Ignacio Pose, a Spanish expatriate, lives in Al Khalidiya District in Abu Dhabi for five days of the week and says he finds the neighbourhood very friendly.
His workplace is nearby and staying here alone is a better option for him than uprooting his family in Dubai, whom he visits every weekend. "It gets a bit crowded in the evenings," he says, as people stream into his neighbourhood when the sun goes down to frequent the many coffee shops here.
Al Khalidiya stretches a couple of blocks, from the towering etisalat building with its trademark "golf ball" on the roof, to Al Khalidiya Mall, which is located very near the Abu Dhabi Corniche.
The development of the corniche was completed last year and Bharati Hanumaiah, a media professional from India, says it is a delightful place.
"There are play areas for children, a lot of greenery and places for you to walk or jog."
The corniche is a short walking distance from her flat in Al Khalidiya.
She has been living in Abu Dhabi for the past 17 years and moved to this part of Al Khalidiya two-and-a-half years ago.
"It's an up-market area," she says, where rents hit the roof and you could easily fork out Dh170,000 for a two-bedroom flat.
Mahfoud Benaferi, a Briton of Algerian descent, moved to Al Khalidiya seven years ago. He remembers it as a very quiet place. "It was not as crowded," says the news editor at Abu Dhabi TV, who had double-parked and was waiting for his wife to come down from their apartment.
"There are no vacant flats," says Hussain, an Indian from the southern state of Kerala, who works as a janitor of a building. "If there is a vacancy, the landlord can ask whatever he wishes and he gets it", he said.
Happening place
Reem, an Emirati student who was parking her SUV, said her aunt has been living here for 12 years and was now paying Dh190,000 for a two bedroom flat. "It's a nice place," she said about the district. "No issues, except the parking."
Al Khalidiya is a happening place. If you need anything, all you have got to do is to take the lift down to the busy streets.
Bangladeshi taxi drivers stop here for a quick cup of tea and chat or to get a bite of lunch at the Shams Restaurant, which opened its doors to customers 11 years ago.
"How much?" I asked after sipping a cup of milky-sugary tea. "Bara anna [12 anna]," said the waiter. An anna was a coin used in India many years ago. A "bara anna" here is 75 fils.
Nearby is Just Falafel, where falafels are made to order for various palettes. There is an Indian, Mexican and even a Greek falafel. "We put a spicy sauce for the Indian falafel," says Suresh, an Indian cashier at this Lebanese take-away.
Overlooking the main Shaikh Zayed the First Street, which runs adjacent to the district, Jenny runs a China City grocery, which she opened in 2005. Her shop is well known for Oolong green tea, she said. Her shop is the only one to cater to Chinese expats in this area. The aisles of the shop are packed with exotic snacks and soft drinks.
Right smack next to a mosque is a square building with a long chimney. "Cebu Restaurant", says the sign painted with swaying palm trees. It is run by Salem Al Nagbi, whose love for the Philippines is well known here — his wife is a Filipina.
When he opened the restaurant he brought a Jeepney here, the colourful mode of transport from the Philippinnes, and stationed it in front to attract customers. Mohammad Naif Al Riba'a, his partner, said the Jeepney has been moved to their new restaurant in Mussafah.
Rey Toquero, the head cook, says the popular dish here is Special Bulalo, a soupy dish with part of a cow's foot and a large bone marrow.
"Arab people like it too much," he said.
The Australian Embassy is located at Al Muhairi Centre nearby. A kangaroo and an emu are embossed on a granite plaque embedded on the wall of the centre. The pictures of the national animals of Australia are fading away due to the harsh sun. In front there is a sign saying parking here is reserved for embassy staff.
There is also an UK and a German visa application centre in this district. Jignesh, the manger of the UK-outsourced centre, says it has taken various things into consideration for the applicants and there is a huge parking lot nearby. He was responding to the question of parking problems here.
Outside the building, Masud, a Bangladeshi parking valet, was pasting parking tickets on to a coupon book. He works for Golden Parachute, a popular coffee and shisha shop. "Our customers waste 30 minutes trying to find a parking place," he says.
Asked about the dangers of shisha smoking in residential areas, Masud says the authorities have given them two years' grace period to move out.
The signboards in this residential and commercial centre will make you do a double take. There is a Hair Madness salon, a Deity of Hair, a shop that makes uniforms called Technical Scissors and a No Name shop for shailas and abayas.
There is a constant struggle for parking space among residents in this district. People usually double-park but have found a way to avoid fights. "You usually put a sticker with the phone number [on the dashboard]," says Bharathi.
When the owner of the car comes down from his apartment and finds his car boxed in, he calls the number and the offender comes and moves it away. It is a make-shift method to share space in this teeming district.
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