This is the highway between Al Ain and Abu Dhabi:
The highway is equal or better than the Interstates back in the US. It is very smooth, three lanes the whole way, with lots of gas stations/stores and rest areas.
The scenery is a little boring (mostly just sand dunes), but there are palm trees planted along the entire way and the road is lighted all the way.
The speed limit is 120 kph (about 75 mph) the whole way, so the trip only takes a lit more than an hour.
The signs are, of course in Arabic and English, and pretty much like the ones in the US:
I love this sign for the phrasing (and it is good advice)
But some show what happens when you hang out with Brits too much (just kidding)
Abu Dhabi is on an island, and just across the bridge that takes you onto the island is this huge mosque, still under construction. It is the Sheik Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque.
You can see the mosque from a satellite here.
This is the headquarters of Etisalat, the national phone company. Etisalat has a monopoly on all forms of phone service and internet access. The sphere on top is on top of all the Etisalat buildings, which is why some call it the Big Golfs.
This is the some of the skyline from the Corniche, which runs along the Arabian Gulf side of the island.
1 comment:
hola,
Etisalat is no longer a monopoly. The protective law on the establishment of a new telecomunication company have been lifted last year and Etisalat's market is now open for competition.
Having said that, since its establishment, etisalat contributed around 2.7 billion dollars a year to the national budget - dwarffing the contribution of most other industries in which the Government is a share holder.
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