Chris, a really great man from the UK, has organized a number of events since I have been here. I am grateful for his willingness to do so because he has helped to bring about several of the more memorable events since I have been here. I had never been a member of a dragon boat crew before, but it sounded like a lot of fun. It didn’t involve a lot of prep, just two days of practice (in 110 degree heat) and then the race. This event took place on the body of water between the Island that is Abu Dhabi City and the mainland. It was held at the Shangri-la Hotel beach and was directly across from Sheik Zayed Mosque, the third largest mosque in the Middle East. (You can see it several times in the background of the photos in
the videos.) We didn’t exactly take first place, but we made respectable runs and consistently improved our time.
The day of the race was pure fun and we ended the evening with a bar-b-q dinner on a second beach in the remarkably beautiful hotel complex. There was great food, drink, and dancing—a happy time. The evening was one of the first pleasant evenings we had had after long humid summer and it felt good just to get out and enjoy life.
Photos by Chris Jolliffe
Photos by Chris Jolliffe
1 comment:
What a fantastic way to spend a day. It looks like so much fun! I did not realize that dragons were part of middle eastern culture. What is the story behind the dragon boat races? Kudos to Chris for getting this going and to you for paddling, playing [the music; it was familiar and terrific], and posting! - Stephanie
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