Posted at 5:45 pm by witsandnuts, on October 24, 2016
Summer in the UAE officially said “Adios!” and that means things are livelier again at parks. Ripe Market is back in Abu Dhabi and it is happening in Umm Al Emarat Park (which means ‘Mother of The Nation Park’; the Arabic terminologies translated as ‘Umm’ = mother, ‘Al Emarat’ = the nation). However, some find it quite a handful to pronounce and/or remember, so do not be surprised if it is still fondly called ‘Mushrif Park’.
While the park is open from 8:00 AM to midnight everyday, Ripe Market is happening from 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM every Saturday only. As you enter the park, you would see from your left the stalls where organic products (locally produced in UAE) are being sold. Continue reading →
Posted at 6:53 pm by witsandnuts, on September 25, 2016
When driving from Abu Dhabi, I know that I am gearing towards the border to Dubai once I see the last petrol station (Adnoc) in Ghantoot area. It seems that I have a new and hip landmark to tell me that I am already at the neighbor emirate, that is ‘Last Exit’ to my right in Jebel Ali. It is impossible to miss it because it seems to be an assembly of food trucks. While it is open 24 hours daily, we decided to pay our first visit last Saturday for brunch.
After less than an hour drive from the city center of Abu Dhabi, the cutest Starbucks truck greeted us. We went around first for a quick view of the other trucks since they operate as drive throughs. I may not have this luxury during peak hours, i.e. it may tend to get crowded in time for the sunset and onwards.
There is a reasonable number of choices at the moment while it is in its first year of operations. Take note though that what is being offered are gourmet street food; not the real street food that you will find in Southeast Asia or the streets of New York City.
All Day mini-mart
Starbucks
Poco Loco
Baja Fresh
Burger Pit
Big Smoke Burger
Clinton St. Baking Company
Il Cafe de Roma
My Karak
Operation Falafel
The Brass
The Hotdog Stand
Urban Seafood
We decided to park first near the indoor dining area.
I thought I will get hotdogs because I was psyched to being in the vintage cars era. One might think they are at the set of Cars movie or being reunited with the food trucks in New York or just being transported somewhere they have never been before. Although meals on wheels made an appearance at some events in the past years, the food truck park is a very new concept in the UAE. Continue reading →
Posted at 4:36 pm by witsandnuts, on September 19, 2016
I still recall how my first visit to Sumo Sushi & Bento Restaurant turned into an educational trip. When I heard that there is an affordable source of delicious Japanese food in the then newly introduced ‘green city’ (yes, at the desert!), I thought the almost 30 minutes drive from the city center of Abu Dhabi will be worth it. Apparently, the restaurant is inside Masdar Institute (which is technically within the vicinity of Masdar City and few kilometers away from Abu Dhabi International Airport). When we reached the car park, the unplanned educational trip began.
In order to get inside Masdar Institute, we had to park the car and go in one of the driverless cars or Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system stationed at the pods.
It is a great idea to integrate the small 3s (in Arabic numeric) inside the big 3 (English numeric).
From the car park station, we had to select the car which the entry arrow is in green which means it is ready to go; otherwise it is not colored red or amber it is on a ‘charging mode’. Upon pressing the entry arrow, the door opened and we were greeted (voice recorded) by the operator. We had to touch the screen and the car journeyed within 25 kph to 40kph depending on the road curves. How was it being in the car? It felt very comfortable with the leather seats, air-conditioning, and felt sense of security with the sight of fire extinguisher and first aid kid neatly stored within the seats near the foot rest. It was maybe odd, but it also felt a bit ‘back to the near future’ particularly when the screen started talking something like “… it runs on lithium batteries which are powered by solar energy produced at Masdar City and is environmentally friendly. The car is designed by the same design house who did Ferrari’s, Bentley and Ashton Martin.”
Masdar Institute claims that there are magnets embedded in the concrete floor every four meters to help the cars navigate. On the other hand, in order to have a wireless link between the PRT and the computer/machine where it is being operated, an antenna is at the overhead. I assume that it is collision-proof and that they have a disaster recovery plan which had been tested very well.
As we reached the Masdar Institute Station, we were welcomed by a lobby which offers information about the important milestones of Masdar Institute, including its local and international projects. Recently, they have added a model scale of the examples of its projects.
One thing which is noticeable is how the stairs are centrally situated while the lifts/elevators are deliberately hidden. Apparently, this is to encourage walking and reduce the use of energy. Take note that the entire establishment utilizes solar energy.
As we exit the stairs, the central courtyard welcomed us and the center piece instantly grabbed our attention; something which may seem to be alien to some — it is a wind tower!
In the UAE, it is quite common to find traditional Arabic wind towers in some residential areas, old malls and other establishments. These towers are very helpful particularly during summer; the wind towers assist in bringing cold breeze to the ground. What Masdar Institute built though was a modern re-interpretation of the traditional wind towers in the UAE. Infront of Sumo Sushi & Bento Restaurant is the wind tower which is quite tall. The taller it is, the more it can capture the cold upper winds and direct them to the open air courtyard. The sensors at the top of the steel structure allow it to open in the direction of prevailing winds and close the other sides to divert wind downwards. The more prominent contemporary elements are the addition of mist generators at the top to add cooling to the air and its utilization as a tool to test air quality and measure weather.
Marhaba! That's "hello" in Arabic. I am an expatriate based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). I started writing about my adventures and misadventures few months before arriving here at winter of 2008. I have 2 cats and a dog who live harmoniously together. I am also surrounded by kindhearted, crazy, funny and indescribable humans!
I was a dormant blogger for almost 3 years because of countless reasonable justifications like watching football, postgraduate studies, sleeping, traveling, caring for the world, and more! :) I am just so happy that I am back! It is never too late to catch up with the people and things we really care about. Feel free to look around.
witsandnuts 