Welcome home....to an empty airport

Welcome home........to an empty airport,

Coming from the hustle and bustle of Asia, it feels good to go back 'home'....less stressful, pace of life at a more leisurely pace.

Upon arrival the contrast was immediately stark clear, .....

Was it the timing of our arrival (can't be, we arrived late in the morning) or was it seasonal? Fact is that Belgium's biggest airport, Brussels International, was almost totally devoid of people upon our arrival.

What a difference with the Asian airports that we regularly frequent.  Not that we minded though, immigration was done in a blink of an eye, our whole cartload of luggage tumbled nicely in time on the luggage conveyor belt and customs......what customs check? 

The gents and ladies of customs out of boredom were just twiddling with their fingers. Which ofcourse was fine with us ;-)

And since we had time on our hands waiting for transport, we made our way in the desolate airport terminals.  Even the Etihad desk, the carrier we flew with, was unoccupied.

Outside, the contrast was even more striking. And I'm not talking about the weather, ..... yooohooo....it's smack middle of winter in Europe......but the traffic that approached and left the terminal......well, let's just say I only needed 1 hand to count the number of cars that I saw passing by each minute.


I never said I expected a welcoming committee, but come on....a bit more livelier environment upon our arrival wouldn't hurt, would it?

And look at the facade of the airport hotel opposite the main terminal building,....eeeuh, there is only 1 terminal actually.  The concrete does look a bit worn out, doesn't it?

Brussels International.....the powers that be should be ashamed of promoting it as an "International" hub, it's not worth the name if you ask me.

Or maybe.....the people who runs this place are Indifferent

United Arab Emirates 40th Anniversary Bash

United Arab Emirates 40th Anniversary Bash,

A bit overdue, but nonetheless....

Don't know whether Dame Fortuna had anything to with it, but our stop-over in the UAE coincided with their National Independence Day, December 2nd.

I'm the first one to admit that I'm not a patriotic person, what do you expect, ethnic Chinese, born and raised in Western Europe, thus all the while the poohaa of independence day celebrations have really left me cold all these years as I neither belong to this or that 'population'.

Don't get me wrong though, I'm proud of where I'm from, but that doesn't necessarily translate in overtly showing my 'love' for "King and Country", capiche?

As for Jess and our girl, apart from knowing how to sing the national anthem (they are drilled to know the lyrics from kindergarten onwards), I don't observe any sense of patriotism in them.......let's just say our household is too grounded for that stuff.

On the other hand, the young state of UAE which as I said before was celebrating its 40th anniversary.....and that has to be celebrated with a big bang.

That translates into buildings and malls adorned with colours and banners of the UAE.....even the local merchants jumped in on the patriotic bandwagon, displaying the UAE flag in their respective stores on their merchandise.

And what about the common folks then? The citizens of federation of 7 states do share their love for the country.  What do you expect, thanks to their new-found wealth (read = oil dollars), the Emirati's are near the world's pinnacle of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita.  As a result of sitting on top of all that hard cash, the government doles out freebies to its citizens, and I'm not talking about titbits either.


Don't get me wrong now, it just happens that someone up there is smiling upon these folks who have been trying to make do in an utterly harsh and hostile environment for centuries. 


And since the rest of the world is dependent on zillions and zillions of that glut of black oil which happens to be buried beneath that sea of sand.......the conclusion is easily made, just a question of simple economics. Bring it on....the coffers stashed with cash!! ;-)


And having 'cash', they even decorated a few super cars with the national colours, emblems and pics of the rulers......talking about being patriotic, don't see that happening though back in good 'ol Belgium....

One way that the common Emirati's show their patriotism is by decorating their cars with the national flag, emblems, images of the founders and current ruler.....you name it, they show it.

And on the night of the festivities they all drive out, honking their horns traveling in convoys up and down town.  I assure you, seeing all these frenzied people celebrating like they have won the world cup, it was so contagious that I felt like partaking in the celebrations.

For once, I'm throwing out my personal opinion about patriotism....


But fact is, the Emirates have developed at an astounding pace since its inception, and they do deserve to be proud of their achievements.


As long as it's good banter, carry on......Congrats UAE!!!

