Families go on short trips on Eid holidays

Stilt walkers and other performers entertain the crowd at the Jumeirah Beach as part of the celebrations on the second day of the Eid Al Adha holidays in Dubai on Sunday. — KT photos by Dhes Handumon

The roads of Abu Dhabi were blissfully quiet over the weekend, with hardly any traffic disturbing the city in daylight hours. Many of the residents have gone on a short holiday, others were taking their time to fill the malls, cafes, parks and public beaches.

Sarah Wilson, a New Zealander from Al Ain, spent the last Eid Al Fitr touring Salalah in Oman for the first time and she loved it so much she decided to explore more of the wadis, mountains and desert of the neighbouring country.

“We did the last of our shopping on Thursday night and Friday morning, bright and early; we set off to Oman, planning to reach Waheeba Sands,” she said from a “jebel” peak in Oman.

Sarah and her friends crossed Oman’s only desert, then explored Maseerah Island and did some wadi driving in Nizwa area before reaching Jebel Shams on Sunday night.

For Raya Habib, this Eid break was a quiet one at home, in Abu Dhabi. She visited the family back in Pakistan during the last Eid and now her family budget does not allow for anything “extravagant”.

“We went shopping for something new to wear for the kids on Friday, then we spent Saturday on the beach. I packed some sandwiches in the morning and we had a picnic on the Corniche beach. It was a bit hot, but the kids love the sea! On Sunday, we have some friends over for lunch, then Monday is back to work for us,” said Raya.

As in the past, Marina Mall remained one of the most popular attractions for Abu Dhabi residents. Having the biggest cinema, a lot of people come here for a movie or just window shopping or grabbing a bite.

Much of the Western expatriates prefer a good lunch or evening out at one of the city’s five star hotels. Denise Hutt is one of them, reluctantly spending much of the Eid break on Sheraton Hotel’s resort, along with her husband and her 12-year-old son.

“We were supposed to travel for this holiday, but had to cancel in the last minute because of Adec (Abu Dhabi Education Council),” she said, still upset.

“At the beginning of every school year, we get the holiday dates from the Adec, and for this Eid, the schools were supposed to be off until Wednesday, so we booked well in advance a trip abroad. Only about a week ago, the Adec announced that school will resume on Tuesday and it will be a big deal for children to miss even one day of school, especially the more senior years.”

According to her, many other parents and teachers too were in the same position, with booked holidays in advance that had to be cancelled in the last minute due to the Adec’s change of holiday dates.

In fairness, though, the Adec’s calendar of school holidays does state dates may change on Islamic holidays based on moon sighting. -silvia@khaleejtimes.com