Arrived to UAE

Finally checked into my hotel in downtown Abu Dhabi. The electrical outlets are not the same so I'm running on battery power until my computer dies. Just wanted to send a quick e-mail.

I went through Kuwait instead of Amsterdam. The flights were all fine. Abu Dhabi is very friendly and relatively unhurried. First thing I noticed was how well organized everything is. The city was definitly well planned. There was not even one single turn in the road from the airport to downtown. It was perfectly lined with palm trees the entire 10 or so miles. It's also completely flat here.

Lots of upscale retail stores and exotic cars. No surprise there. Apparently gold is less expensive here. There is no tax. Food is cheap but otherwise I'm guessing it's pretty expensive to live here overall.

I asked the person who picked me up at the airport what the best part of living here is. He said it was clean safe and quiet. He said sometimes the UAE citizens (only about 20 percent of the population) will carelessly drive their land rovers - expecting you to let them pass. It doesn't happen that much. Wow, what a big difference from Seattle drivers.

Joseph S