{"id":191,"date":"2015-11-05T07:29:03","date_gmt":"2015-11-05T07:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/happychanter.com\/?p=191"},"modified":"2015-11-16T08:47:26","modified_gmt":"2015-11-16T08:47:26","slug":"abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/","title":{"rendered":"Abu Dhabi Part 1: Luxury"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now that I\u2019m finally decluttered, packed, goodbyed out and all ready to go, it\u2019s time to fly!<\/p>\n

Going from Dublin to Thailand is a looong journey, and as my lovely friend Cait lives in Abu Dhabi, it made sense to take a long transfer there and visit her for a few days. I also figured that Abu Dhabi could be a nice introduction to life in Thailand – they\u2019re both pretty hot, right? As I soon realised, that is pretty much the only thing these places have in common. My time in the desert was awesome fun and an eye opener to a wealthy and extravagant world, but ultimately my short visit served to reinforce my decision to locate myself in the rustic charm of SE Asia. Abu Dhabi is definitely worthy of at least a visit though, so follow this series to discover just how much fun and amazement we managed to squeeze into three short days!<\/p>\n

The Start<\/strong>
\nI arrived late in the evening, so we didn\u2019t have time to do much else than have a quiet drink and catch up. Nothing much to write home about, then, right? Wrong! There\u2019s nothing nondescript in this town. Bentleys Bistro and Bar<\/a>\u00a0offered a hint of the kind of opulence\u00a0I could expect over the coming days. Firstly it was located within a shopping mall, which is common in the UAE, where alcohol isn\u2019t as widely accepted as other places. Bars are generally only permitted in malls or hotels. Walking through the mall to get to the bar we passed stores like Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Dior, Fendi – it\u2019s pretty clear up front that there is money in this town.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A bread “basket” like no other<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Upon ordering a simple salad and fries, the waitress came over with a bread basket. Pretty standard, right? Not when it\u2019s\u00a0not so much a basket than a shiny silver shoe! And not when the bread rolls include beetroot and white chocolate! Nom! I was also astonished that the wine was poured into jet black wine glasses. I thought this was just another stylish touch until the waitress explained later that, again, this is due to the local attitudes towards alcohol – as locals could walk past the terrace and see us, they couldn\u2019t allow alcohol to be visible in transparent glasses. Travelling to new places and cultures opens your eyes to the different ways people live in different societies, and this was the first of many fascinating quirks of an unfamiliar traditional Muslim culture.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Middle<\/strong>
\nThere is just too much to describe about the activities we took in over the following days to squash into one post – the opulence of the mosque<\/a>, the desert safari adventure<\/a>, and the indulgence of Friday brunch<\/a> each deserves its own write-up, so click the links to read all about\u00a0those amazing experiences!<\/p>\n

The End<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Emirates<\/a>
Emirates Palace (Image Source<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To neatly sandwich this post, let\u2019s go from the first experience to the last. On the day I flew out, we visited the Emirates Palace<\/a>. Despite the name, this impressive building is actually a hotel, but I hesitate to describe as \u201cjust\u201d a hotel. It is owned by the Abu Dhabi government and was originally intended as a deluxe Arabian landmark and conference centre until the decision was taken to accommodate guests as a hotel. The architecture and decor are certainly worthy of royalty, offering the most luxurious accommodation you could ever hope for.<\/p>\n

\"2015-10-24<\/a>Tourists are permitted to explore the lobby and public areas, and to enjoy a coffee in the luxurious cafe. 24-carat gold flake sprinkles, anyone? Unfortunately at \u20ac550\/night for the cheapest room, a stay here is just slightly out of budget so I won\u2019t be exploring beyond the public areas anytime soon. Those areas that were accessible to us were stunning enough on their own though. The immense lobby features an ornate dome, and a gold vending machine! Only in the UAE\u2026 The gentle tones of the live piano adds an air of peace and relaxation to the stunning\u00a0space. Ornate tapestries frame the dual staircase. The decor throughout is lavish. The hotel even includes a private beach, although we\u00a0as tourists could not access. Overall,\u00a0Emirates Palace, which cost a whopping \u20ac2.8 billion (yes, that’s a “b”)\u00a0to build,\u00a0serves as another showcase of the wealth that is clearly abundant in Abu Dhabi. I’ll let the photo tour below tell the rest of the story…<\/p>\n

