The falcon is the national emblem to a country that sits at the at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula between Oman and Saudi Arabia with Iran just across the Persian Gulf. The bird appears on everything from bank notes to the national coat of arms, so it was fitting that my first excursion during my stay was to the hospital. Our guide was the director, Dr Margit Mueller, who spoke with great affection for both the birds and their unique habitat which has become her adopted home.

Falcons were traditionally used by the Bedouin to catch rabbits and birds in the desert. Today they are brought to the hospital for routine and emergency treatment. After watching my first falcon manicure, we had a chance to handle the birds. As a four foot wide bird landed on my wrist inside the bird hospital, I started to appreciate that this country really is different from anywhere else I have experienced.

If the falcon is the national emblem, the palm tree must be a close second – they line most roads and motorways and are kept alive, at huge expense, by desalinated water and an army of workers who tend their capillary watering pipes. The late Sheikh Zayed ruled that no palm tree could be killed or moved without planning permission, but today they serve mostly to keep sand off the road. Sheikh Zayed is still held in great affection mainly due to his policy of spending the UAE’s vast oil wealth on social and environmental projects.

Abu Dhabi has some pretty grand aspirations to become a world destination for major sporting and cultural events. By 2013 you will be able to stroll between the Guggenheim and Louvre galleries on Saadiyat Island cultural district. While neighbouring Yas Island is already home to Ferrari World, the only indoor air conditioned theme park next to the Formula One racing circuit where you can try your hand round the actual track graced by Jensen Button and Michael Schumacher. When the Volvo Ocean Race rolls into town in December, seven new hotels will have opened doubling the number of rooms from 50,00 to 100,000. That means that one fifth of the population will be visitors.

The centrepiece of my holiday was a trip to Sir Bani Yas island a reserve dedicated to preserving the regions endangered species of wild sheep and the Arabian oryx highly prized by poachers for its white hide. We managed to see two male cheetahs on our safari tour of the island within a minute but might have easily driven by. These magnificent felines act as natural gamekeepers as it is illegal for the human staff to cull the weaker and older animals. And the penalty for killing one of the animals, which, like their cousins the world over, either run in front of the car or stand in large groups in the middle of the road before scattering at the last minute, is severe. It is, in fact, deportation. The island also boasts a luxury hotel and spa which offers great midweek deals.