on to Abu Dhabi-Mosque and Ladies of the night

Yesterday I checked out of the second hostel in Dubai. This hostel wasn't as nice. The beds we're quite small, and there was a shelf on top of the bed for cell phones, books, etc. While it was quite handy, I kept hitting my head on the shelf. The common area was pretty small as well, and it got crowded, especially during breakfast time. Even so, it was nice talking to the others in the hostel. Two girls we're from Germany traveling. One guy from Vancouver was from Singapore, Hong Kong, and other places, and was headed back home. One big fella from Maldova was telling me all about his travels. He had a giant plate of biscuits and peanut butter and another plate of oranges. As he was talking peanut butter was all over his mouth. The usual music videos we're playing on tv (or in the other hostel-blasted via computer)-anything by Ed Sheeran, the video from Fifty Shades Freed called Looking a lifetime for ya or something like that, and Demi Lovato not wanted to fight any more (who does?)

I went with the two German girls on the metro to get the bus to Abu Dhabi. We found the bus station easily, and rode the bus, which was comfortable. The ride wasn't too long-only about 2 hours or so. As a matter of fact, many go to Abu Dhabi for the day while staying in Dubai, but it seemed like there was a lot to see there so I decided to stay 2 night in Abu Dhabi. In Abu Dhabi I decided to stay in a hotel-mainly because no hostels we're listed there.

The taxi driver took me to the hotel, which looks like it was nice at one point-but not really anymore. A man in a suit checked me in, and a porter actually took my luggage up to my room. I don't like to be waited on hand and food-I prefer hostels, where the girl/guy at the check in desk has torn up jeans, a tee shirt, and tattoos. But the hotel was only maybe $50 per night-so wasn't too expensive.

The room had old furniture but was fairly clean. I walked around, went back to the lobby, and bought a ticket for the hop-on hop-off bus. I was told to cross the road, and pick up the bus on the Corniche, which is by the Sheraton. The Corniche is a large waterfront promenade, that runs for miles. I walked for what it seems for miles to pick up the bus, in 100 degree heat (yes, it was that hot-according to the thermometer in the bus). I kep't walking, but couldn't find the bus stop. Finally, after a while, the map which I had appeared to show another shop by a tall building which was called the World Trade Center. i walked up about 8 blocks, found the World Trade Center, and found the bus stop.

I got on the bus, and rode it for an hour and a half, past the Marina Mall, public beach, a glitzy Fairmont hotel which looked like Atlantis in Dubai, and the Palace for the ruler of the UAE. By this time it was about 5:00 pm-I was planning to just take the bus around but just go back to the hotel to relax, but then the bus came to a high point with many domes and minarets. It was the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, which was simply breathtaking. This was the third largest Mosque in the world, and the largest outside of Saudi Arabia-so while I was planning to see the Mosque the next day, I decided to get off and see the Mosque.

I walked around to the entrance. I put on some long pants provided by the Mosque-since shorts weren't permitted, and dropped off my shoes. I like walking around barefoot so this was nice. I walked miles and miles it seemed-through an ornate promenade, and looked at the giant prayer hall. At 7:00 pm, I actually took a tour of the Mosque-and I learned that Sheikh Zayed-who planned the Mosque, was buried right next to it. He died in 2004-3 years before the Mosque was completed.

I also learned that the carpet was the largest in the world, that one of the chandeliers was the largest in the world as well. It was made of glass from Germany.

After the tour-I had an issue. It was 9:00 pm-approximately 2 hours after the hop-on hop-off bus stopped running-so I decided to take a public bus back to the hotel. I ran up and down the street looking for the pubic bus stop. The guard to the Mosque tried to tell me-but I couldn't understand. After a while, I just took a cab. By the hotel, I found a cheap Filipino place for dinner. I went up to my room to go to bed, and there was an attractive black haired-woman with a Russian Accent there in the tiny elevator with me. She asked in her heavy accent if I just checked in. I said I checked in that day-she then said she was there for just an hour to see a customer. She said she would see me to if I liked. I decided not.