We managed some pictures outside in the heat, but quickly had to go in and get drinks to cool off. Though my friends laughed at me, I got a giant bottle of water for my hydration, a can of diet pepsi for my caffeine and a milk shake for deliciousness. We opted at that point to not go to the heritage village and risk passing out from heat exhaustion. Instead, we went to the mall! Luckily there are lots of malls here but unluckily most things are closed during the day due to Ramadan. So, days tend to be spent in the air conditioned hotel and the nights are spent wandering malls.
We went to the Ramadan and Eid festival on Saturday which was basically a big Middle Eastern flea market. If you have been to the CNE in Toronto, it is exactly like the International building with hundreds of booths full of wares from various countries. There I was on a mission to buy an abaya, which I can use to cover my clothes while at work and not have to worry about a skirt not being long enough, or if pants are allowed or not. I ended up getting two for 280 AED which is about $75 Canadian.
I have been called a wizard, Abu Dhabi Volturi so far- the outfit does lend itself to some scrutiny I do suppose. However, it is really awesome because you can wear whatever you want underneath it. I went to the spa to get a pedicure yesterday and just wore a tank top and tiny shorts under it-which is something you cannot wear on it's own in Abu Dhabi if you don't want to be stared at.
Last night we went downtown in the evening to eat. It was probably still about 40 degrees out at 9pm and the sweat was literally pouring off my face, as if it was raining out. I have learned 3 things from this:
1. Do not wear eyeliner-it will run and you will look like a raccoon
2. Keep a napkin or towel in your purse at all times
3. Get a car, so you can go from one air conditioned place to another, with minimal break in between
We have been taking a lot of cabs since public transportation is not the greatest and cabs are cheap because the gas here is so cheap. The cabs are really hit and miss though. Sometimes you will get a lovely cab driver who tells you about their experience with the city (since they are also an expat-usually from India) and sometimes you get a crazy asshole who drives the wrong way to rip you off and/or drives at terrifying speeds to scare you. I have had the best and the worst. Cabs during the day and at night are a funny contrast, though. During daylight hours during Ramadan, observing Muslims are not supposed to listen to music. As a result, day time cab rides can be boring and a little awkward. After Iftar and nightfall though, the city comes alive-and so do the cabs. You will often take cab rides with Arab or North American club music blasting. Last night we had a very nice cab driver who worked really hard to find us an english radio station when we got in the car, and then blasted club beats all the way home. My favourite part was when he quietly sang Rihanna to himself while I was sitting 2 feet away from him. Once Ramadan is over, it will be really fun to see what the nightclub scene is like in the city!
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