For me this quote reinforced the fact that every step I take brings me closer to the future I anticipate and the life I will eventually live. My first business trip out to Dubai and Abu Dhabi was a week long trip of client meeting and Golf. In between I tried to take it all in and get a good glimpse of what life would be like living in the UAE.
Like my father once told me Dubai is a city that is dipped in gold. The luxury of the city is outstanding and noticeable from the moment you drive out from the airport. The skyline seems to be alive with construction happening around the clock and new skyscrappers rising as if being born from the sand. It's an incredible sight but at the same time you can't help but feel tiny surrounded by such magestic buildings and unique architecture. While driving around from the hotel to the golf course I noticed Dubai is a city with no sidewalks. Hence, people are not seen walking anywhere but in designated prominades or walks that are known for the hot spots of where to see and be seen. It is a city that wakes in the mornings to a blinding fog that barely lets in the hot desert sun. A city that then gives way to the beautiful turqoise ocean views. A city that was construced mainly by Indian construction workers who you can't help but wonder... how did so many people from a continet arrive to this metropolitan and where are their families? I must admit it was hard to see so many men sweating away in cosntruction sites all day to later be hauled off like sardines in big white busses. It's amazing how such rich lavish lives can live literally around such poverty. Dubai is a city to see but for me, not the city to live in.
Which is why, getting the chance to see Abu Dhabi was for me a breathe of fresh air. The city has a real vibe, it is clean and maniqured like Dubai, gardens are growing in the sand and the gulf ins made to look like a beach complete with boardwalks or corniches as they call them in Abu Dhabi. People walk around in Dish Dash and the women conceal their faces but carry purses and wear heals and jewlery that are more expensive than anything I own. People seem to be going places. People walked on the sidewalks in the city center, and for the most part people I met who lived in Abu Dhabi seemed to enjoy life.
Some interesting facts about Abu Dhabi:
It is an island surrounded by pristine water
The guggenheim, the Lurve, and an amazing cultural center are all under construction on Saadiyat Island (the Island of Happiness)
Abu Dhabi is one of the riches cities in the world
Rent is ridiculously expensive given the fact that the city's construction was not planned for the amount of people that ended up moving there. Population has outnumbered housing.
There are several facts that I'm sure I'm forgetting or have simply nto been processed in my head. But all in all I was reminded os Santa Cruz the tropical city I was born in. I was glad to have gotten the opportunity to drive around in AD but am eager to see more. So in a short and sweet summary, while Dubai's Gold was an incredible experience to witness I am more than happy to soon be living in the silver lining that is Abu Dhabi. I'm sure more details will be given once the move comes closer but for now I am content taking those small steps.
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