Last week I picked up our new car and what a joy it is to be able to get to places without the hassle of buses and taxis. It's a Jeep Grand Cherokee - chosen for its height and tank like quality which makes me feel safe in the slightly erratic driving conditions I find myself in round here! I'm not really planning any desert, off roading at present, though it is quite a popular past time in this neck of the woods. There was a whole supplement on off roading in The National last weekend which was more than enough to put me off with stories of someone having to walk along beside the car to watch out for rocks and precipitous inclines with just one wheel hanging onto the mountain!
Probably due to the size of the thing, coupled with a 3.7 litre engine, I am really enjoying driving around and love the freedom. Because people do daft things then no-one bats an eyelid if you make your way across four lanes of traffic in order to reach a left turn at the last minute and they let you in which would never happen in the UK. You can also do U turns at major junctions so if you take a wrong turn it's pretty easy to rectify the mistake (must make a note not to try this at home!) I've been able to bring back wicker chairs, lamps and all kinds of stuff from the Mall with ease. Though I got carried away with a massive shop at LuLu supermarket which was easy to wheel into the car but less easy to get up in the lift from the underground car park to the apartment!
I can even neatly park the monster in our narrow space between a BM cabriolet and a Range Rover with help from the parking sensors and the reversing camera. I'm now planning trips to Al Ain and places we haven't yet seen on the strength of it.
I have Coast (a Radio Two type station but without Terry Wogan) and BBC World service on the radio and it even does this neat trick of being able to start the engine from a distance without unlocking the doors so that you can the air con fired up before you get in - amazing! I can't see me needing the heated seats anytime soon though!
So watch out Abu Dhabi - I'm on the road!
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