An evening walk at the Corniche

Skyscrapers standing tall and proud, with the background of the clear coastline - making this the most striking site in Abu Dhabi.

As we walk along lost in the crystal blue waters, a mischievous (they all are!) Arab kid almost skates into us. We totally get the point. Actually they are so superior, they “cannot see no one else”. ;)

The hot air blows in my face, and suddenly, the tension of going darker emerges and I tie up a scarf covering my face. Friends giggle and chuckle over me, calling me “Begam Gagan” as we move along.
Today is a relatively cool day to walk around and breath in some fresh non-AC air.
The boards ahead of us read “Take good care of your children”. Tell me about it! Someone tell these guys to take care of their children. Kids are eternally looking for their moms out here. And you know better than to find their mom for them.

Looking right at all the office buildings including my own, I wonder in disbelief – all these buildings are standing tall on reclaimed land! Artificial beaches, Artificial Islands, architectural wonders – They’ve done it all.

While they are 30 years ahead in the construction arena, they seem atleast a 100 behind in social equality. With due respect to the vibrancy of their culture, it’s a man’s world out here. There are huge constraints on ladies traveling alone to Abu Dhabi, and guess what – My manager tells me, he gets an sms every time his wife leaves the country! Blimey!

Talking, giggling, playing the famous guessing game - “Is she a p****”, juggling discussions about our office, UAE and life in general, we reach the corniche intersection, hire cycles to take another look of this truly beautiful coast line.