I woke up feeling quite rough again this morning, but was determined to enjoy the day. Christian was feeling OK, thankfully. We had breakfast as usual, and got ourselves ready. Christian organised some more towels to take off the premises.
Leaving at about 10, we got a taxi to the Eastern Mangroves - having seen them on our way past on the city tour. The driver wasn't exactly sure where the restaurant was that we were heading for, but he dropped us near the entrance to a hotel, where the staff did know. The hotel staff kindly let us walk through the hotel (the Anantara). It looked quite nice.
The back of the hotel opened out onto a wide boardwalk on the mangroves, and various boats were tied up on the jetties. We found the right restaurant easily, and went to speak to the only kayaking stall set up nearby. It was the right one, and we signed the required forms.
We had about half an hour to kill, so went to find a toilet to get changed, and to get some cash. Then we sat for a while in the pleasant surroundings, while a Japanese family signed up for kayaking as well. It soon became apparent that they were going to be on the same tour as us.
When 11am rolled round, we were taken onto the pontoon, given a life jacket and a paddle, some water, and had a talk about how to propel ourselves in the water. There were two Texan guys on our tour as well, and Christian chatted to them. Christian and I opted for two single kayaks (they were big, open sea kayaks), and we launched one by one, by sitting in our kayaks on a platform and being pushed out by staff. It was lovely on the water, and nice to have a paddle in my hands again.
Our tour guide was a nice bloke, if a bit quiet, and he kept an eye on whether anyone was falling behind. We saw some wading birds, and even some fish in the water. It was a bit smelly and churned up, but OK. We went off to the right, and then turned left around the headland so we were going parallel to the main channel, back the other way. There were other kayakers, and SUP boards, and some weird 'eco-donut' boats - tiny round things with a little electric motor and a roof. But not too many people at all.
After a while following the beach on the right, we went off to the left, into a narrower channel, and followed it for about 20 minutes. The Japanese kids were laughing and screaming and having a great old time. Our guide pointed out the breathing tubes of the mangroves. It got so narrow and winding that we couldn't fit the paddles across, and it became especially difficult when groups were wanting to pass us going the other way. It was fine, though, and opened out eventually, back into the main channel.
We retraced our steps until we got back to a jetty and beach that we'd seen, and pulled up for a break, and a fruit salad snack. We watched some people trying to stand up on an SUP, and mostly failing. Christian had a swim but the water was extremely cold. We headed off again after about ten minutes.
Christian, me, and the two Texans pushed out ahead of our guide, and headed for the pontoon. It was nice to get a bit out of breath. We were helped out of our kayaks, offered a rinse, and dropped off our life jackets. It was a really nice experience, and very glad that we did it.
It was 1pm now, and we were hungry, intending to go straight back to the hotel. Christian pointed out that there were some nice looking restaurants here, and so we assessed the options. We chose a restaurant called Peppermill, which billed itself as 'colonial Indian cuisine'. Odd style to see in Abu Dhabi. I fancied some paneer, and I asked the man about a dish I'd found, but he recommended a different paneer dish - Paneer Makhanwala, I think, in a tomato sauce. I also ordered a mango lassi, which was delicious. Christian ordered a lamb chops dish (Pasliyon Ka Salan, I think) and a pomegranate blush mocktail - that was amazing too. We ordered a saffron pilau rice and a naan between us.
We had mini poppadums with the requisite mango chutney, and the main food came out soon after, served by our friendly man. The food was stunningly good, especially the lamb. The naan was filled with spicy stuff, which gave me a shock. Didn't have much of that. There was plenty of rice to go round. Yum. Our nice man offered me a survey on a tablet, which I thought was very high-tech, and I gave them a good review. It wasn't very expensive, either.
We found a taxi back to the hotel easily, and had a shower, getting ready to go out yet again. The plan was to go up to the observation deck in Etihad Towers to have afternoon tea or a drink. We did the short walk, and passed the shops in the towers, and finally into the foyer of Jumeira. It really was a step up from the Khalidiya Palace. An absolutely huge area, with a lovely view, fountains, gourmet coffee shop, and light-changing chandelier. We sat for a while to absorb the place.
Then went to the desk for the observation deck, but found that it was fully booked. The woman said that there were no reservations available, but she could offer us a 50 AED ticket just to go up the tower to look. That was pretty disappointing, but we wanted to see it, so we grinned and bore it. We got in the lift with a bunch of others, and the woman pushed the button for the 72nd floor and stepped back. The lift was very fast, and my ears popped at least once.
At the top, we stepped out into an area that wasn't actually very big, but extremely high, and a tiny bit scary. There were tables set out for afternoon tea, both around the central lift area, and beside the windows, but between the tables and windows there were wide sill areas where you could stand and gaze. The view was pretty spectacular, and it was a clear enough day to see for miles, though much of it was just desert.
The annoying thing was that there were plenty of empty tables, so I don't think their reservation system works very well. There were a lot like us just looking, though, and it was a little crowded. We did a full circle, taking lots of photos, and then decided to go down again.
