Abu Dhabi Fish Auction - November 2012

A bit of a break from the norm, with a little explore at 3.50am in the morning down by the docks in Abu Dhabi.

I'd seen a few little reports on the Abu Dhabi fish auctions in the likes of National Geographic, but the photos shown quickly skip to the Abu Dhabi Fish Market, a wonderful place to visit in itself - but the Abu Dhabi Fish Auction happens well before the fish market opens, whilst the rest of the city sleeps in the shadow of the skyscrapers.

I stumbled down the road about 3am to find that the new Abu Dhabi bus service was true to its word running its 24 hour service, I was a lone traveler on the long and deserted roads into the city, the 4 dirham fare was a bargain for the 40 minute journey into the centre of Abu Dhabi.

A quick taxi ride later and I stood on a very dark quayside of Mina Port thinking nothing to see here, so I wandered towards some bright lighting in the distance.



A quayside square, with dhow boats being unloaded greeted me, fishermen hurriedly unloaded and sorted fish in the glare of a few rather intense spotlights.

 









All manner of fish, giant blue crabs, squid, shark, began to be laid out and iced.

 

 

 

 





Time was marching on and the crowds began to gather by 5am



 

 

The auctioneers arrived, the younger auctioneer (centre) greeted me, firmly shook my hand with a "I trust you are well", he turned to the waiting audience of restaurateurs and traders and promptly started the auction.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As daylight finally arrived it was time to catch up on my sleep and I wearily left to look for a taxi home.


 - All photographs, copyright Sleepyg Photography/Fragglehunter, please ask  - do not steal my images

The Grand Mosque - Abu Dhabi, Zayed Mosque

Given I'm getting ready for a trip later this year back to the wonderful Abu Dhabi,  a little set from off one of my 2010 trips out to the United Arab Emirates, I'd just at this point started getting into photography and for the first time taken a dslr on a trip.

We had been staying at our friends home, just round the corner from the Shangri La Hotel, every time we left the house we could see this stunning view.

 

This place is massive, built to hold 41,000 worshippers, when you see gold on the photographs it is gold, 24 carat gold.

I popped round early afternoon to avoid crowds and bake myself alive in the sun, fortunately the long perfectly white corridors in the mosque provided a hiding place from the unrelenting sun.



Shade !!!!



















I'm not an overly religious person, but this place just blew me away, how spotless it was, the sheer size of the place and its style and beauty.



 


























So if your in the area, well worth a bimble in a modern building with total wow factor - I just need to get a new passport now and I'm off for a return trip with my improved camera practice.

Liwa Desert, Abu Dhabi - Carry On...Follow That Camel

Another total off topic, as today I have been finally starting putting in place plans for a return trip to the greatest city on earth ? Maybe not, but it will be once it's finished being built.

Anyway its a shame not to share these, amazing colours and it was a place to remember, if only for the heat.

I've had good fortune to do a few trips to Abu Dhabi in 2009/2010 and it was the reason I bought myself my first DSLR, I've learnt a bit since taking these, but hope you like.

On to the madness of the local motorway to leave Abu Dhabi City and off into the empty desert roads into the Empty Quarter and you enter the Liwa Desert (after about 155km of driving). Whilst driving you see signs for places like Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia - oh and Dubai (been a few times and had a McDonald's).

Liwa forms part of the Rub' al Khali Desert which is 250,000. sq miles and its hot, hitting 130f in July and August.


 


 


 





 


We drove into a camel camp, not tourist camels proper camels !!

 



 


The local farmer beckoned us in.



The farmer insisted I take a photo of this camel, his pride and joy it would seem.



Me and little Miss Fragglehunter (turns out she's not a fan of camels)





 

And off we go again

 





Some bugger kept insisting on taking my picture (from the air conditioned car I should add)
















The day was catching up with us and we needed to head back home as the motorway is like Wacky Races at rush hour and after dark your looking at something along the lines of Death Race 2000.

Hope you liked and yes next time I'm thinking of  taking a sledge....

 PS I'm not a wealthy person. Being able to travel to Abu Dhabi is down to being fortunate enough to have very good and extremely kind friends who put up with me and the girls, feed us, water us and show us wonders of the UAE, such as Liwa.

Dedicated and Jon and Val and two fingers to the UK Government for the hike in flight tax (again!!!)