Sunday – February 11, 2018
The buffet breakfast at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr is amazing! Below is a photo of the “bagel bar.”
This morning we drove out to the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital which provides comprehensive health care services exclusively for falcons. This is the largest falcon hospital in the world caring for 11,200 falcons annually.
Mohammad was our guide at the hospital and he explained the care, upkeep, and training of falcons. Falconry is a popular traditional sport in the Arab world. It is a highly valued custom and reflects the region’s Bedouin history. Below is a waiting room for owners:
Tourists are welcome to visit to see the hospital facilities during regular hours. Our group was shown into the ‘operating room’ where several falcons were patiently waiting their turns. Hoods covering the birds’ eyes kept them calm.
There were different stations where technicians examined and treated several falcons at the same time. Different rooms service a variety of minor and major procedures and operations. The birds are highly valued since the cost ranges between $25,000 to over $100,000 dollars for a pure bred falcon.
We gathered around an examining table and the technician applied anesthetic to put the bird to sleep. Then he explained and demonstrated how he examined and applied a variety of grooming and health services to the falcon.
I was able to hold a very calm falcon. He was incredibly light weight. Mohammad told us that he owns two falcons and several times a year takes them on Emirates Airlines to Kazakhstan for hunting. He has to buy each falcon its own seat on the airplane.
The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital not only cares for healthy and sick falcons but also breeds them and provides housing during their molting season. In recent years, the hospital expanded their facilities to care for pets and stray animals.
After a very interesting and enjoyable time at the Falcon Hospital, we drove back to the center of the city. I took the photo below from the bus. Despite all the modern developments and super-highways around Abu Dhabi, we were never too far from the stark white sands of the desert.
The bus left us near the fish market at one of the commercial boat docks. We boarded a traditional wooden boat for a river cruise luncheon. What fun!!
View of the top deck:
View of the interior main deck and dining room: (Like every enclosed space here, it was air conditioned.)
We had a delicious fresh fish & lobster & shrimp lunch as we passed the cityscape outside.
Well fortified, we went to our next new tourist attraction: The Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The Louvre Museum in Paris recently formed a partnership with the government of Abu Dhabi and they have a 30 year agreement to showcase art from around the world. The museum opened in November 2017 at a cost of 600 million Euros.
The architect was Jean Novel who also designed the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. $525 million dollars was paid to the French government to use the Louvre name. An additional $747 million dollars will be paid by Abu Dhabi for art loans, special exhibits, and management advice.
The building and exhibits were stunning. The museum was built on an island and its dome was designed to appear to float above the water, as well as allow natural sunlight to filter through. The Leonardo da Vinci painting which was the most expensive painting ever sold will be on display very soon.
On our way back to the hotel, we drove past “Ferrari World.” This is a huge complex of amusement park, hotels, mall, and a Formula One race track. Since my brain was already on overload, I had no desire to experience this vast and stimulating attraction!
Abu Dhabi is an incredible place! There’s much to see and experience and built on a smaller scale than Dubai. The UAE is attempting to make Abu Dhabi the cultural center of the region (perhaps the world?) by planning to build several new dynamic museums. I’d like to return in a few years to see them…..
