This week was the second outing for WOMAD Abu Dhabi and I was fortunate enough to get a press pass for the first two evenings. There is SO much going on at these festivals; I concentrated my efforts on two cracking bands, Babylon Circus and Trans-Global Underground.
There was disappointment after Damien Marley pulled out of the last night, but from what I saw, WOMAD Abu Dhabi was another huge success.
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After an epic Friday with the ‘trainee’ gang (meaning an all-you-can-eat brunch, PJ O’Reillys (Royal Meridian), Pearls & Caviar (Shangri La), Chameleon (The Fairmont) and then Etoiles (Emirates Palace), rest and recuperation was required.
Up early to grab our spots on the beach, we ended up having a great view of the Red Bull Air Race off the Corniche from the Hiltonia Beach Club. Whilst we couldn’t hear the commentary, we could tell who was doing well and who wasn’t (including wincing as one pilot was disqualified for ‘dangerous flying’ as he swooped barely a meter above the water).
All in all, good fun although the weather is definitely heating up!
Click the photo for the rest of the gallery.
This weekend I drove to Dubai to visit friends and to watch the Dubai Polo Gold Cup. In the scorching heat, the polo was good fun although considerably less polo was played than at the “World Cup” at the Hurlingham Club, Fulham, last summer.
My first time in Dubai, I found it to be crazier and more hectic than Abu Dhabi, but didn’t see why so much fuss was made out of it. Having said that the Burj Khalifa was impressive!
Wakestock Abu Dhabi organised a number of international artists to perform in the evenings after the wakeboarding.
I must admit I didn’t know Maximo Park very well before their concert but I was impressed; they were simply superb.
Paul Smith (lead singer, pictured) had such incredible charisma on stage, he was fantastic to photograph. I had trouble choosing a photo to use here (the rest can be found here).
Abu Dhabi is perfectly arranged for beach-related sports events. The Corniche is a fantastic stretch of beach which this weekend hosted Wakestock, 2010′s (and Abu Dhabi’s) first stop on the ‘Wakeboard World Series’ tour.
I was lucky enough to get a pass to the 2nd Abu Dhabi Yacht Show at the incredible Yas Marina, which has already hosted the Formula 1 (on the Yas Marina Circuit) at the end of 2009. It was a scorching day and attendance was good; a mixture of awe-struck guests (myself included), brokers, press and yacht owners. It was quite easy to spot who was who!
I had a good wander around with my camera and as you can see, it was an incredible spectacle (despite there not being enough proper sailing yachts!). Not only were the boats ‘super’ and ‘mega’ but the Yas Hotel is easily the most impressive hotel I have been in. I will definitely be going back at night for some dinner and drinks to see the colour-changing cladding.
I’m slowly starting to settle into life in Abu Dhabi. The apartment is in a great location, spacious and a little more ‘homely’ after a trip to Ikea!
The weather is, as always, hot and sunny. This photo was taken on the morning I left the Hilton Corniche and moved into my apartment, I was standing next to the rooftop pool.
This weekend I’ll be heading to the Abu Dhabi Yacht Show so expect lots of photos of outrageously large super- & megayachts.
After a relatively painless flight, I arrived in Abu Dhabi late on Thursday evening. I was immediately whisked off to The Yacht Club at the AD Intercontinental for drinks with Zoe, an old friend from Durham. It was a wonderful way to welcome me to AD!
Friday (the first day of the weekend here) saw me having lunch at the Hilton Beach Club (Vascos restaurant) with a few other guys from the office, and I snapped this after getting a taxi back to the hotel in the late afternoon.
The weather is unbelievable, 30 degrees during the day, not much below 20 degrees in the evening.
Tomorrow I move into my apartment and I start work on Sunday.
I spent a lot of time this weekend at this spot in Rosswald. It sits at about 2400m and looks down over Brig and Brig-Visp towards Sion, Sierre and Martigny. Further round the corner is Montreux, Vevey and the shore of Lac Leman to Geneva.
One of my favourite parts of the world and one that should be shared!
Rosswald is a small alpine village in the Valais (Switzerland) which is perfect for a weekend of relaxation and contemplation.
The skiing is just the right level of difficulty (blues and blacks) and on Saturday I was skiing on fresh powder with no need for thermals…perfect!
The weather was stunning. This was shot at 18:30 and the sky had this beautiful blue/pink colour.
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