Welcome to Abu Dhabi

The morning buzz of construction work is audible through tightly shut windows of our company flat. It's a typical Saturday morning and the city is alive with action after pausing for just one day, Friday, the official weekend in Abu Dhabi. Situated on the turquoise-blue Persian Gulf, Abu Dhabi is a mix of skyscrapers and hotels, world renowned museums (think the Louvre and Guggenheim) and labor camps where expats from surrounding countries work night and day for low wages. Dubbed "the richest city in the world" by Fortune 500 magazine, and sitting on one-tenth of planet's oil, Abu Dhabi is the new land of opportunities.

My jet lag is in full gear and, having arrived three days earlier, sleeping through the night is still an ultimate goal to achieve. Being sprawled out on a bed through the day means that all sightseeing takes place after sunset. My sleep pattern has reduced our plans to mostly dinners with friends, followed by attempts to find our way back home through the maze of newly constructed highways. Driving in Abu Dhabi is an exciting affair - locals breeze by at the speed of light, disregarding any posted speed limits and police and yet pushing above 120km in our rental Yaris sets off an alarm indicating that we're going too fast. The general rule is to stay in a right lane if can't keep up with others and although Americans are free to drive sans International Driver's Permit, I've decided to not take my chances the first week and to instead allow the taxis do the work. Curiously enough, often they're just as clueless.