Beach Clubs

As the weekend draws near (Friday and Saturday here), I'm led to thinking about how I am going to spend my valuable two days off. The weather is a nice 30 degrees today and there is a slight breeze - a perfect time to go to the beach and catch up on some reading.

Most people join a beach club when they come to Abu Dhabi. This has proved to be a more and more difficult task in recent years as the number of residents has rocketed and the number of hotels has largly remained the same. With the amount of construction going on around the city, beachfront property is being whipped up for the many new 5 star hotels which will inhabit the coast.

There are beaches clubs at hotels such as the Hilton, the Beach Hotel, the Sheraton, the Intercontinental, the Meridien, and more recently, the Raha Beach Hotel and the Shangri-la. Membership for these clubs comes at a high price, as the number of tourists to Abu Dhabi is increasing daily. Another beachfront option is The Club, previously known as the British Club. It has traditionally been subsidised by its membership so food, drink and services are cheaper than other clubs. They have a full range of activities including sailing, diving, gym, pools, an adults only beach, a library, creche and more which are all available at a nominal price once you have paid the membership. They have a number of restaurants, a main bar and a concert hall where a variety of activities take place.

Almost all other hotels in Abu Dhabi have pools, many of which are rooftop or central pools. Membership to these is also possible and if you are not a fan of the beach, they are a slightly cheaper option.

A facility with excellent gyms (one mixed and one for ladies only) is the Abu Dhabi Health and Fitness Club. The membership here is not the cheapest, but all exercise classes are free with the fee. The have the full Les Mills list of classes which are very popular. They have a pool but no beach, but it is located in a very tranquil spot near the equestrian centre.

Finally, if you want to go to the beach once in a while and don't want to pay a month's salary for a year's membership, there is still a public beach near the Emirates Palace at Ras Al Akhdar, and for the 'almost free' option there is Lulu Island (see blog entry titled 'an island paradise').

Driving in Abu Dhabi

In order to drive legally in Abu Dhabi you must have a valid driving license, however you do not have to be a resident.

If you are on holiday in Abu Dhabi, you can rent and drive a car provided you have an International Driving License from your country of residence. An International Driving License is also valid for new residents awaiting their valid residence visa. On receipt of the visa however, you must obtain a full UAE driving license.

Driving license applications fall into two categories; those who can automatically replace their own country license for a UAE license and those who must pass the UAE driving test.

Citizens from the following countries can replace their driving license without doing a driving test as long as their passport and driving license are issued from the same country:

France-Britain-USA-Holland-Germany-Italy-Belgium-Japan-Switzerland-Sweden-Greece-Spain-Denmark-Austria-Ireland-Norway-Turkey-Canada-Poland-South Korea-Finland-South Africa-Australia-New Zealand

The documents required are:
1. The original passport + a copy of it
2. 4 recent colour photographs
3. The foreign license to be replaced (provided that it is valid)
4. A legal translation of the license enclosed with a copy of the license
5. A letter of no objection of sponsor or work authority
6. Eye exam
7. Blood type
8. Fees: 200 dirhams

For those who do not have a license from one of the above countries or those who do not have any driving license, there is a separate procedure. If you fall into this category you will need to open a file with the traffic police department and register for driving instruction. The following documents are necessary to open a file:

1. The original passport + a copy of it.
2. 4 recent colour photographs.
3. A letter of no objection from sponsor or work authority.
4. Eye exam
5. Fees: 100 dirhams
6. A copy of the driving license that an applicant possesses (For those who wish to apply for a trial test based on their own country license)

Once a file is opened, you should then go to Emirates Driving Company and register for the theory test and driving lessons. A test costs 50 dirhams.

Jaywalkers fined

Accidents involving pedestrians is a growing problem on Abu Dhabi streets, mainly because people do not use the pedestrian crossings or underpasses provided. People argue that there are not enough of these, and this leads to misuse of the roads by pedestrians. However, on all major streets there is ample provision for pedestrians; it's just a matter of giving oneself those extra few minutes to walk to the traffic light.

Recently the police held a 'pedestrian safety campaign' which highlighted the problem. During this campaign, additional police patrols were placed in 'black spots' to ensure pedestrians crossed the streets only at designated points. In total, 3074 jaywalkers were fined for crossing at unauthorised places.

Considering the speed of some vehicles on our streets, this was a campaign which will hopefully highlight the dangers pedestrians place themselves in when they do not cross in the correct places. The campaign was widely supported by the media, both before and during the campaign, highlighting the problem to a wider audience. Hopefully this will have had a positive effect.