Everything Else Abu Dhabi

I'll get you the details later, but in the meantime, the number one best thing about Abu Dhabi had to be (drumroll please)............ The Chili's Restaurant!!!!!

Okay, okay. I kid. But seriously, what an amazing treat. Southwest Eggrolls and Chicken Fajita Nachos instantly became my new best friends. I can't even tell you how exciting this was.

So I snagged all these pics from google images, and I recognize this post is supposed to be about Abu Dhabi. Yea Yeah, bla bla blah. I mean, I'll get to it. I just can't help myself. When it comes to Texas and good food, I'm real obsessed. Can you blame me? I'm gonna' go out on a limb here and claim that this is a good thing. 

To be honest (okay, I'm a little embarrassed), I didn't realize that Chili's was a Texas chain. Shame on me. Buttt, it was soooooo nice to walk inside and see pictures of the San Marcos Chili Cook-Off and other Texas shenanigans on the walls. 

Southwest Eggrolls. Man, that shiz was go-ood. Just what I needed. And, it tasted like home! Christmas Miracle?! I'll take it. 

If you know me, you'd know I'm not one to turn down a good set of nachos. They had real sour cream (what a luxury!), legit cheese, and tasty jalapeños. I was kind of sort of in heaven. 

Okay. Gettin' to it. Outside of the Chili's, Abu Dhabi was pretty fantastical. I'll give you the downside first. Only thing I didn't really love: at first glance, the city's pretty boring. The architecture is drab, everything is really spread out. This came as a total surprise because when I think of Dubai I think of crazy cool architecture and ultra-modern everything. I had to readjust my mind and remember I was in A.b.u. D.h.a.b.i. It's bland. I wanted to get to Dubai and check out that ghost of a modern town, but no time. Hopefully on the next go-round I'll make it that way. There aren't many people in AD (not such a fair judgement, as few places could live up to the hustle and bustle of Thailand). But the thing is, that's all superficial. In reality, it has everything you could ever want in a city. 

Which brings me to my next point. What I Like, aka The Goods:

1. Great food and a plethora of dining options, cheap cabs (!!!), vibrant nightlife, beautiful water (at least now, I've heard it's not so pretty in the summer. I was impressed, though) and every water sport imaginable, close proximity to the desert, etc etc etc. It's sweet. I loved that in 45 minutes we were out in BFE crawling our way up dunes and getting caught in a sand storm. 

2. Also, it is an exceptionally clean city. Possibly the cleanest I have ever visited. I think not because people don't throw their trash, rather because they have an entire work-force committed to the constant retrieval of said trash. I saw several workers (all immigrants) scouring the sidewalks for scraps. Litter doesn't last long in Abu Dhabi... 

*According to wiki, AD has been "criticized for perpetuating a class-based society". From what I saw in situations like this and what I learned from Milan, this is pretty true. It is common for Pakistani migrant workers to come and work for next to nothing.*

3. The Corniche and all other water access. The Corniche is just a boardwalk, but it's nice. They are building a new island (Lulu island, what are the odds that would be it's name? Ohh, Lulu.) and new beaches along the waterfront, so people will have even more opportunity to enjoy the Persian Gulf.

4. The successful collision of east meets west in culture and lifestyle. I was shocked by how many white faces I saw walking around town. Where am I again??! In Asia I've recently started giving westerners the same stares Asians give me. Mouth gaping open in surprise thinking, Who are you and what are you doing here? So inappropriate, true none-the-less. I'm sure all those Europeans really appreciated my attention. Anywhom, in AD it's nice. We went to a Swiss Christmas market, had drinks at a German Pub full of actual Germans (as opposed to the fake ones) with a live band, and of course, the aforementioned Chili's dining experience. At the same time, there were Arabs everywhere. We could hear the prayers throughout the day. Their dress was very traditional. They appear to maintain their customs and traditions in the face of an increasing western population.

Below: A google map of Abu Dhabi. See, there is water everywhere! Pretty sweet. From Milan's apartment, it was an easy walk to the Corniche, which made for a great, relaxing afternoon seaside stroll, combined with only a minor fear of getting lost upon return without cellphone or location awareness. Luckily, my spidey sense of direction saved me. I know some of you out there don't believe in this power of mine, cough cough Tree, but it's there. Promise. 

I realize now, well after importation, the map isn't zoomed in enough to actually see the Corniche, but imagine that you can. Think NW. It will help.