How I spent a hot day in one of my favorite cities - Abudhabi
ജൂലൈ 10, 2017
Abu dhabi, in all ways, is one of the best city I have ever visited. If you plan a date to visit abudhabi, it's better to go around September to February when the climate is pleasant and gratifying to roam around. But if you have no other choice than to travel on a hot summer day, what can you do? Do you just finish your official works rather than being in a hot humid climate with a temperature of 50 degrees and a lot of sweat, and come back at a later time?
Not at all. What ever the climate, one should never miss the beauty of Abudhabi. It is an awe-inspiring city - extremely clean with striking scenery. If your interest lies in cityscape, Abudhabi has a lot to offer. Also, Abudhabi, with its alluring landscapes, is never bound to disappoint you if that's what suits your taste.
So how to spend your time in Abudhabi when the weather is unbearably hot? The options are many. Though the way I spent my time in Abudhabi may not be acceptable to all due to variation in personal interests, I encourage you to give it a try and take everything with a grain of salt.
1. A drive through Abudhabi city :
A drive through the city of Abudhabi as such is a mind blowing experience. Unlike Dubai, the city is not crowded and the roads are not congested. Most of the roads and streets are connected to each other making it easy to come back if you accidentally take a wrong exit - which is quite impossible in Dubai. The roads are very neatly maintained. Frequent signals and vigilant cameras are kept for monitoring the speed. The speed limit varies from 40 to 80 km/hr in the city. Being able to travel with a speed of 80 km/hr in a major city is a boon. Abudhabi has plenty of spectacular buildings which will definitely catch your eye during the drive. The architecture and engineering of the buildings are staggeringly unique. Some of them have unique shapes like the Aldar Headquarters building which is shaped like a coin. Other examples of such noteworthy buildings are the pineapple shaped building, the inclined Capital Gate hotel and the famous Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.The government is always vigilant in maintaining the beauty of the city. They don't even allow the occupants in big flats to keep their clothes visibly outside for drying them after wash !
These three images were taken 5 years ago on my first visit to Abudhabi.
2. The great malls of Abu Dhabi :
Shopping is always a part of our trip. If shopping is part of your agenda, it's better reserve the hot hours for it. There are umpteen number of great malls in Abudhabi catering for everybody's shopping needs. You can enjoy shopping as well as the ambiance inside the malls without sweating under the harsh weather. Marina mall, Yas mall, Delma mall and the coin building of Aldar headquarters are some of the famous shopping centers in Abudhabi .
During my recent trip, I visited the Delma Mall. Though located a little far away from the town area, it is a worthy place to drop by. Delma Mall entices you with its fascinating architecture and delightful ambiance.
Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque :
I consider the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque to be the most glorious place in Abudhabi . Built in 1996-2007 by the Syrian architect, Yousaf Abdelkey, it is considered the largest mosque in the U.A.E. The project was launched by the former president of U.A.E, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who now rests in peace near the mosque. The U.A.E govt has considered the mosque as the main centre for tourism. The entry to the mosque is absolutely free and there are no restrictions for photography. While photographing each and every corner of the mosque freely, I pondered over the unnecessary restrictions and ridiculous rules imposed in many attractive tourist spots in India. Mysore palace is one of the tourist sites where photography should be encouraged to promote tourism. Instead, photography is restricted. It is extremely sad to see that the people don't understand the importance of photography in tourism in India.
On a side note, if you happen to have a great photograph of Sheikh Zayed mosque in your stock, submit it to the authority and if found worthy enough, the photograph may be displayed inside the mosque !
If time permits, pay a visit to the mosque at both daylight and night to see the two different photographic perspectives of the mosque. Take a few snaps in the day time to capture the architectural beauty of the mosque. The mosque is exceptionally beautiful during sunset and at night when the lights are switched on.
Have a look at the architectural beauty of the mosque
A shallow water pool has been created, outside the mosque - opposite to the road, exclusively to get a reflection of the mosque. You can capture stunning images of the mosque from this area. This spot highlights the careful efforts and picturesque imagination the authority has put in for the mosque.
