Thursday, September 09, 2004
I just arrived back in Berkeley after a 17 hour flight. Pleasant reflections of Abu Dhabi appear and fade. My body has no idea what time it is.
One mega-memory is the magnificent food I've eaten this week. Not just the banquets, either. The Rotana Beach Hotel puts out a buffet to die for.
Fresh fruit at breakfast
Arab appetizers (click for larger photo)
Salad bar
Salmon, sushi, calamari, mussels
Air-dried beef, calamari, octopus salad, tabouleh, mini-pitas
Le dessert
The locals say Abu Dhabi is where the money is.
Buildings like these are everywhere.
Out on the end of the corniche, a
mind-bogglingly large new complex is
going up. The price-tag: $1 billion.
(By contrast, Dubai is where people make money.)
Here's the Abu Dhabi Mall, Beach Rotana Hotel,
Coop, and office tower. The hotels
here can break even at 20% occupancy.
That's what happens when you buy a
place in an all-cash deal.
The centers of some of the glitzy blocks
house stores and quarters for Southeast Asians.
The Emiratis often live in tasteful
modern houses surrounded by high walls.
One mega-memory is the magnificent food I've eaten this week. Not just the banquets, either. The Rotana Beach Hotel puts out a buffet to die for.
Fresh fruit at breakfast
Arab appetizers (click for larger photo)
Salad bar
Salmon, sushi, calamari, mussels
Air-dried beef, calamari, octopus salad, tabouleh, mini-pitas
Le dessert
The locals say Abu Dhabi is where the money is.
Buildings like these are everywhere.
Out on the end of the corniche, a
mind-bogglingly large new complex is
going up. The price-tag: $1 billion.
(By contrast, Dubai is where people make money.)
Here's the Abu Dhabi Mall, Beach Rotana Hotel,
Coop, and office tower. The hotels
here can break even at 20% occupancy.
That's what happens when you buy a
place in an all-cash deal.
The centers of some of the glitzy blocks
house stores and quarters for Southeast Asians.
The Emiratis often live in tasteful
modern houses surrounded by high walls.
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