It was a hell of a trip, folks...
Mary's co-worker - another Mary... Mary Kardashian - was kind enough to take us to JFK. (Thanks again, Mary!) Our flight was an hour and a half late taking off due to "weather" (yeah... it was cold in New York with a few flurries in December... who would have thunk?!) but we did get aloft and twelve hours or so later we landed in Amman, Jordan where we switched planes.
(By the way... we flew Royal Jordanian; fine airline! Great pilots. Smooth landings! Free beer, wine, and booze. Edible food. Reasonably diverse entertainment options. I wouldn't hesitate to fly them again. Indeed, I recommend them!)
After a ninety minute layover it was back in the air... three and a half more hours to Abu Dhabi. We arrived fifteen minutes early - at 1:15 a.m. local time - nine hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time.
Disembarkation was the way I like it... stairs brought to the plane (which parked on the tarmac) and down we walk right into a shuttle bus that takes us to the terminal... and thus to the duty-free. $140 or so later - after hitting not one but two duty-free shops - I had my "in-country" scotch (Macallan Distiller's Special Reserve), my gin (Hendricks of course), my vodka (100 proof Absolute Black), and a twelve-pack of fruit flavored malt beverages just because it had festive packaging!
Then... off to customs!
(No customs delays! They even performed eye scans and now we're in their system!)
Out to the taxi stand... a $10 tip to the baggage guy (who hung with us while I was booze shopping)... and off we go having given the cabbie "The Holiday Inn" as our destination!
You see... they don't really "do" addresses over there. (Mail? It's either email or post office box delivery!) Kim's building is around the corner from the only Holiday Inn (and a damn nice one... four star) in Abu Dhabi and 20-25 minutes later when we reached that destination Kim was waiting for us in her little Mazda 3.
Hugs... kisses... paid the taxi driver $20 for a 40 km trip... (yeah... taxis are real cheap there)... throw the luggage and ourselves into Kim's car and two minutes later we're parked in Kim's underground lot and heading up to her 14 floor apartment with the floor to ceiling windows and 20 ft. balcony overlooking the city!
By now it's after 2:00 a.m., but I needed to see the pool... and take a dip in the pool! (We're talking 90 degrees... actually too hot that first night.) A half hour of swimming... then back downstairs... and to bed.
(Kimmy gave us her room; she slept on her couch... in the living room.)
Tuesday, Dec. 10 -- Arose before noon, got ready, and headed downstairs for breakfast (pastries) at Kim's building's bakery restaurant, "La Brioche." Took a walking tour of Kim's immediate neighborhood and then an extended walk to the local liquor store and supermarket.
(Cabbed it back; I believe the cost was less than $5.00 - including tip!)
Tuesday evening we attended the Park Rotana Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony where we were treated eggnog, cookies, and other light snacks and beverages while being entertained by the St. Joseph's School Children's Choir singing various secular and religious carols!
(By the way... Santa was there!)
Next... off in Kim's Mazda 3 (note, valet parking at the hotels is the norm, and at many restaurants as well; think LA or Vegas) downtown to explore the heart of Abu Dhabi and find a restaurant for dinner. We ended up at Spaccanapoli, festively decorated for the holidays, where we split a meter long three-way pizza - a house specialty!
(Another bit of trivia: though the tap water is totally safe to drink... tastes fine as well... everyone seems to order bottled water - either sparkling or mineral. The same bottle of water which would cost 5 dirham at a local cafeteria might cost 20 or 30 dirham in a fancy restaurant.)
After dinner... back to Kim's place... went to take a late swim but found the door locked.
(*SIGH*)
* TO BE CONTINUED..
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