A taste of Abu Dhabi

One of the fun perks of living the expat lifestyle is the ability to travel. Ukraine was my February adventure, and Abu Dhabi was my Saturday adventure! Here in Kuwait, travel plans happen quickly at the last minute. Last week, one of my coworkers...an awesome Kuwaiti gal named Hala...told me she was going to see Coldplay in concert in Abu Dhabi (if you don't know Coldplay, they're a huge band out of the UK). It was the last concert of their world tour, and contrary to America where tickets sell out in 5 minutes, the last minute nature of the Middle East means you can get tickets only days before an event! After pondering the cost, I decided what the heck...when else can I fly to Abu Dhabi on a Saturday morning at 3am, spend the day in a new country, see a massive concert at night, rush to the airport the second the concert finishes, fly back at 2am, and be at work the next morning?! So I bought the concert ticket and the plane ticket. It was an incredible experience. The second I walked out of the airport, I felt like I was in Florida...the humidity was overpowering. It was a nice relief after the dry dust of Kuwait. The city looks much like all the modern cities of the gulf region- tall buildings, construction cranes, malls. Hala and I checked into the Sheraton and had the amazing breakfast buffet (haven't had a traditional breakfast since I got to Kuwait!). After eating waaaay too much, we crashed for a couple hours and then went book shopping! Then off to the concert! It was incredible...15,000 people just rocking out. It poured (torrential downpour) and we were soaked to the bone, but the concert went on and it was amazing. I will post some pics and maybe a video later this week!