The call to prayer and the screeching of breaks

Ah, Abu Dhabi airport. After a non stop flight half way across the world I felt about as welcome as kick to the head.
My theory is that simply finding immigration should be grounds enough for entry.There were signs everywhere pointing to it, often in contradictory directions and once you got there is was a game of intimidation by the emirati immigration officials. I was a little freaked out, going through worst case scenario's in my head like will they let me in, will they contact Bec and Ryan or will they just deport me, would they put me in jail first, can I bribe them. I felt a little sorry for the woman next to me. She was from Idaho or something and when they asked her where she had come from, naturally she said Idaho, logically, that's where she lived but apparently her flight came via Amsterdam so Amsterdam was the answer the official wanted, “no no” he said “you come from Amsterdam”. “Idaho” she insisted not forcefully but with the confidence one has of knowing where it is that one has been “no you are not from Idaho” the immigration officer said as if talking to a 3 year old, someone elses 3 year old who you cant hit and has just crapped on your shoes, “Amsterdam” he reiterated. Eventually he wore her down and she agreed she came from Amsterdam there would be no more talk of this Idaho nonsense, this once proud American was now Dutch, at least until she left Abu Dhabi. After tense moments myself and the newly Dutch made it through, that stuff is hard when you're that tired, maybe that's why cults hang around airports and why duty free is so popular they get you when you're vulnerable.
I arrived on national day which is an awesome time to get here if anyone wants to make the trip, there are lights put up everywhere and lots of fireworks and everybody pimps out their cars with pictures of Sheik Mohammad and the flag, they silly string each other and dance in the streets particularly at intersections during traffic jams. Its one huge party to celebrate the uniting of the emirates 37 years ago, like Australia day on steroids it goes for 3 days essentially and people really go all out for it. As we drove from the airport, lights marking out the red 37 lined the roadway and blankets of lights covered every tree trunk, on traffic islands there were these lights that looked like feathered head dresses sticking up out of the ground which to me looked like a grave yard for Vegas show girls “Here lies Candy, she was fabulous RIP”. I crashed fairly soon after we got back to the villa, I was fairly non compus mentus, apparently I hit my head climbing into Pearl the giant 4WD tank of Bec and Ryan's but I don't remember a thing. That's not good right?
I still woke up ok though. Had a shower got dressed and Bec and I hung out for most of the day chatting and pottering around, it feels like anywhere really but then you hear the call to prayer or the all too frequent screeching of car breaks and you remember you're in the UAE. I love the call to prayer, its different each time and its tinny echo flows over the streets about 5 times a day. I miss dawn because I'm asleep but I still hear the midday call, one about 3, one just after it gets dark and another 2 hours later. I run to the window to hear it, there is a mosque a couple of streets from us.
The driving really is insane here, I cant tell you how many car accidents I've seen since I've been here, only little ones so far though and all day the screeching of breaks punctuated conversation when you don't hear the accompanying crash you have to laugh a little, that screeching is the sound of some idiot speeding down the road outside the villa and then realising there is a speed bump.
We went out in the evening to see some of the national day displays and negotiate the tangle of roads that the cops would seem to randomly block off every so often to appear as though they had some kind of control over the situation. This caused huge traffic jams but we managed to avoid most of them and drove down to the corneiche and up to the palace. Everyone seemed to be out and wandering around its a great atmosphere. All the buildings were lit up and one had projected images of the sheik on in. The Etisalat building was entirely covered in lights, like a giant birthday candle in the middle of the city. They are one of the biggest phone companies here.
I'm still a little tired out after the whole changing of time zones but I'm doing ok, we shall see what tomorrow brings. xxxx I cold only get one picture uploaded today because the internet connection keeps crapping out on me due to national day traffic, I'll upload more when I can.