Abu Dhabi #1
Posted by mattcrane | Filed under Uncategorized
Marhabbah, (hello)
Abu Dhabi is crazy! I’m having a great time here experiencing a culture and country vastly removed from anywhere else I’ve visited. When I arrived here on Sunday morning, Ramadan was still in full swing, and as this is a Muslim state, NO ONE is allowed to eat or drink during daylight hours, and for those who are not practitioners of Islam, there are serious penalties for breaking this rule in front of a Muslim. Also, music, television, and other forms of entertainment are banned at all times.
However, the month of Ramadan ended last night with the appearance of the new moon, which ushers in the three day celebration of Eid. So after experiencing a few days of complete shutdown, I am about to be witness to an entire country let off of the leash. Given that the sun rises at 4:30 and sets at 6:30; those celebrating the holy month have been subjected to 14 hours a day of fasting, which is inconceivable to me as a male/cyclist/American/foodie. Today is supposed to be devoted to religious pursuits, but by my understanding, the following two are supposed to be absolute pandemonium.
Anyway, there is plenty more to say, but I’ll let some pictures do the talking for now:
Every airline should allow its passengers to feel as if they’re urinating into the Atlantic Ocean from 38,000 ft…
This is a modest portrait of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the benevolent overseer of Abu Dhabi…
View from my bedroom of the “Corniche,” which runs along the northernmost shore of the city and borders on the Persian Gulf. The beach, and the island beyond it are all man made, but beautiful nonetheless.
Continuing with the bathroom theme, here is an interesting and culturally specific sign for one…
That’s all for now! Just walking down the street to get a newspaper could fill an entire page, so I’ll have more to report in the coming days!
Assalaam Alaikum (peace be upon you),
-Crane
Beginning The Travels…
Posted by mattcrane | Filed under Uncategorized
Hey All,
It’s been awhile! Can you imagine giving a 23 year old a paid vacation in a Southern college town? Think of the unspeakable results!
So anyway, that’s why there’s been a lapse in posts. Good news coming up though, because my latest exploits will take me to the sparkling Persian Gulf cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where I will have plenty of things to report, and at the very least, plenty of pictures (finally). My dad has somehow arranged for me to be his company driver during the time I’m there, and given the large highways and lax speed limit enforcement, a good time will be had by the driver, if not the passenger white knuckling the “oh shit” bar.
But as my flight is booked from JFK and not ATL ($900 cheaper), I first had to get myself 900 miles up the East coast. Which required nothing more than $120 in gas (not bad right?! Damn straight, we still have some of the cheapest gas in the world, so quit your bitchin, we’re at war over this shit) -ahem- also a car with a recent oil change, a few playlists, and the ability to sit in quiet reflection for hours on end.
DONE. So despite the latter eight hours of the journey being in torrential rain, and despite keeping my right foot in check, I still made pretty good time on the drive (I’ve done laps of the East coast for various cycling related reasons ever since I was 17, and time wise, this one was just a little on the fast side, probably in the top eight. The record is Greenwich to Athens in 12h30); and due to some really good new additions to my music collection, I was rocking pretty hard the whole way.
I think I’m doing pretty well right now, so I’m going to keep this good thing going!
-Crane
Decompression Commencing…
Posted by mattcrane | Filed under Uncategorized
Hey All
Here I am on my couch in Greenwich at the end of race season, doing some relaxing and as many chores as I can fit in around liberally scheduled lounging time. As a Russian peasant would already know, and what I’ve just discovered, is that doing work in the morning before eating breakfast allows one to accomplish a great deal whilst building a good breakfast appetite. So far today, I have:
-Tried unsuccessfully to clean the pool with our crappy electric pool vacuum. Owing to this plan’s failure, I will be forced in the vague future to remove my contacts and dive for each leaf’s removal. More leaves will continue to fall from the Maple directly overhanging the pool, so this task will be a considerably tedious one.
-Swept garage and then reshuffled it’s various contents. The garage (pronounced “garidge” in my household) is a behemouth of disorganized clutter, and so I escaped as soon as possible to avoid having to even think about one day actually setting the damn thing straight.
-Escaped garage chore to seek refuge in house. Cleaned kitchen and listened to Sublime while eating Lucky Charms.
-Rewatched Entourage. It’s Entourage, enough said.
And now here we are back in the present. As you can see, I’ve had quite a stressful morning. I really miss being out on the bike everyday, but I can’t say I mind having a seemingly endless abyss of time off between now and mid October, whereupon training will recommence.
But one last racing note, or I guess two: Health Net Maxxis is officially once again the NRC #1 team, with Rory the #1 rider, so I think that’s cause for celebration! Cheers! Also, here’s wishing all of the guys riding Missouri good luck and happy hunting. Truly a great race with some unbelievable fans, and I think my boys in black will be putting on a good show.
I’m going to go enjoy the last offering of New England summer, and I recommend that you likewise make sure to enjoy the sunshine wherever you are before you’re left wishing you had.
“If you know what life is worth, you will look for yours on earth…”
-Crane
