The power of money (as if we all didn't know of it already)

Well, by this point, it's no mystery that Abu Dhabi has lots of money thanks to the famous three letter word:

OIL

Little did I know, however, how much money this place really has. That was of course, until I arrived. I still can't get over the concept of how much money these people can spend, and to top it off, they spend it some pretty crazy things. Take this, for example:

Now, this is a photo that I've already posted in my blog. For once, I don't want you to look at me. That's correct, I am not the center of attention here. What I do want you notice is the background. You see that fancy looking park with all the beautiful trees and fountains there? How about all of the green? Well, that's all completely fake. In fact, two years ago, it didn't even exist, and what was there instead was water. (the water that you see behind the park, of course). The balcony that I was standing on was a waterfront building. It was literally on the beach. One day, they decided to beautify the area a bit more, so they dredged the water and built the park and another highway. In other words, they completely reconstructed the natural structure of this place, which is something that they do A LOT here in the UAE. It doesn't seem that they take the environment into account, either. Recycling in this country is virtually non-existent, which is kind of sad to see.
As with anything, it's important to share all sides of the story! This, of course, is what I'm doing!
Enjoy and stay tuned,
Paul : )