Ramadan is in full swing here in Abu Dhabi. For those of you who don't know much about this yearly Muslim holiday, here's what you need to know. Most importantly, this is a time of fasting for all Muslims. Their daily fast begins after the first prayer, which starts as soon as the sun comes up, and goes all day until sunset. At sunset, they break their fast with dates and have their final prayer and then it is time for IFTAR!!! Iftar is the big meal at the end of the day...and it is BIG! Most of the restaurants here serve iftar buffets every night of the week during Ramadan, rather than carrying their regular menu. And, they are also pretty much closed during the day. What does this time mean for the rest of us? Well, mainly the city slows down A LOT during the day. Work hours are shorter, many of the shops are closed, and food and drink is very hard to come by. Non-muslims are not meant to eat, drink, smoke, or even chew gum during fasting hours. It definitely makes things interesting! I could put up some pictures of people sitting around...not eating or drinking, but that's not very exciting, so I thought I'd show you what else we've been up to lately.
I took this when we were driving home on Corniche Road on the first night of Ramadan. The whole town is all decked out with lights!
After iftar, the malls get pretty crazy. They have the motorcycle in Marina Mall that the guy (Paul Senior) from Orange County Choppers made. Kinda cool?
We broke our fast in Dubai the first weekend of Ramadan. Pete and his friend Eric decided to partake in a Cuban to celebrate ;-)
Stay tuned...
We are moving this week! Once I get some pics and we get the internet, I'll be sure to put up some photos of our new digs!!! YAY!
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