Musical Enchantment at the Emirates Palace

Musical Enchantment at the Emirates Palace,


The second must-see stop in Abu Dhabi is undoubtedly the Emirates Palace Hotel, costing a whopping 3 billion USD, and having less than 400 rooms, you can do the arithmetics on this.......how long will it take to break even? I simply don't wanna know.....way beyond my league....

First impression that this place was a bit out of the ordinary happened already at the outside gate entrance, where my taxi was stopped by the security attendants asking why I was entering the 'compounds' of the hotel..........doh!!!.....


Played it nice, and honestly told the security officer that I was on a very brief visit to Abu Dhabi and I was told that this 'palace' was THE place to visit ...so that's why I was here, ....simple as that....

And with that brutal honest explanation, the guard smiled and waved me in....the doors to Alibaba's Cave magically opened for me ....."Open Sesame" ;-p

Everybody knows the proverb, "money can't buy everything" or is it "happiness"?, but heck.....this place really shows it off, the money spent on building this palace isn't exactly peanuts.  And if one can afford to stay in such a posh place, don't come and tell me that you're not happy....I don't buy that 'stuff'!!!

Did I get to see the rooms and suites? Ofcourse not, but I bet the rooms are decked out beyond my wildest dreams.....


Strange thing though, was it bad timing...off season or what? Because I didn't notice that many guests roaming around, either in the lounge, main hall or at the private beach....or maybe the guests are just staying in their undoubtedly luxurious room, enjoying all the amenities on hand......let's say I believe the latter....

While wandering thru the main hall, a trio of musicians attracted my attention.....playing arabic instrumental music using Arabic instruments like the "oud","qanun" and "tablah"

"Oud"

"Qanun"

"Tablah"

.....in so far that I simply stood gawking at them.....yeah, I know, the musicians did look little bit awkward when I took shots and a vid of them...sorry for that boys.  


Residents of the hotel simply passed by, seemingly uninterested, but man, come on, they played some nice tunes if you'd ask me.

Perfectly in tune with the solemn spirit of the "House".....


Grand, grand and grand.....what more can I add?

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque,...truly a grandiose icon

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, ...truly a grandiose icon

Having only one day to spend in Abu Dhabi, the question popped up of which places which warranted a visit.

"Ferrari World" might pop into your mind now, but nah, theme parks are dotted all over the world....and granted, it's more for adrenaline seekers and family outings, don't tell me it's a must visit 'heritage' site.  


Have to skip "Ferrari World"  as we only had 1 day to spend, always a next time.

A friendly enquiry around and we were told that the two must-visit spots while one is there for a brief visit are the "Emirates Palace" (more of that in a future blog post) and the "Sheikh Zayed Mosque".

Acting upon the recommendations, a taxi was easily hailed and pronto to the Mosque.

Having seen quite some mosques, I kinda knew what was in store....what do you expect, our current abode is in Malaysia, where Islam is the national religion, and as a result mosques are found in every neighbourhood.

But, upon reaching the gates of the Sheikh Zayed mosque, I realized that this mosque was a bit out of the ordinary......and believe me, that's an understatement. Reportedly costing over half a "billion" US dollars to construct, it definitely shows the 'works'.

The exterior is all smooth white marble, with domes all dotted over the mosque (apparently there are 82 domes in total), 4 sky reaching minarets on each corner,intricate flower motives on the huge marble courtyard, every single pillar with a top cap of gold leaf flower motives.

And then I've barely scratched the 'surface',.....wait till you enter the prayer rooms/halls....which are huuuuuuuuuuge.

Upon entering the main prayer hall, the first thing you'll notice are the HUGE chandeliers, all dotted with millions of Swarovski crystals, ......did I just say 'chandeliers' in plural form?, 'cos hold your breath, there are 'seven', yes you read it correctly, 7 of those crystals studded chandeliers hanging from the elaborate crafted ceiling of the mosque. 

Interesting fact about the carpet in the 'smaller' prayer rooms is that the flower motifs of the carpet exactly matches the intricate motifs found on the ceilings. "Earth" = "Heaven"....that's the way how it should be.

Honestly, pictures don't do it justice, it takes literally hours to observe and appreciate all the detailed finishing.........The mosque is truly an eye-opener for believers as well as non-believers.

It might not match the rich history of 'St.Peter's Square and Vatican City', but the builders have already ensured that this Grand Mosque rightly deserves its place in the Hall of Fame of Majestic Religious Landmarks.

A Grandiose Icon indeed.......