the flight from Melbourne and Abu Dhabi was very pleasant and positively uneventful. Would definately recommend Etihad… very polite staff, good food and good leg room. Thought we would get to see the bright concrete metropolis that is Abu Dhabi but only saw miles of sand, conga lines of construction trucks and building works.
Arrival at Abu Dhabi was smooth and calm. Air conditioned air tunnels – those things that connect the plane with the terminal – funneled us to the transit area where the usual luxury brands beckoned – only the Maserati being raffled at a 100 dollars a ticket catches my eye but I resist 🙂 In truth the airport is quite small compared with Singapore or Dubai but its quiet and its modesty is refreshing.
We only saw plantation trees from the plane window nothing much else survives in the heat; trees to be planted to keep the desert at bay. But nature has found a way to survive even here . As we sit in the plastic coated cafe chairs, a small bird flies around the ceiling rafters tweeting and calling. Its unexpected amongst so many efforts to keep nature – the heat, the sand – out.
We didnt see the city from the air but from the inflight promo showed it as a glorification of concrete, glass, minerets and… golf! And yet at every point the desert waits to claim it all back. Those trees we saw will be planted on the edges of roads to try keep the dunes back. Try being the operative word. Perhaps they hire teams of road sweepers to keep shovelling it all back into place! Anyway! We are on holiday! The bird in the rafters sings again. Next stop… paris…
Pamela Sutton-Legaud CFRE MBA 