Iftar

Iftar is the break-fast meal eaten once the sun goes down during Ramadan.  It is most common to break fast at home, but it's also popular to have iftar at tents which hotels set up.  We have been eyeing the gigantic tent that Emirates Palace since it was put up, and this week Nick had a chance to file a report from the inside.

It seems the experts will load up a plate before the call to prayer in order to avoid the rush.  There is more than enough food to feed the fasters and non-fasters alike.  Most people who fast during Ramadan have their own strategy for breaking fast, but it always involves one or three dates (never two!) and some liquid.  Unlike most menus in Abu Dhabi the food was primarily traditional Emirati dishes, with a few Egyptian ones thrown in.

But more impressive than the food was the venue -- all of this happened in a tent!

Emirates National Auto Museum

Yes, that is a really big truck!  

On our way back from Liwa, we stopped at the Emirates National Auto Museum, a collection of cars owned by Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, known as the rainbow sheikh.  He deserves the name: among the many colorful cars in his collection are Mercedes in every color of the rainbow -- the leather seats, the steering wheel, and even the dashboard match the exterior of the car.

There was a interesting mix of sports cars, 1980s saloons, antique cars, and even some not-cars.  Here is a 19th century Mercedes bicycle (with a semi in the background):

A Star Wars scene pained on the side of a van:

And a reminder of home that we weren't dying to see:

But the highlight was the truck -- the cab and bed of the truck house a fully-loaded apartment, with kitchen, multiple bedrooms and a movie room.

The Sheikh was such a good customer that Dodge made a small version of the truck for his young son.

There were a couple of odd vehicles parked outside the museum: an RV in the shape of a globe, and the largest two-wheel camper in the word (certified by Guinness!).  We didn't stop and linger too long at these, as it was almost 120 degrees outside!