Arabian Daze - 18

An 8-day cruise in the Middle East continues. 

To review previous installments of "Arabian Daze", please visit  THIS PAGE. 

In the last post, the author visited the falcon hospital in Abu Dhabi. 

During the tour of the falcon hospital, we had a great guide, but it turned out she was extremely afraid of the falcons. As I was traveling alone in the tour, the guide and I agreed to swap cameras and take each other's photos. I got a hilarious reaction from her:

Right: a falcon is fed meat

The doctor escorted our group outside to view more of the hospital grounds. We learned falcons are kept here by their owners in something like a 'pet hotel' service provided by the hospital. Falcons are welcome to board for months at a time. They are monitored, fed, and exercised often. Inside the visitor's center, I could get a souvenir photo of myself wearing traditional Arabian dress, holding a falcon. Yay! 

Top: hospital grounds / falcons rest inside a covered exercise area: 

Bottom: "Practical Handbook of Falcon Husbandry and Medicine" &
cutenekko with a very photogenic falcon ^_^

Our tour group piled into the van and returned to Abu Dhabi. Along the way, we got caught in a traffic jam. The cause? Two severe traffic accidents. Our guide explained, people in the U.A.E love fast cars, thus a plethora of accidents. 

Right: street sign & license plate

As mentioned in Arabian Daze #17 post, buildings and bridges here are architecturally interesting. As our tour van passed through the city, I tried to get photos of several unique ones:

The final stop for the afternoon was the infamous 'white mosque'. Our tour did not include entry into this famous spot; I would return after 3pm with my friend (who was still nursing some seasickness) in a hired taxi. 

This white mosque, officially called the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, is an award winning 2014 attraction on Trip Advisor. The opulence inside is unimaginable. I will post photos from the inside soon. Be sure to visit again to see. 

Sign showing 'mosque manners' -- appropriate dress versus inappropriate wear.

~ Information ~ 

The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital is open to visitors. All tours must be booked in advance. The hospital's website is HERE. 

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque will be featured in a later blog post. Information can be found HERE. Trip Advisor photos and reviews are HERE. This mosque is a 'must see' when in Abu Dhabi. 

!! Mosque visits in the Middle East require appropriate clothing. Women, you MUST wear a head scarf. Men, long shorts, pants and shirts are best. Shoes must be taken off before entering the main prayer halls.