Ultimately though, while a hotel like this is stunningly beautiful, and the luxury it promises is no doubt enjoyed by those who can afford it, I can’t help but feel that this kind of lifestyle is somewhat removed from\u00a0real life. Not only that, but it reminds me that all the money and luxury in the world cannot bring happiness.\u00a0You could say that my decision to\u00a0fly away to a tropical island is just as removed, but for me the difference comes down to wealth, and the value placed on it. Those who\u00a0are driven by the accumulation of money and possessions\u00a0for their\u00a0own sake are missing the point of it all. Life is what is precious<\/em>, a gift, to be lived, as an adventure, to immerse yourself in\u00a0the full range of human experiences and emotions. You do not need millions in the bank or your own private butler or chocolate on your pillows every night to live in a joyful way, to wake up smiling every day, to be grateful for every small thing you have, for the very fact that you are alive. Life on a tropical island is a million miles away\u00a0from the daily 9-to-5 grind, true – but the reason I\u00a0came here is simply that one does not need much to live well. I have my little one-room bungalow, cheap\u00a0food, stunning nature around me (bugs and all), breathtaking sunsets, and am greeted with smiles every day by local people who couldn’t even imagine\u00a0the lavish lifestyle of the UAE, and who, I would wager, wouldn’t understand\u00a0the point of it. Here, after\u00a0basic needs are fulfilled, an easy pace and a happy attitude make up the riches. I’ll take that over a palace any day.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The stunning balconies and dome over the lobby<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Dessert<\/a>
Dessert wheel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sing<\/a>
Sing us a song, you’re the piano man…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Come<\/a>
Come to think of it, I’m all out of gold bars…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Huge<\/a>
Huge tapestries on either side of the dual staircase<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Downstairs hallway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Downstairs<\/a>
Downstairs lounge area<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"View<\/a>
View from the rear windows of the private patio and beach area<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Now that I\u2019m finally decluttered, packed, goodbyed out and all ready to go, it\u2019s time to fly! Going from Dublin to Thailand is a looong journey, and as my lovely friend Cait lives in Abu Dhabi, it made sense to take a long transfer there and visit her for a few days. I also figured […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[32,33,31],"class_list":["post-191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-abu-dhabi","tag-luxury","tag-travel"],"yoast_head":"\nAbu Dhabi Part 1: Luxury - Happy Chanter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Abu Dhabi Part 1: Luxury - Happy Chanter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Now that I\u2019m finally decluttered, packed, goodbyed out and all ready to go, it\u2019s time to fly! Going from Dublin to Thailand is a looong journey, and as my lovely friend Cait lives in Abu Dhabi, it made sense to take a long transfer there and visit her for a few days. I also figured […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Happy Chanter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-11-05T07:29:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-11-16T08:47:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/DSCN0239-1024x892.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"892\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jessica\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jessica\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/index.php\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/05\\\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/index.php\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/05\\\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jessica\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/149635da36ff5a290aa52a4b0f74da75\"},\"headline\":\"Abu Dhabi Part 1: Luxury\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-11-05T07:29:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-11-16T08:47:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/index.php\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/05\\\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1185,\"commentCount\":2,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/index.php\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/05\\\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/DSCN0239.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Abu Dhabi\",\"Luxury\",\"Travel\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Travel\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/index.php\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/05\\\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/index.php\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/05\\\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/index.php\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/05\\\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\\\/\",\"name\":\"Abu Dhabi Part 1: Luxury - Happy Chanter\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/index.php\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/05\\\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/index.php\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/05\\\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/DSCN0239.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-11-05T07:29:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-11-16T08:47:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/149635da36ff5a290aa52a4b0f74da75\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/index.php\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/05\\\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/index.php\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/05\\\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/index.php\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/05\\\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/DSCN0239.