Day 02 - Wednesday 27th May

When we'd checked in at the hotel last night, we'd asked for a wake-up call at 8:30am. It turned out that we woke up at about 8am anyway. We'd had a good night's sleep - the bed was large and comfortable and the air conditioning worked well.

Breakfast in the hotel restaurant was included and, as you would expect in a Radisson Hotel, there was plenty of choice. The breakfast restaurant is on the ground floor next to the swimming pool.

The pool looked very inviting and so after breakfast we went outside to have a closer look at the grounds It was already pretty hot outside - the forecast maximum temperature was 40C. The pool is tastefully presented - timber bridges, palm trees, timber lounges, large paved areas and an expansive view across the golf course to the city in the far distance.

This morning, we intended to go to the nearby Yas Beach and then to Yas Mall. We'd missed the hotel's 10am shuttle bus and so we decided to go by taxi. Originally we thought we would use the same taxi to get to both destinations because we thought we only needed to stop quickly at the beach to take a few photos while he taxi waited for us.

The hotel concierge convinced us to get a taxi to the beach and a separate taxi to the mall. He was right because the beach turned out to a beautiful spot. We hadn't brought our swimmers with us but we sat on the beach at a table under an umbrella and admired the view. There was a slight breeze that made it feel not quite so hot.

Next we caught the hotel's shuttle bus from the beach to the mall. Each of these destinations is only about five or ten minutes from the hotel.

The mall is large and luxurious with tall ceilings and large concourse areas paved in marble. Many of the shops are western designer brands that you see in similar shopping malls all over the world. This mall is more up-market than most other malls we've seen. For lunch we found a Jamaica Blue coffee shop.

Suzy had booked a guided tour of the nearby Yas Marina Circuit. This is the race track that is used for the international Formula One race at Abu Dhabi. The tour was to start at 2pm at the Yas Central complex. On the way our taxi driver got lost but we still got there in plenty of time.

The tour lasted for two hours. Our guide took us downstairs to have a close look at the dozens of racing cars. We were even allowed to sit in one while people took photos of us. Then we went to various buildings around the track including the pits area. The final destination was the winner's podium. It was a good way to spend the afternoon.

Instead of going straight back to the hotel, we waited for a shuttle bus to take us the short distance to Ferrari World. This is another huge impressive complex they claim it is the world's largest indoor theme park.

We didn't pay to go into the exhibition. Instead we admired the shops and displays within the complex.

When the taxi returned us to the hotel, I asked the driver to give me change of a 50 Dirham note. I was still standing next to the taxi counting the small notes when the driver noticed I'd dropped the wallet on the back seat of the taxi. I'm glad he checked and I'm glad he was so honest.

This wallet contained my local currency. I've got a separate wallet for my Australian money and some of my credit cards. I keep these two in separate leg pockets of my cargo pants and I have an empty decoy wallet in my back pocket. Last, I've got a pouch under my shirt around my neck where I keep Euro currency, backup credit cards and travel debit cards. I've got everything spread in so many different places, it's sometimes hard to keep track of them all.

By the time we got back to the hotel, it was too late to go back to Yas Beach and so we went to the hotel pool instead. A relaxing way to end the afternoon.

We'd heard there were good restaurants at the Yas Marina and so we caught a taxi there just in time to see the sunset at about 7pm.

The restaurant we selected was a seafood restaurant called Aquarium. They take you through the restaurant to a display area where they have the fish in ice-filled displays (and live fish swimming in huge tanks on either side of the passageway. You pick out the fish you want and tell them how you want them to cook it. I had Sea Bass and Suzy had a lobster.

It was a very pleasant meal with very good service. However it was expensive. When we looked at the wine prices, I decided to go for beer instead - the cheapest bottle of wine was about $A70.

While we were waiting for our food, I took photos of the illuminated buildings and the coloured fountain - a good test for my new camera.

By 9pm, were well and truly ready for bed - especially considering we had an early start the next morning.