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Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Posted on 2010/05/01 by edgarchieng in Photography, Places, Videography | Leave a comment

Abu Dhabi is the powerhouse of the Arab Emirates, it is the richest of all of them due to its oil reserve. However, what makes it even more powerful is the fact that the government are very conservative towards spending compared to the more flamboyant neighbour Dubai, and this gives Abu Dhabi a much stronger economy.

We left Dubai and on our way heading to downtown Abu Dhabi, we stopped by the recently opened Yas Marina F1 circuit island for dinner. The hotel is just right next to the circuit and the japanese restaurant that we went to has an outdoor balcony dining which is just right on the side of a turn of the track.

The first thing I noticed as soon as I arrived into the CBD of Abu Dhabi is its relative resemblance to a mini version of New York city. There are sky scrappers everywhere and it has a grid-system high-density layout. The Abu Dhabi island itself is not very big, and we managed to circle the entire island on the next day when we took the Hop On Hop Off bus tour within 2 hours. It was too hot to stay outside for a long period of time, so I didn’t get to take a lot pf photos. Abu Dhabi also lacks the excitement that Dubai offers, and the city businesses only trade during normal business hours, after which can get very quiet.

Yas Marina Hotel

Abu Dhabi

Yas Marina Hotel

Yas Marina Circuit

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Posted on 2010/04/29 by edgarchieng in Photography, Places, Videography | Leave a comment

Dubai is probably one of the fastest growing city anyone has witnessed in the last decade. It turned what used to be just a sand covered dessert into a wide-spread Vegas-style city, but to a more extreme level. What you see in these pictures are the real deal, it is what money can really do when it falls into the hands of a government so demanding of attention.

The new Dubai is build with a mission all along, to beat the World Records. To name a few, Dubai is currently home to the tallest building (and standing structure) in the world, the Burj Khalifa Dubai with the fastest elevator lift in the world and the tallest viewing platform in the world. Outside the building, you get the largest man-made water fountain show in the world. Next to it, is the largest shopping mall in the world, the Dubai Mall. Many years ago, Dubai also introduced to the world its first 7-stars hotel, the Burj Al-Arab.

We met up with my sister, who drove from Abu Dhabi in Dubai and stayed there for a few nights. We had a great time in Dubai despite the extreme heat during the day, especially the shopping in the huge malls. My sister also took us to Mango Thai restaurant for dinner with the best seats in the house. In the balcony of the first floor with direct view of the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall, and the spectacular water fountain display show which runs every 10 mins from 7pm every night.

I am not sure what the future holds for a cash-strap Dubai government but I am glad to have been in Dubai at its peak. The Burj Khalifa Duabi had just been officially opened months before we went there and we probably will not see another building of this level of sophistication in a long time.