Waking Up
I woke up very late today, well after noon. I don't like sleeping late when I'm a guest in someones house, but I was uninterrupted and up late the night before. Neither Amit nor I had any sort of hangover - drinking water the night before worked well. We'd hear later that Will was not so lucky and would need most of the day to recover. Amit woke up shortly after me and he had breakfast. Shortly thereafter, Khamsay returned with Shaan and we discussed what I should see in Abu Dhabi. They had both highly recommended stopping by Grand Mosque - one of the biggest in the world
Sheikh Zayed Mosque
After checking the Mosque's web page for tour times, I realized I had only 30 minutes to make it there. The mosque is open to the public and offers guided tours at designated times. Admission, the tour, and even parking, is free of charge. Donations are not solicited in any form at the mosque.The Mosque is also the burial ground for Sheikh Zayed - to some extent the George Washington of the UAE.
The mosque is surrounded by a half dozen or so parking lots. After being refused from the first parking lot, a parade of cars followed from one lot to the next. We'd make our way to each lot, only to be turned away at the end of the lot by a guard. The guard at each lot would tell us we could park at the next lot. We finally found parking at the very last lot.
A college aged woman lead our tour group. The mosque is the third largest in the world - only the mosques of Mecca or Medina (both in Saudi Arabia) are said to be larger.
Shopping
Before I left for the Mosque, Amit and Khamsay suggested getting dinner at a nearby mall afterwards. They had heard great things about a place called Shake Shack. I didn't put this together until afterwards, but Shake Shack is where I ate my first day in Dubai when I visited the Mall of Emirates. Both locations have excellent burgers! After dinner I wandered the mall looking for a tripod for tomorrow's activities. One of the larger stores in the mall is a Carrefour, the second largest retailer in the world The store was enormous, similar to a Super Target in the states. I picked up an inexpensive tripod and head off to Starbucks for some coffee and to update my blog.
Tomorrow
Prior to arriving, Amit suggested I do an overnight camping safari. The safari would involve a guided off road desert tour, individual ATV cruising throughout the sand dunes, followed by a bbq dinner and belly dancing. Afterwards, we'd camp in the open desert. Summer had yet to hit, so the weather was still great for this sort of activity. I'd learn at dinner today that I was actually the first of Amit's friends to do the 'overnight' portion of the safari...
I woke up very late today, well after noon. I don't like sleeping late when I'm a guest in someones house, but I was uninterrupted and up late the night before. Neither Amit nor I had any sort of hangover - drinking water the night before worked well. We'd hear later that Will was not so lucky and would need most of the day to recover. Amit woke up shortly after me and he had breakfast. Shortly thereafter, Khamsay returned with Shaan and we discussed what I should see in Abu Dhabi. They had both highly recommended stopping by Grand Mosque - one of the biggest in the world
Sheikh Zayed Mosque
After checking the Mosque's web page for tour times, I realized I had only 30 minutes to make it there. The mosque is open to the public and offers guided tours at designated times. Admission, the tour, and even parking, is free of charge. Donations are not solicited in any form at the mosque.The Mosque is also the burial ground for Sheikh Zayed - to some extent the George Washington of the UAE.
The mosque is surrounded by a half dozen or so parking lots. After being refused from the first parking lot, a parade of cars followed from one lot to the next. We'd make our way to each lot, only to be turned away at the end of the lot by a guard. The guard at each lot would tell us we could park at the next lot. We finally found parking at the very last lot.
A college aged woman lead our tour group. The mosque is the third largest in the world - only the mosques of Mecca or Medina (both in Saudi Arabia) are said to be larger.
Exterior
Largest dome of any mosque in the world
Largest chandelier in the world
Largest carpet in the world
Exterior
Me inside Mosque
Before I left for the Mosque, Amit and Khamsay suggested getting dinner at a nearby mall afterwards. They had heard great things about a place called Shake Shack. I didn't put this together until afterwards, but Shake Shack is where I ate my first day in Dubai when I visited the Mall of Emirates. Both locations have excellent burgers! After dinner I wandered the mall looking for a tripod for tomorrow's activities. One of the larger stores in the mall is a Carrefour, the second largest retailer in the world The store was enormous, similar to a Super Target in the states. I picked up an inexpensive tripod and head off to Starbucks for some coffee and to update my blog.
Controlled chaos at Shake Shack
Endless rows of shops - with several stories above and below
Tomorrow
Prior to arriving, Amit suggested I do an overnight camping safari. The safari would involve a guided off road desert tour, individual ATV cruising throughout the sand dunes, followed by a bbq dinner and belly dancing. Afterwards, we'd camp in the open desert. Summer had yet to hit, so the weather was still great for this sort of activity. I'd learn at dinner today that I was actually the first of Amit's friends to do the 'overnight' portion of the safari...
The mosque pictures are beautiful ! Can't wait to read about the overnight in the desert !
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