Abu Dhabi - Oh that's right, We live in the Desert

Sand Haze

         I do not think it dawned on us initially when we arrived that we did in fact just land in the desert.  But yes we did in fact just fly a plane into the desert.  When we arrived it was around 70 degrees Fahrenheit or 20 degrees Celsius (as I am now trying to learn) for a while.  However as we get closer to summer time I am already coming into work at 8 am to 30 degree (90F) weather.  This has become rather interesting being the warm blooded Michigander that I am.  A short stroll outside for a Lebanese, Thai, or Indian food lunch now has some major strategy involved.  I have now discovered that when you have spent the entire morning in the air conditioning you develop a defense against the heat for a determined amount of time.  Basically the moment you go outside you have an AC charged shelf life where you can walk a certain distance before you begin to sweat profusely.  I have now deduced that if I spend all morning inside I can walk about 500 feet in any direction before start losing my chill barrier and have to run inside a nearby building to seek refuge from the heat or succumb to the consequences of the desert climate (i.e. looking like a sweaty pig at work).         

          The other detail I noticed when we arrived was this slight haze in the sky which I initially had mistaken for fog.  Sometimes it is fog, but many other times its actually this sandy cloud haze (above).  You start to see it collecting on windows, curb sides and sometimes when you are walking on "bad sand" days you can start to feel it in your eyes.  It is a peculiar phenomenon when you first experience it, but with everything, just take it in stride (I recommend taking wife Sarah's lead by our condo building's pool area).   
          Since I mentioned food in my first paragraph I will offer one crouton of wisdom of what I have learned about the restaurants in town.  There are many hotel restaurants that are rather expensive, the food is pricey and the drinks are also high priced.  Hotels are pretty much the only place you can drink alcoholic beverages unless you want to acquire an alcohol license and buy it for home consumption.  (Side note: did you know that the word alcohol comes from Arabic origins as do many of the "Al" (alchemy, alkali, algebra, etc) scientific terminologies?  Arabic al-kuḥl ‘the kohl’. In early use the term referred to powders, specifically kohl, and especially those obtained by sublimation; later ‘a distilled or rectified spirit.)  Back to the point on food, the real quality food is not found in the pricey hotel hot spots, but rather the small mom and pop locations where you can get a great meal for 20-35 Dirhams ($5-10).  I have paid through the nose for too many sub par hotel meals already when I pay a fraction of the cost at a small Thai or Indian restaurant that knocks the pricey hotel food out of the park.  The good thing about this chicken nugget of truth is there are many many small mom and pop type restaurants in Abu Dhabi...so for the avid "foodie" the desert is your oyster.