If you wait for some time here, you might get some fresh, sweet dates if the wind is strong enough.
Not at all. What ever the climate, one should never miss the beauty of Abudhabi. It is an awe-inspiring city - extremely clean with striking scenery. If your interest lies in cityscape, Abudhabi has a lot to offer. Also, Abudhabi, with its alluring landscapes, is never bound to disappoint you if that's what suits your taste.
So how to spend your time in Abudhabi when the weather is unbearably hot? The options are many. Though the way I spent my time in Abudhabi may not be acceptable to all due to variation in personal interests, I encourage you to give it a try and take everything with a grain of salt.
1. A drive through Abudhabi city :
A drive through the city of Abudhabi as such is a mind blowing experience. Unlike Dubai, the city is not crowded and the roads are not congested. Most of the roads and streets are connected to each other making it easy to come back if you accidentally take a wrong exit - which is quite impossible in Dubai. The roads are very neatly maintained. Frequent signals and vigilant cameras are kept for monitoring the speed. The speed limit varies from 40 to 80 km/hr in the city. Being able to travel with a speed of 80 km/hr in a major city is a boon. Abudhabi has plenty of spectacular buildings which will definitely catch your eye during the drive. The architecture and engineering of the buildings are staggeringly unique. Some of them have unique shapes like the Aldar Headquarters building which is shaped like a coin. Other examples of such noteworthy buildings are the pineapple shaped building, the inclined Capital Gate hotel and the famous Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.The government is always vigilant in maintaining the beauty of the city. They don't even allow the occupants in big flats to keep their clothes visibly outside for drying them after wash !
These three images were taken 5 years ago on my first visit to Abudhabi.
Capital Gate Hotel - The Inclined Building
The coin building - Aldar Headquarters ( Photo taken from Google)
2. The great malls of Abu Dhabi :
Shopping is always a part of our trip. If shopping is part of your agenda, it's better reserve the hot hours for it. There are umpteen number of great malls in Abudhabi catering for everybody's shopping needs. You can enjoy shopping as well as the ambiance inside the malls without sweating under the harsh weather. Marina mall, Yas mall, Delma mall and the coin building of Aldar headquarters are some of the famous shopping centers in Abudhabi .
One of my old photograph from Marina mall Abudhabi
Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque :
I consider the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque to be the most glorious place in Abudhabi . Built in 1996-2007 by the Syrian architect, Yousaf Abdelkey, it is considered the largest mosque in the U.A.E. The project was launched by the former president of U.A.E, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who now rests in peace near the mosque. The U.A.E govt has considered the mosque as the main centre for tourism. The entry to the mosque is absolutely free and there are no restrictions for photography. While photographing each and every corner of the mosque freely, I pondered over the unnecessary restrictions and ridiculous rules imposed in many attractive tourist spots in India. Mysore palace is one of the tourist sites where photography should be encouraged to promote tourism. Instead, photography is restricted. It is extremely sad to see that the people don't understand the importance of photography in tourism in India.
On a side note, if you happen to have a great photograph of Sheikh Zayed mosque in your stock, submit it to the authority and if found worthy enough, the photograph may be displayed inside the mosque !
If time permits, pay a visit to the mosque at both daylight and night to see the two different photographic perspectives of the mosque. Take a few snaps in the day time to capture the architectural beauty of the mosque. The mosque is exceptionally beautiful during sunset and at night when the lights are switched on.
The image below was taken 5 years ago when I visited here for the first time. Those who are interested in photography should keep a wide angle lens to shoot the mosque. This image was taken with a 18-55mm kit lens which may not be upto the gratification of a person really interested to shoot the mosque.
These are the most recent photographs captured with a wide angle lens
Have a look at the architectural beauty of the mosque
There are the areas close to the mosque meant to capture reflections cast by the mosque and its bright lights.