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/DSCN0239.jpg\",\"width\":3968,\"height\":3456,\"caption\":\"Dessert wheel\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/index.php\\\/2015\\\/11\\\/05\\\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Abu Dhabi Part 1: Luxury\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Happy Chanter\",\"description\":\"nam myoho renge kyo\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/149635da36ff5a290aa52a4b0f74da75\",\"name\":\"Jessica\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/11e5072b32e92ac52ad90970ebf40a85f857f92c3b0bbb19d323ea6f8508b22a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/11e5072b32e92ac52ad90970ebf40a85f857f92c3b0bbb19d323ea6f8508b22a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/11e5072b32e92ac52ad90970ebf40a85f857f92c3b0bbb19d323ea6f8508b22a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jessica\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/happychanter.com\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/jessica\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Abu Dhabi Part 1: Luxury - Happy Chanter","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Abu Dhabi Part 1: Luxury - Happy Chanter","og_description":"Now that I\u2019m finally decluttered, packed, goodbyed out and all ready to go, it\u2019s time to fly! Going from Dublin to Thailand is a looong journey, and as my lovely friend Cait lives in Abu Dhabi, it made sense to take a long transfer there and visit her for a few days. I also figured […]","og_url":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/","og_site_name":"Happy Chanter","article_published_time":"2015-11-05T07:29:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2015-11-16T08:47:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":892,"url":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/DSCN0239-1024x892.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jessica","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jessica","Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/"},"author":{"name":"Jessica","@id":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/#\/schema\/person\/149635da36ff5a290aa52a4b0f74da75"},"headline":"Abu Dhabi Part 1: Luxury","datePublished":"2015-11-05T07:29:03+00:00","dateModified":"2015-11-16T08:47:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/"},"wordCount":1185,"commentCount":2,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/DSCN0239.jpg","keywords":["Abu Dhabi","Luxury","Travel"],"articleSection":["Travel"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/","url":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/","name":"Abu Dhabi Part 1: Luxury - Happy Chanter","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/DSCN0239.jpg","datePublished":"2015-11-05T07:29:03+00:00","dateModified":"2015-11-16T08:47:26+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/#\/schema\/person\/149635da36ff5a290aa52a4b0f74da75"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/DSCN0239.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/DSCN0239.jpg","width":3968,"height":3456,"caption":"Dessert wheel"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/05\/abu-dhabi-part-1-luxury\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Abu Dhabi Part 1: Luxury"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/","name":"Happy Chanter","description":"nam myoho renge kyo","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/#\/schema\/person\/149635da36ff5a290aa52a4b0f74da75","name":"Jessica","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/11e5072b32e92ac52ad90970ebf40a85f857f92c3b0bbb19d323ea6f8508b22a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/11e5072b32e92ac52ad90970ebf40a85f857f92c3b0bbb19d323ea6f8508b22a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/11e5072b32e92ac52ad90970ebf40a85f857f92c3b0bbb19d323ea6f8508b22a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jessica"},"url":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/author\/jessica\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/DSCN0239.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6MgIF-35","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":287,"url":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/12\/abu-dhabi-part-4-indulgence\/","url_meta":{"origin":191,"position":0},"title":"Abu Dhabi Part 4: Indulgence","author":"Jessica","date":"12 November 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"For the last post in this series,\u00a0but most definitely not least, we turn to\u00a0Friday brunch, by all accounts a \"must do\" tradition when visiting Abu Dhabi or Dubai. Imagining a tasty plate and maybe a cheeky Mimosa, I was like,\u00a0\"sure, I love brunch, let's do it!\" when Cait suggested it.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Travel"","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/category\/travel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\u00a9HappyChanter Abu Dhabi brunch","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/2015-10-23-11.41.55.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/2015-10-23-11.41.55.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/2015-10-23-11.41.55.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/2015-10-23-11.41.55.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/2015-10-23-11.41.55.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/2015-10-23-11.41.55.