Why I fell in love with Abu Dhabi over Dubai in my travel.
The lockdown has forced us to yearn for a getaway as soon as travel resumes and the world returns to a sense of normalcy. I too had plans for a trip to Singapore in the month of March 2020 but postponed given the evolving scenario there. Imagine my surprise when my firm announced mandatory home quarantine for employees who traveled to China and SG! Saved by a whisker.
Recently in a conversation with my wife, we were reminiscing about the travels we have done and I couldn’t help but remember my work trip to Abu Dhabi a few years back. In my previous role as an IT consultant, my work took me to our sister firms in the middle-east and I got a chance to work on enterprise automation for a large oil and gas client in Abu Dhabi. While the work was engaging, this is about the city I got to spend more than a month in and comparing it with the more happening cousin-Dubai.
I had always wanted to visit Dubai hearing about the life and culture from other co-workers and from listening/reading about it on the internet. But, somehow landing in Abu Dhabi provided the opportunity to explore two cities. The United Arab Emirates is a group of 7 emirates or states — Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Ral Al-Khaimah, Sharjah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwwain. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the major cities in the UAE but the others too have their own economic and social significance.
Staying near Corniche beach in Abu Dhabi gave me the chance to explore the downtown office area lined up alongside the beach (closer to the Emirates Palace) and visit the commercial region. The client’s office was in the industrial town just outside the city near Zayed city, a vast growing part of the city, which again showed the growing significance of the city as a business and trade hub. Abu Dhabi provides a combination of dynamic business opportunities but at the same time, a calm and relaxed living experience compared to the fast life of Dubai. While there is the opulence of fine-dining, I found a growing melting pot of traditional cuisine from different areas of the world in the nook and corner of the city. The grandeur of the Sheikh Zayed mosque and the architectural marvel of the Emirates Palace and Sheikh Zayed bridge add to the historical charm of the city. Combined with the likes of Yas Marina Circuit and Ferrari World, the city is evolving as a global destination served by the state airline of Etihad, while still continue to maintain the heritage.
Dubai, on the other hand, I find, is an epitome of ‘extravagance’. Traveling on the Sheikh Zayed Road in the city, you can understand the significance of the city as a global hub by looking at the towering residential and office complexes lining the strip. Sporting the Burj Al-Arab, Burj Dubai hotel, Palm Jumeirah, the Dubai Mall — the city invites people from all over. But I guess this hustle and bustle is only to the liking of a few. It's what you call, a giant ‘metropolis’ which is only growing. Of course, there’s a lot more to do in the city than Abu Dhabi but there is only to an extent a resident would do these activities.
Although a personal taste, I found Abu Dhabi to be calmer and composed for a living than Dubai. Not to say one is better than the other, both cities have their own significance and are a must-visit for any UAE visitor. Only once the travel resumes, my wife would like to have the other perspective — stay in Dubai and visit Abu Dhabi. Fingers-crossed.
