Not HERD TravelAdvice

ALL IS NOT LOST

So last year when I was in Greece visiting the islands of Santorini and Naxos, I had this massive urge to start a travel blog that would bring to attention the off beat not to be missed out features of a destination as opposed to the 'must see', 'top 10', blah blah blah items that are mentioned in most blogs. This started when we visited a restaurant that we chose on the advise of TripAdvisor, our guide for holidays. Of course, being on TripAdvisor the restaurant was extremely popular and busy and a reservation was a must to secure a meal. Somehow, standing in a queue or waiting for an opportunity just to be able to eat has

always been a big turn off for me. I do not want to be in a queue like cattle who are all facing the same direction because the cattle in the front said this would be a great direction to pursue, it has lots of green grass. None of the cattle question, no one doubts. If any in between get the premonition that all does not seem to be as expected, they ignore so as not to be seen as the stupid ones who can't see the thick and abundant foliage that all seem to be talking about. Remember the story, 'Emperors New Clothes'? Remember how the emperor parades naked in front of his subjects because the wicked cloth spinners had convinced him that they had spun a special fabric for his gown which was made of threads of gold that only the enlightened could see. The poor king could not see any cloth because there was none. However, so as not to look stupid in front of the people he paraded pretending he was wearing something with nothing on and the public also pretended to be in awe of the beautiful gold gown that only the intelligent saw. They cheered him and told him his new clothes were beautiful and the king kept on parading with his chest held high until a small child burst into laughter and yelled 'the king is naked'. Lol. Most of us are victims of similar diseases which makes inroads into different aspects of our lives. The more I see of it the more I want to scream out loud and say , Hey stop. You don't have to.

Anyway, maybe those can be looked into later. For now, I am sitting at the Abudhabi Airport waiting to catch a connection back home to Bahrain. I was away in Canada for three weeks. Went to, supposedly, some of the most beautiful places on planet earth located in Banff and Jasper in Alberta province. Some (not HERD) advise very much needed there but I will come to that later when I have recuperated from my jet lag and am refreshed to make sure I am not being biased in my opinions.

So coming back to Abudhabi airport, I was moving from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 and came across this lovely long corridor which was dressed up in a manner that it brought back memories from my childhood. It was like when we went to the doctor and had to wait in a waiting room. To make the visit to the doctor seem like a fun and easy thing to a child ,the waiting room had comfy sofas or odd grandma armchairs, plushy soft rugs on which you could spread out on a floor cushion, toys and books. Or maybe it reminded me of day cares where toddlers were left by their parent and entertained and kept happy while they waited for their mothers to return.

The long corridor was furnished with comfy IKEA recliners and colourful sofas, rugs and bookcases which even had books that one could read. The area was arranged informally in lounges which were occupied by families with babies, teenagers traveling together, workers from Bangladesh, India and Philippines returning to their jobs in the gulf catching a connection via Abudhabi.

It was a very comforting sight to see people passing their time with ease enjoying the moment.

My impressions of airports around the world is more like they are surgical units through which you must pass methodically and systematically otherwise you will be chopped off from your flight. If you have a connecting flight with a long wait or if you have, God forbid, missed your flight, you will have to wile away your time sitting upright in a row of chairs which might all be vacant except for the one your are occupying but as if, trying to be cruel deliberately, they were designed with these immovable armrests that will not permit you to stretch your back even if it is breaking with exhaustion. It's not that these airports have not made comfortable lounges where you can get into quiet room or quiet designated areas with sleeping pods where you can hire a spaceship look alike capsule, plant yourself in it and start soaring through your dreams. However, these luxuries are not cheap and are definitely not affordable by the likes of many who are roaming the corridors of the gulf in the hope to be able to afford a place to call

home and some savings that they can live upon once they are old and can be replaced by their new younger and cheaper counterparts.

Anyway, since this is meant to be a blog on 'not HERD TravelAdvice' I think I should quit making it a case of travellers versus airports and give you some real 'Not HERD TravelAdvise' on one of the destinations I recently visited.

For now , please don't miss the corridor from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 at Abudhabi International Airport. Looking at those travellers resting in comfort will wash your heart with a warm feeling that all is not lost in this world.