October Surprise

We stayed 2 nights at the Park Hyatt in Abu Dhabi. The hotel itself is a luxury resort with modern, trendy art and timeless affects. The room we were given was a villa apart from the main complex. We had our own private pool, and a kitchenette. A mix of marble and fine furnishings gave the room a posh feel. The center of the property features a set of long pools flanked by palm trees that lead out to the ocean; where the scorching white sand beaches are met with a soupy sea that is mainly still and has little noticeable life. Beyond the grandness of the buildings there isn’t much else to amuse.

We are unafraid to be visibly gay here. We don’t pack on public pda, but it’s kinda obvious that we’re a couple. Even though there are some strange looks from other travelers; the Hyatt staff really doesn’t flinch at all. Most of them are not Arab, and we suspect many are gay themselves.

The first night we ventured out to a highly rated Japanese restaurant just down the beach. The food did not disappoint. We indulged. The next night we stayed on property and made it into the Spanish steakhouse that was in the Michelin guide. Everything was good, but overrated IMO. The breakfast buffet was the marvel of the stay. Replete with 9 double-sided stations of every imaginable breakfast cuisine that rotated each day, we made full use of the free (included in the price) calories. The local birds would dive down to the outdoor tables should they be left unattended for a few moments, but they were largely kept at bay by the falconer and his pet as they wandered the aisles making fierce glances at those scavengers.

The skies here are filled with sand, so much so, that it is hard to see into the horizon. All of the manmade wonders that tower out of the deserts-cape are barely visible from short distances. Most places, one would turn their gaze above and see blue; here a dingy beige is the prominent aura. Everything is covered in a blanket of powdered landlord tan. Thousands of silted developments sit half complete: from multi-billion dollar museums and malls, to sprawling condominium compounds, and mega mansions, and I wonder if they will ever be fully occupied.

The UAE is dripping in glitz, but beyond the edges of the contrived cities it’s a barren wasteland and I wonder why people gravitate here, but the Russians love it.Read more