Kayaking the Eastern Mangroves of Abu Dhabi

Meandering through the Mangroves

 Kayaking the Eastern Mangroves of Abu Dhabi

In the thick of it.

Tiff gets so exciting about these outings!

The secret life of Abu Dhabi.  Hidden amongst the tall buildings and rapidly encroaching humanity can be found a glipmse of what this place might have looked like once upon a time.  Here and there, small tufts of desert grass still cling on for dear life and (I swear I saw one running scared through the surrounding building sites) desert foxes still scurry about the place, no doubt wondering what the hell has happened to their once-pristine environment.  I mean, the NEW stuff that's being built, all the artificially watered parks and tree-lined streets and roads, and the gardens and man-made 'nature' is really very pretty in parts, but there is that sense that nature is fighting a losing battle.

Down the wharf to the kayaks.

Safety demo!

Gus and Tiff passing the hotel from where you jump on your kayak.

There were about 12 of us in all.

But, there is one lovely spot , the Eastern Mangroves, that seems to be winning (with a bit of help).  As far as I can gather, they've always been there, but suffered terribly over the years as Abu Dhabi developed.  Dredging was undertaken in recent years to revitalise the mangroves and provide them with more sand banks in which to expand.  Up close they seem healthy enough, and there was even a bit of wildlife about the place... lots of little crabs clinging onto half-submerged tree trunks, mostly.  They're not exactly pristine wildlife refuges, and the mangroves up on the Central Coast north of Sydney shit on these from a VERY great height flora and fauna-wise, but they're really quite pretty, and the kayaking you can see in the pics is a tremendous break from half-finished skyscrapers, roadworks and shopping malls.  And all about a 10 minute drive from home!  Nice one!

Rounding the tip of the first sandbar covered in mangroves.

Yours truly.

Our intrepid leader, Ernesto.

Gus and Tiff, fully decked out!

Our happy flotilla.

The first of the narrows.

This is how it's done!!

Hardly a building in sight.

Matt and his new girlfiend.

Heading towards the narrows.

Oh, me again.  Gee, what a happy fellow!

Ummm, me again... thanks to Tiff for these pics.

Moving into the narrows.

In the thick of it.

I really do like a self-portrait, don't I?

Ahhh, someone different (but with yours truly sneaking a cameo in the background)!  Tiff and Gus negotiating the narrows... and finding plenty of time to self-snap a few pics!

Deliverance?

Quite serene in amongst it all.

Gus and Tiff again.

Exiting the narrows.

There's an egret in there somewhere.....

Nice.

Promise that's the last self portrait.

The mud banks were full of little crabs.... couldn't get close enough before they all scurried off.

Back past the tip and...

... back onto the pontoon.

With a little assistance.

The Sandstorm!

The Sandstorm!!!

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted in here, and I apologise for my lack of communication.  But, OMG I have been busy.  It's mid-term exam time here at Zayed... one of the busiest working periods of my life...... In other news, there are a few things to fill you all in on, the first of which is the amazing sandstorm we had early last week.  Here's a pic taken from my living room window of the most sudden  meteorological experience of my life.  Having headed home from work after a PARTICULARLY challenging day with my class, I was very excited about jumping in the pool for some laps, haning out with my buds Kosta and Tiff, and generally taking it easy "down by the pool".  A quick look out my window suggested that all was well in the world.... blue skies, sunshine, as is the norm here in the never-ending sunshine of Abu Dhabi.

Lo and behold, not a moment after looking out the window (and speedily throwing on my togs in readiness for a poolside afternoon of pleasure), dust, dirt, sand and other airborne desert matter was thrown into the atmosphere in a matter of moments.  One second it was the usual clear blue skies, and the next it was climactic mayhem!!  The photos don't really do it justice.  Doors were locked and blocked by the management of the building because the wind picked up so suddenly that there was real danger of broken windows, etc, blah, blah, blah.
Anyway, afer about an hour, it all died down and there was a very pretty sunset.




So, there's the sandstorm edition of my blog.  It's late and I'm tired from another long day of work, so goodnight to you all (well, the seemingly very small  few who actually read this little uploading of my life).  Stay tuned for the extremely fascinating "new blinds in my apartment" edition.

xo JL

A Night Out in the Cooler Temperatures.

They say it's the best Lebanese restaurant in AD.

Yours truly at the Lebanese Flower.

The free basket of flatbread.

Here in AD, there is a huge range of restaurants to choose from.  In the Tourist Club area, you can dine at some of th best restaurants around.  In the back streets of back streets, there are tiny Arabic joints, dirty looking Indian joints and dodgy looking Chinese joints.  Plonked somewhere in between, there's this, the Lebanese Flower, a stalwart standard joint that people tell me is quite possibly the best Lebanese restaurant in AD.

A plate of pickles, gherkins, tomato and fresh mint stalks is more quickly seated at the table than you are, as is a full bottle of mineral water, followed equally quickly by three bags of fresh flatbread.  Oh, did I happen to mention thus far in the blog that bread is as cheap as chips here?  Really, it's hilarious.  What Aussies pay $4 for, I pay $1 for, even in the outrageously expensive Waitrose in my building.  What's the story there?  Who's ripping Aussies off with their bread prices, man!?   Who!?  Anyway, far be it for me to solve Australia's bread pricing crisis.  I ate nearly every free pice of bread ther was.  Soooooo fresh!!   Yum.

Al Fresco, now that the weather is cooling down.

You'll notice that I am sitting outside.  Yes, there IS a cooler period in AD.  And the days are getting shorter.  And the sun is lowering it's arc across the sky.  And the nights are milder and more comfortable.  I was out with a new mate of mine, Jay, and we grabbed an outdoor table not moments before the dinner rush. Not long after the shot above was taken, those vacant seats on the right of the shot filled up.  Quite a buzzy little vibe, with Arabic tunes over the speakers, muezzin calling people to prayer, and the delightful music of people out enjoying themselves.  A lovely evening, and it's all of 5 minutes' drive from my aparmtent.  Handy new discovery in the 'hood!!

Rocket Salad, hoummous, and the UAE  equivalent of babaganoush, called moutabal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The moutabal... oh my God.  It was so delicious.  And look at that olive oil!

 Here are a few tasty delights.....

Delicious hoummous.

Hoummous with shawarma meat.  I ate every last morsel.

Shwarma chicken.  Didn't touch the chips at all.

Who said it was hard to get....

My latest cache of beverages... it's best to buy in bulk and keep the visits to a minimum, in my humble opinion.

 Boooooooze!!!

Beery goodness!!

I've had a couple of visits to booze shops, recently.  They're hilarious.  Tucked away behind blackened windows and sliding doors, but once you get in, there's every manner of liquor available.  And cheaper than in Australia, in most cases.  There's no (or very little) tax on it, you see.  The case of Coopers you see in my frdige only cost me about $40.  It's nearly $60 in Oz now, isn't it?  Anyway, you gather up your goodies, push your shopping trolly of sinful delights to the cash register, pay, and make your escape, your purchases hidden in the thick brown plastic bags (which make bloody good garbage liners, I've discovered.... another good reason to buy hootch!!).  Couldn't take any pics in there either.  I'll take a sneaky couple next time.

The ubiquitous 'Brown Bag'.

So, there you go.  It's no more difficult to stock your bar here than it is in Australia. 

A fridge full of Coopers!!  Whoda thunk it?

Stay tuned for an update on my soon-to-be-installed blinds.  Bamboo Roman blinds in the living room, and gorgeous Indian cotton curtains for the bedrooms.  It's all coming together.