After lunch with my brother in law and family, I took a nap for 2 hours. Evening schedule can be planned as per personal interests. I decided to capture a heavenly sunset from the capital city of U.A.E. There are many places to enjoy and photograph the beauty of sunset. We decided to go to Corniche for the purpose. Abudhabi Corniche is huge area. We moved towards the heritage village, where one can savour the greenery as well as the magnificence of the bluish sea. There are benches placed for the visitors to have a comfortable view of the beach.
There is a lovely meadow with trees planted on both sides on the way to the heritage village. There are many palm trees too. I have a zest for such areas and decided to take a few snaps.
This picture is of the area mentioned above . This reminded me of the road to "King's Landing" from the HBO television series "Game of Thrones", originally shot from northern Ireland. I have always dreamt of visiting this place in Ireland. So to see a place somewhat mimicking my dream place was a thrilling experience. It can be called as "Poor man's Ireland" ! :-)
This is the picture from Game of thrones- Road to King's Landing (Taken from google)
We entered the beach through the heritage village. Swimming is allowed in this area which was not anticipated and came as a surprise for us. Otherwise we would have come equipped for a bath in the blue sea, which would have been a cool experience in the hot, humid climate .
If you wait for some time here, you might get some fresh, sweet dates if the wind is strong enough.
The credit of the tallest flag in the world goes to the one s near the heritage village with a height of 122m and a pole made of steel. I took a snap with the setting sun in the back drop.
We moved to another area of the beach to capture the final moments of the setting sun. The rocky area definitely added to the beauty of the sunset image.
After the sunset, we tried to enter in to the compound of Emirates Palace hotel to take a few snaps. It is picturesque in its architecture and ambiance. Unfortunately, the entry to the hotel is restricted. Despite trying two times, the security never gave permission to enter the premises.
There is a round-about like area very close to the Emirates Palace. A beautifully illuminated and non-restricted area, just in front of the main entrance to the presidential palace will not disappoint photographers.
Capturing a light trail had been one of my intense desires for a long time. I found that Abudhabi is the ideal place for light trail photography as the city has many bridges over busy roads.
I captured this image at 12 AM after dinner. The road was relatively empty at that hour. Though initially disappointed, capturing my first light trail photo made me happy. The difficult part of the trip arose after taking the image. Parking your vehicle at night is a cumbersome process in Abudhabi. A lot of cars were seen going by in search of a parking space. After wandering through the city for 45 minutes, we managed to find a space 2kms away from our home. Those who don't have a private parking space should wind up the trip and find a parking space before 10PM.
So that's about my trip to Abudhabi. Though not my first visit, Abudhabi has never failed to fascinate me with all its brimming wonders. A wonderful city, well-maintained to retain its utmost beauty. I hope all the above mentioned ideas help anyone who plan to visit the capital city of U.A.E. The harsh weather of U.A.E. should not stop anyone from exploring the wonders of this glorious city.
Look how beautifully the area is illuminated !
Capturing a light trail had been one of my intense desires for a long time. I found that Abudhabi is the ideal place for light trail photography as the city has many bridges over busy roads.
I captured this image at 12 AM after dinner. The road was relatively empty at that hour. Though initially disappointed, capturing my first light trail photo made me happy. The difficult part of the trip arose after taking the image. Parking your vehicle at night is a cumbersome process in Abudhabi. A lot of cars were seen going by in search of a parking space. After wandering through the city for 45 minutes, we managed to find a space 2kms away from our home. Those who don't have a private parking space should wind up the trip and find a parking space before 10PM.
Where to stay In Abudhabi
The image below is the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Abudhabi where I stayed for one day during my last visit. I don't know much about hotels in Abudhabi. My stay in Ritz Carlton was a pleasant one but I'm sure there can be better alternatives.
So that's about my trip to Abudhabi. Though not my first visit, Abudhabi has never failed to fascinate me with all its brimming wonders. A wonderful city, well-maintained to retain its utmost beauty. I hope all the above mentioned ideas help anyone who plan to visit the capital city of U.A.E. The harsh weather of U.A.E. should not stop anyone from exploring the wonders of this glorious city.
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