Christian thought it would be nice to explore the pool area and beach, which I heartily agreed with. We went downstairs in what we thought would be the right direction, and came across the right spot. There was a sign announcing a charge for non-residents, but we asked to just have a look, and the man said yes. The pool area was large, and well laid out, though at that time of day, the whole area was already in shade. Then we thought it would be nice to have a drink at the pool bar, but we found that they didn't have a useful happy hour.
So we went back to the lobby bar as they did have a proper happy hour (25 AED cocktails). Again, we were the only ones there, and again, the bar was quite funky and nicely decorated. We ordered a cocktail each - a mojito for me (a real one), and a jasmine and lychee martini for Christian. Christian liked his so much (and it disappeared so quickly) that he had another. Bad man.
We decided that we were a little hungry, and given our dinner would be late, we chose a sharing plate of food: calamari, mozarella sticks, tempura prawns on sticks, and chicken wontons. It wasn't cheap, but it was very tasty. The barman was very friendly and chatted to us; he was probably bored given we were the only people there.
We wandered back to our hotel. Our pick-up for the dhow dinner cruise was 7.15, so we had a little time to wait. I took a Stugeron. We went downstairs and waited for the pick up. When no one had arrived after 20 mins, Christian sent Michael a Whatsapp, and when he had no response, he rang Alpha Tours. They said they'd find out and call back. They were based in Dubai, and said that the pick-up was on the way, and that the boat leaves at 8.30. A minibus finally arrived for us just before 8pm, driven by a harassed-looking man who got our room number wrong, but then agreed when I corrected him. Slightly alarming. He took us the short distance to the marina (not the port, as was my assumption) and dropped us off next to a large boat. We guessed we were in the right place at this point.
We boarded, and were shown into a spacious deck with tables arranged around the outside, to a table that had one other couple on it. It wasn't very crowded thankfully, and was quite comfortable and well laid out. They were playing soprano sax Christmas favourites on the PA, which was moderately painful.
The boat left almost immediately (so much for Alpha saying the boat left at 8.30). While it maneouvred out of the marina, I feel a bit queasy, but settled after a time. A man with a tray of drinks came around, and I asked for an orange juice, thinking that's what he had on his tray. Unfortunately, it wasn't, and he scurried off to open some orange juice. Oops. They kept us topped up with water all evening.
Dinner was announced soon after, and we found out that it had been catered by the Hilton. Christian got up to have some. I followed soon after, when I felt better. We started with soup (some kind of vegetable), which was quite nice. Then a salad course, which was just that, really - salad with some bread and hommous. The main was a hotch potch of different styles - I had some pasta, some fish, and some curry. It wasn't the best meal we'd had, but it was OK for a buffet. Dessert was mostly gone by the time I got there, but I had some fruit, and some nice sponge (there was a distinct lack of chocolate things).
As soon as people had finished eating, they started moving upstairs to the open deck, and we followed them not long after the boat had turned around at the port end of the Corniche. I found a seat while Christian got a coffee, and idly watched the lights and the world go by, watching fish jump in the wake. It was lovely. We got back to the marina before 10.
We disembarked, taking a photo of the large boat covered in lights, and found the minibus easily. Strangely, it was much fuller than it had been on the way there. We were dropped off first, thankfully.
Back in our room, we did some packing, then went straight to bed.
Leaving at about 10, we got a taxi to the Eastern Mangroves - having seen them on our way past on the city tour. The driver wasn't exactly sure where the restaurant was that we were heading for, but he dropped us near the entrance to a hotel, where the staff did know. The hotel staff kindly let us walk through the hotel (the Anantara). It looked quite nice.
The back of the hotel opened out onto a wide boardwalk on the mangroves, and various boats were tied up on the jetties. We found the right restaurant easily, and went to speak to the only kayaking stall set up nearby. It was the right one, and we signed the required forms.
We had about half an hour to kill, so went to find a toilet to get changed, and to get some cash. Then we sat for a while in the pleasant surroundings, while a Japanese family signed up for kayaking as well. It soon became apparent that they were going to be on the same tour as us.
When 11am rolled round, we were taken onto the pontoon, given a life jacket and a paddle, some water, and had a talk about how to propel ourselves in the water. There were two Texan guys on our tour as well, and Christian chatted to them. Christian and I opted for two single kayaks (they were big, open sea kayaks), and we launched one by one, by sitting in our kayaks on a platform and being pushed out by staff. It was lovely on the water, and nice to have a paddle in my hands again.
Our tour guide was a nice bloke, if a bit quiet, and he kept an eye on whether anyone was falling behind. We saw some wading birds, and even some fish in the water. It was a bit smelly and churned up, but OK. We went off to the right, and then turned left around the headland so we were going parallel to the main channel, back the other way. There were other kayakers, and SUP boards, and some weird 'eco-donut' boats - tiny round things with a little electric motor and a roof. But not too many people at all.
After a while following the beach on the right, we went off to the left, into a narrower channel, and followed it for about 20 minutes. The Japanese kids were laughing and screaming and having a great old time. Our guide pointed out the breathing tubes of the mangroves. It got so narrow and winding that we couldn't fit the paddles across, and it became especially difficult when groups were wanting to pass us going the other way. It was fine, though, and opened out eventually, back into the main channel.