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":260,"url":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/11\/abu-dhabi-part-3-adventure\/","url_meta":{"origin":191,"position":1},"title":"Abu Dhabi Part 3: Adventure","author":"Jessica","date":"11 November 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"After an introduction to the luxury and opulence of Abu Dhabi, it was time to experience another aspect of life in the desert -\u00a0adventure and adrenaline on a desert safari!\u00a0I was particularly excited about this excursion, particularly to get out and\u00a0take in\u00a0the view of an endless sea of sand in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Travel"","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/category\/travel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\u00a9HappyChanter Abu Dhabi desert safari","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/DSCN0198.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/DSCN0198.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/DSCN0198.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/DSCN0198.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/DSCN0198.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/DSCN0198.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":225,"url":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/06\/abu-dhabi-part-2-opulence\/","url_meta":{"origin":191,"position":2},"title":"Abu Dhabi Part 2: Opulence","author":"Jessica","date":"6 November 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"With a full day of activities planned, we woke up bright and early and headed over to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. \u201cGrand\u201d doesn't\u00a0even begin to describe the opulence\u00a0of this building. \"Immense\" would be closer to the mark. Visible from many areas of the city, it stands out as the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Travel"","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/category\/travel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lovely photo captured by the lovely Cait","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/2015-10-24-03.38.031.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":313,"url":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/25\/a-month-of-not-so-guilty-pleasure\/","url_meta":{"origin":191,"position":3},"title":"A Month Of Not-So-Guilty Pleasure","author":"Jessica","date":"25 November 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It has officially been one month since I arrived on Ko Lanta. I know, I can\u2019t believe it either! Time really does fly\u2026 Apart from finally managing to get my Abu Dhabi trip all written up and posted, it might seem to you that I've been sitting back, taking it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\u00a9HappyChanter give yourself a break","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Screenshot-2015-11-25-12.37.02.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Screenshot-2015-11-25-12.37.02.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Screenshot-2015-11-25-12.37.02.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Screenshot-2015-11-25-12.37.02.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Screenshot-2015-11-25-12.37.02.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Screenshot-2015-11-25-12.37.02.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":422,"url":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2016\/01\/19\/koh-lanta-my-lanta-living-in-paradise\/","url_meta":{"origin":191,"position":4},"title":"Koh Lanta, My Lanta – Living In Paradise","author":"Jessica","date":"19 January 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"As\u00a0my\u00a0time in Ko Lanta draws to close (for now at least), I realised I've been holding back a bit from you guys. I've talked a little bit before about how difficult it can be to really open up and put myself out there publicly through a blog. This is a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\u00a9HappyChanter Ko Lanta","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2016-01-11-16.02.16.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2016-01-11-16.02.16.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2016-01-11-16.02.16.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2016-01-11-16.02.16.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2016-01-11-16.02.16.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/2016-01-11-16.02.16.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":591,"url":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/2016\/04\/04\/7-easy-ways-to-chant-nam-myoho-renge-kyo\/","url_meta":{"origin":191,"position":5},"title":"7 Easy Ways To Chant nam-myoho-renge-kyo","author":"Jessica","date":"4 April 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"When it comes to spiritual (or self-improvement) practice, everyone has different preferences. Some like meditation, some prefer yoga, some do mindfulness practices, some talk to angels... I think that all practices can ultimately connect you to the same energy that lies within and around us,\u00a0so it doesn't really matter which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\u00a9HappyChanter nmrk","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/nmrk.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/nmrk.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/nmrk.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/nmrk.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/happychanter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/nmrk.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":305,"href":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191\/revisions\/305"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happychanter.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}