Hilton Baynunah Abu Dhabi

The day started the right way- a sleep in til 0900. The Hubbards were getting concerned! A six star breakfast was followed by a chauffer driven guided tour of Abu Dhabi. Top marks Hubbards! We toured the city in air conditioned comfort ( a must in these parts) finishing up at the Emerites Palace where we had a sumptuous afternoon tea. Hard to imagine the opulance - gold dust on our strawberries no less!! and many calories that will need to be burnt off. Ramadan ment that ...

... and we didn't have a Hindu phrase book! Ahhh the adventure of travel.... On arrival we were swamped with taxi drivers wanting to take us places but not all had meters and attempts to have a driver understand "Heritage Village", a premier tourist site in Abu Dhabi, was just not happening. After a "phone a friend" it was still not happening, so we fell back to an oldy but goody used in Dubai, look at the map and find the nearest shopping centre and get taken ...

... next and although they didn't quite get up they both made a great effort, just the tiredness getting to them in the end, we'd all definitely be feeling it tomorrow. Finally Rudy went out to show us all how it should be done, he looked super smooth a soon as he started and was soon doing huge jumps, flips and 360 spins, it was absolutely superb to watch, even if a little sickening. Next up was a try at wakesurfing, yep that thing we tried in Miami that nearly lost me an ...

... on the flight too. A guy in two seats back from me thought it was a good idea to have a few drinks then take a sleeping pill. He ended up semi-concious and barely breathing. Only found by the staff because he was pale, sweating profusely and not responsive. The dreaded call went out over the intercom "If there is a doctor or nurse onboard, please make yourself known to the cabin crew!". In a matter of seconds, the Irish ...

... because their dish-dashas reached the floor, appeared to hover several inches from the ground. Tall and graceful, they floated and flicked the corners of their headdresses, whilst their wives shopped. Amazing how you can tell that someone is filthy rich, even when they are covered in black from head to foot, but you can. As I am essentially allergic to shopping (retail parks especially bring me out in hives) so such places hold no interest. All the ...

... pull from a caught fish (it was a hot day yesterday). So, I looked at his license plate number and he had a license plate number of 558. Over here the closer you see the number 1 on a license plate, it's assumed you've seen royalty. He's probably a cousin or something... He was definitely a hottie. There's do doubt about that! Ha-ha! Too bad I was a puddle of sweat when I saw him. That's so attractive!

... clear - the price had gone up. Wow, that's some magic money. The rains mean the roads are flooded, but if I pay more the road miraculously clear? I laughingly told them they were criminals. After some faffing, I got my money back and got a rickshaw instead. The rain had stopped so as long as I kept away from the open sides, I was good. Then the driver pulled into a massive queue of rickshaws lined up for fuel. To his credit, he flagged down a taxi and arranged that driver to ...

... watched Cinderella Man, Blades of Glory), TV shows (I watched Arrested Development, The Office, Frasier). Meanwhile, the girl next to me was watching an array of Indian programs, so already you can just imagine the situation and how much our culture clashed. I almost feel bad for not taking the intiative to learn about a different culture, but I figured I have plenty of time for that when I arrive at my destination. The airport is insane. It is ...

... and but like it was going out of style. It was hilarious and Andrea and I got several pictures and videos of both of us getting down and dirty. After the show we all headed back to our respective Land Rovers and drove home. We were sad seeing our adopted family leave but we wish them the best if they are reading this and we plan to stay in touch. Man did we laugh and have a good time. Definitely one of the most memorable nights of the trip. What a NIGHT!!! So with that I say Goodnight!!! Love, Jose and Andrea

Only a short stop-over after a very long flight. Dubai is a crazy town, and it is so true that they have 1/4 of the worlds cranes here, the skyline is absolutely littered with them. It's hot (30 degrees when i landed at 6am) and lots of sand. I know all roads lead to Rome, so time to get on the next flight...