Another busy week gone. I breathe a sigh of relief as I shut down my lap top on Thursday night. I have been looking forward to this weekend for the past few weeks since we decided to spend the weekend in Abu Dhabi for the Red Bull Air Race.
We have booked in at the Radisson Blu on the Corniche in order to be in prime position to watch the annual race. The Red Bull Air Race plays out on a truly 3D circuit situated right out over the protected area of the Arabian Gulf. T his is located directly off Corniche Beach in Abu Dhabi and it is no coincidence that we are sitting at the hotel’s beach club this afternoon as the first planes of the qualifying rounds take off.
It is a slightly breezy 25 degrees Celsius winters day in the UAE. Although I sit dressed in a jumper and skirt and have to seek a spot in the sun to stay warm, the boys run back and forth from the pool and slides oblivious. The only consolation they make to the winter weather is the occasional pause to wrap themselves in a towel when they feel cold until their blue lips tinge pink enough again that they’re off for another round.
We packed an overnight bag each this morning and have driven the hour from Dubai, arriving and checking into the hotel before our room is ready. It’s no matter, we are given towels and access to the beach club and we pack our togs and afternoon necessities and cross the road. We have no trouble finding some sun lounges on which to while away the afternoon watching the qualifying rounds.
The boys have only hesitated slightly at the chill of the water. The temptation of the slides is too much for them and they’re off as I stretch myself out on one of the sun lounges with a little shiver.
Soon after, our friends Brad & Diana arrive with Kenny and we order lunch and drinks and sit back, heads craned at different angles, to enjoy the show.
As we savor our lunch there is a pause in the qualifying rounds. There is an official Red Bull area just up the beach a little with a large tv screen and commentary but we can’t quite see or hear it from here and assume the pause is a break. All of a sudden seven jets swoop in for a spectacular display of speed and skill, further to that which has already been on show this morning.
The jets swoop and dive in a choreographed air dance that both awes and astounds. The finale involves a dizzying spiral of UAE colors and the planes once again roar overhead in perfect unison.
After the excitement of the jet displays the qualifying rounds start again. We kick back to relish the afternoon’s entertainment of the races along with some more swimming, sand castle constructions and ice cream.
Around 5pm we head back over the road to the hotel and check into our very nice Executive Suite. The Radisson Blu have kindly upgraded us after our ocean view room booking has gone astray. The suite is large and more than adequate. We shower and change while the boys warm up in the bath, accompanied by a dose of Harley’s singing and then meet Brad and Di in their Emirates Suite, somehow even larger and more impressive than ours. We order some room service and pour ourselves a drink, settling in for a catch up and surrendering to a movie session for the children.
The next morning begins at a very respectable time after a sleep in and breakfast with an excellent selection of Continental, Western, Asian and Arabic offerings.
We pack up and check out, this time togs on and bags already packed with hats and sunscreen for another day in the sun. It is a bit warmer today and we all brave a swim. More time is spent on the sand gather squishy jellyfish and tickly hermit crab friends (we are sure to release them back to their rightful homes later in the day).
The pool and slides get another work out from the boys, today they meet a group of friends and play happily together.
We have lunch and Jason & I battle it out over a couple of games of beachside backgammon while the rounds of the race day roar overhead.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that the kids are all enjoying themselves. It makes it easier to enjoy the day when they are happy and entertained. There is another air display mid-afternoon although not as impressive as yesterday and the races continue.
We hear that the Australian, Matt Hall, gets knocked out of the final 8 by a mere 0.2 of a second. It seems so harsh but not surprising, it’s difficult to spot the difference from here.
As the day draws to a close, we once again pack up and make our way back across the road. We collect our luggage and load ourselves back into the car for the drive home. It has been a relaxing yet memorable weekend. The best of both worlds watching the race and having time on the beach.
We find out later that the reigning champion, Japan’s Yoshihide Muroya wins again by a margin of just 0.003 seconds. No view would have been good enough to have guessed a result that close!
Would I Return?
Yes. Although there are public viewing areas for the race it was particularly enjoyable to be able to sit back at the beach club and enjoy the best of both worlds. Next year our viewing enjoyment might be improved with some commentary which I understand is readily available on the Red Bull Air Race website (we just didn’t tap into this early enough this time around).
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