We retraced our steps until we got back to a jetty and beach that we'd seen, and pulled up for a break, and a fruit salad snack. We watched some people trying to stand up on an SUP, and mostly failing. Christian had a swim but the water was extremely cold. We headed off again after about ten minutes.
Christian, me, and the two Texans pushed out ahead of our guide, and headed for the pontoon. It was nice to get a bit out of breath. We were helped out of our kayaks, offered a rinse, and dropped off our life jackets. It was a really nice experience, and very glad that we did it.
It was 1pm now, and we were hungry, intending to go straight back to the hotel. Christian pointed out that there were some nice looking restaurants here, and so we assessed the options. We chose a restaurant called Peppermill, which billed itself as 'colonial Indian cuisine'. Odd style to see in Abu Dhabi. I fancied some paneer, and I asked the man about a dish I'd found, but he recommended a different paneer dish - Paneer Makhanwala, I think, in a tomato sauce. I also ordered a mango lassi, which was delicious. Christian ordered a lamb chops dish (Pasliyon Ka Salan, I think) and a pomegranate blush mocktail - that was amazing too. We ordered a saffron pilau rice and a naan between us.
We had mini poppadums with the requisite mango chutney, and the main food came out soon after, served by our friendly man. The food was stunningly good, especially the lamb. The naan was filled with spicy stuff, which gave me a shock. Didn't have much of that. There was plenty of rice to go round. Yum. Our nice man offered me a survey on a tablet, which I thought was very high-tech, and I gave them a good review. It wasn't very expensive, either.
Then went to the desk for the observation deck, but found that it was fully booked. The woman said that there were no reservations available, but she could offer us a 50 AED ticket just to go up the tower to look. That was pretty disappointing, but we wanted to see it, so we grinned and bore it. We got in the lift with a bunch of others, and the woman pushed the button for the 72nd floor and stepped back. The lift was very fast, and my ears popped at least once.
The annoying thing was that there were plenty of empty tables, so I don't think their reservation system works very well. There were a lot like us just looking, though, and it was a little crowded. We did a full circle, taking lots of photos, and then decided to go down again.
Christian thought it would be nice to explore the pool area and beach, which I heartily agreed with. We went downstairs in what we thought would be the right direction, and came across the right spot. There was a sign announcing a charge for non-residents, but we asked to just have a look, and the man said yes. The pool area was large, and well laid out, though at that time of day, the whole area was already in shade. Then we thought it would be nice to have a drink at the pool bar, but we found that they didn't have a useful happy hour.
We decided that we were a little hungry, and given our dinner would be late, we chose a sharing plate of food: calamari, mozarella sticks, tempura prawns on sticks, and chicken wontons. It wasn't cheap, but it was very tasty. The barman was very friendly and chatted to us; he was probably bored given we were the only people there.
We wandered back to our hotel. Our pick-up for the dhow dinner cruise was 7.15, so we had a little time to wait. I took a Stugeron. We went downstairs and waited for the pick up. When no one had arrived after 20 mins, Christian sent Michael a Whatsapp, and when he had no response, he rang Alpha Tours. They said they'd find out and call back. They were based in Dubai, and said that the pick-up was on the way, and that the boat leaves at 8.30. A minibus finally arrived for us just before 8pm, driven by a harassed-looking man who got our room number wrong, but then agreed when I corrected him. Slightly alarming. He took us the short distance to the marina (not the port, as was my assumption) and dropped us off next to a large boat. We guessed we were in the right place at this point.
We boarded, and were shown into a spacious deck with tables arranged around the outside, to a table that had one other couple on it. It wasn't very crowded thankfully, and was quite comfortable and well laid out. They were playing soprano sax Christmas favourites on the PA, which was moderately painful.
The boat left almost immediately (so much for Alpha saying the boat left at 8.30). While it maneouvred out of the marina, I feel a bit queasy, but settled after a time. A man with a tray of drinks came around, and I asked for an orange juice, thinking that's what he had on his tray. Unfortunately, it wasn't, and he scurried off to open some orange juice. Oops. They kept us topped up with water all evening.
Dinner was announced soon after, and we found out that it had been catered by the Hilton. Christian got up to have some. I followed soon after, when I felt better. We started with soup (some kind of vegetable), which was quite nice. Then a salad course, which was just that, really - salad with some bread and hommous. The main was a hotch potch of different styles - I had some pasta, some fish, and some curry. It wasn't the best meal we'd had, but it was OK for a buffet. Dessert was mostly gone by the time I got there, but I had some fruit, and some nice sponge (there was a distinct lack of chocolate things).
As soon as people had finished eating, they started moving upstairs to the open deck, and we followed them not long after the boat had turned around at the port end of the Corniche. I found a seat while Christian got a coffee, and idly watched the lights and the world go by, watching fish jump in the wake. It was lovely. We got back to the marina before 10.
We disembarked, taking a photo of the large boat covered in lights, and found the minibus easily. Strangely, it was much fuller than it had been on the way there. We were dropped off first, thankfully.
Back in our room, we did some packing, then went straight to bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment