I don't know where I'm going but the car does

Brian Warshay and I at Masdar city check out those solar panels

I didn't know where to go but the electric cars did

After my visit to the falcon hospital, I dropped into the very futuristic Masdar City. I was there to find out a little more about a sea water farming project that Boeing and Masdar are working on. The long term goal is to grow salicornia (a very salt tolerant plant) for oil as a biofuel. Masdar are all about having as little or no environmental impact in everything they do. An example of that is the remote electric cars that comes down to the underground car park to pick you up. Just push a button and the little cars that are lined up to greet you whisk you away. It was a little unnerving being driven around in a car that drives itself around without a single steering wheel in sight. Upon arrival, there are live data displays of emissions coming out of Masdar. The name Masdar City is one that will apply in the future but for now, in reality, it is a campus for students.  Every building there is futuristic and energy conscious. From massive solar panels that adorn the roofs to the double skinned wall full of compressed air to maximise insulation while minimising weight; all work toward energy savings. In fact, the building was putting more energy out than it required in. The sea water farming project that Masdar Institute were working on is only in it's infancy so there wasn't a whole lot to see. With Boeing and Honeywell UOP backing though, I dare say it will mature into a very interesting experimental farm. Currently, a suitable site has not been found to incorporate a fish farm that will provide their fertiliser and income. The UAE was a great place to visit and I just might come back again.

Broken birds and beautiful buildings

On my return to Abu Dhabi, I made a visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, bit of an under statement really, a beautiful building capable of holding over 40,000 worshippers. I was struck by the detail of the tiled flowers that adorned every pillar and floor tile in this giant place of worship. I also paid a visit to the Abu Dhabi Falcon hospital which was an experience I would highly recommend to anyone, especially if you remotely find birds of prey interesting. Falcons are the only animal permitted to sit with passengers on a flight and all birds have there own passport. Falconry is very popular in the UAE. Some sheiks own up to 200 birds and all of them go through for a check up at the hospital. I watched as vets replaced broken feathers with new ones, treated wounds and damaged talons whilst the birds were under anaesthetic. Most birds were hybrids, usually a peregrine cross with a value of around $10,000 AUD depending on the bird. It was a great experience to get up close to these beautiful birds.

Camel tastes like mutton

While in the Liwa Oasis I asked why they have the ground bare around the date palms I saw; minimising evaporation by putting mulch around them would surely be a good idea. I discovered there is a major pest to the date palms there. A giant grub as thick as your index finger just loves boring holes in palm trunks, so much so they will be cut down due to the appetite of these things. It has also developed resistance to many chemicals so treating them is problematic.

On the last night of my stay, I was very honoured to be invited to a local wedding. It was great, lots of music, dancing and food. The men are separated from the women, celebrating in totally different areas as is the custom. The bride and groom come together later in the course of the night. As the night drew to a close and I had my fill of camel meat (traditional served at wedding), it became obvious that there were people coming into the room not associated with the wedding. Wedding crashers is what they were, and food is what they were after. I stayed until a crowd had formed around us like vultures waiting for the lions to leave. When we did, a fight for the left overs ensued not unlike our fore mentioned feathered friends on a carcase in a scene from some wildlife documentary.

I was shocked until it was explained to me that it is tolerated so that the poor have something to eat and there is no waist of food after the wedding is over. It reminded me of some of the lessons I learnt in China, not everything is as it seems.