to catch up. I’ll stay overnight then head back to Abu Dhabi tomorrow.