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Italiano (Italian)
A classic snag in travel is not finding lodging. In Abu Dhabi it also happened to me because. I was without an Internet connection.
The cost of living in Arab countries frightens many travelers. Avoiding restaurants, considering the convenience of public transportation, and taking an outside look at the major sites, there is only one really problematic aspect: sleeping. I definitely aimed for savings and happened to get two super anecdotes to tell, the first in Abu Dhabi.
Travel mishaps: can’t find accommodation
According to my calculations the lodging was close by the central bus station and I had warned the apartment chick that I would arrive by 9:00 pm. Keeping a lot of margin having gotten off the bus at 8:00 pm. I oriented myself for a moment to figure out the right direction and thought, okay easy!
Basically, there is a network of parallel and perpendicular, New York City-like avenues.
Well, at 9:20 p.m., after asking several people as well, I had no idea where the damn apartment might be.
On the excellent platform where I usually book accommodations, only the street (which is several kilometers long between the ocean and the desert) was indicated without the house number with only the gps coordinates. As mentioned above I had not activated any sim and had messed up between guide map, off line map. Most importantly, reading them with little accuracy I had confused between two streets: Hazaa bin Zayed and Sheikh Zayed.
I arrived in front of a 40-story skyscraper, to a guy there in front I showed my reservation, luckily he was the doorman. Not only was I finally in the right place, but he also told me what floor and which apartment I should go to (information I did not have). Super luck was that just then I passed the landlady who, tired of waiting for me, was leaving. Considering that there were 3 elevators, I probably would not have met her; it would have only taken another 30 seconds of delay and I would have found myself without a bed. Making the best of unforeseen events on the road also takes a little luck, as well as never despairing!
I would probably somehow, even later in Nizwa, find myself in a similar situation, and the clerks of a jewelry store would help me by phoning them to the owner of the apartment; I had once again confirmation of extreme Arab kindness.
One of my alternative dinners
After escaping danger it was getting very late. With a great hunger, I looked for something in the convenience store out front but there wasn’t much choice, so I spent the trip’s impractical meal bonus (but it won’t be the last) and heading to an authentic pub for Westerners, I shot myself a packet of pickles paired with one of pringles. Wanting even that, not having food, falls among the unforeseen on the trip.
Drinking a beer in Abu Dhabi (legally).
Having a beer in Abu Dhabi was one of my goals; I had searched from home for the only pub in the city. In fact for Muslims there is a ban. In the pub, Arabs are not supposed to enter and the entrance is unsponsored; there is all kinds of alcohol with different beers on tap, and even live music. An Asian band was playing classic rock and pop, a couple of chaps were singing; one in particular had exactly 2 thigh-highs, but over there when you can uncover a bit of flab, anything goes. In addition to a decidedly multi-ethnic group celebrating a belated Christmas, there were several couples, all with a decidedly older him and a decidedly good-looking her; I don’t know if it was a fluke.
Too bad cigarette smoking was also allowed, which really annoys me, but I was content with having a beer in Arabia and especially with having a bed not far away. In passing I also got myself breakfast in the mall that was open late: dates filled with nuts and covered with different kinds of chocolate, excellent.
Home travel It never rains in Oman anyway – travel to Oman and the Emirates
Previous stop Travel setback – flooded in the Arabian Peninsula
Next stop Visit Abu Dhabi, a raptor for seat neighbor on the bus.
This is one of many recipes you can find for making stuffed dates.
Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent
Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives
Countries visited in my travel stories
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