The UAE and me

Tonight is my last night in the UAE. I've dug through the layers of the two years here and have come full circle. My apartment is as empty as it was when I arrived, jet-lagged and clueless 22 months ago. I'm repatriating a lot wiser in more ways than one. If my last post was a heartfelt journey through the deeply personal, I think I'll leave on a jauntier note.

What I'll miss about the UAE (besides people, that is a given...):

--The call to prayer, especially the sunset edition. Unlike many places, Abu Dhabi broadcasts the call from a central location, so every mosque starts and stops at the same time. This increases the volume, though you don't get that "multiple clock tower" effect of many calls building, overlapping, then slowly fading away. Here, every call has a different style or setting (not quite a tune). The evening call to prayer starts out with a mournful, sustained, three-note sequence sung by one heck of a tenor. It's beautiful, and I have not heard it's like anywhere else in the Muslim world.

--The Corniche. This Gulfside promenade is a perfect walking path/people-watching venue where the whole world meets, from the richest CEO to the poorest construction worker. Everyone in Abu Dhabi can take a stroll down the Corniche.

--Funky architecture. It started with the sailboat Burj al Arab (that iconic hotel in Dubai) and has gone on to

encompass buildings that twist, lean and look like Frisbees. And they haven't even build the Louvre and the Guggenheim yet.

--A dash of Gulf excess. Just a dash. Though Ski Dubai and the water parks make me a queasy if I think about them too much, there is a certain Gulf panache around here that even Vegas can't touch. Maybe it's the three Porsches regularly parked on my street (not to mention the Mercedes, Beamers, Lexi and even a Bentley and Ferrari) or the full-on fireworks displays put on from time to time by the neighbors. Maybe it's the free concerts and lavish art exhibits; the bling on women's abeyyas; the tallest building in the world, the man-made islands in whimsical shapes, the chilled pools and dizzying array of fine dining options. Or, let's face it, every blade of green grass in this desert nation. Like all excess, it's not good for us. But there is something admirable in the self-confidence it takes to pull it off.

The UAE is such a wonderfully strange place--a country that has emerged from the desert in a generation and continues to find its way through the twists and turns of our era. I will always be grateful for the chance to see it in its prime. Thank you, Abu Dhabi.

With love,

RR of Arabia