My Abu Dhabi

Celebrating Life Bakery’s Manmeet Singh reveals his top places in the capital

I love to go overnight camping with my family to the Sweihan Desert [1]. It can get pretty cold out there at the start of the year but you get some amazing views in the early morning. Sometimes the clouds are so low you feel like you could be sitting on them. We also like to spend the day at Yas Waterworld [2], as we love thrillseeking rides such as the Rush Ride, where you learn how to flowboard. Some evenings I like to take a walk down the Corniche beach [3]. I find it peaceful to see the sand and city at night and I enjoy spending time near the Breakwater by Marina Mall. There is a little area that you can park up and see the skyline. I play cricket on a Friday morning near the Al Nahyan camp at 6am [4] with a group of labourers. I used to play for the company I worked for in Andhra Pradesh, India, and won two tournaments. I would love to one day open a stadium in Abu Dhabi for labourers to help them keep fit. I regularly work out in Fitness First in Dalma Mall [5]. It’s a large gym with lots of equipment and a pleasant, mixed crowd. I find working on my abs is the hardest thing to do. I love the masala dosa from Foodlands [6] on Airport Road. The restaurant is big and the food is tasty, fresh and reasonably priced. On weekends I visit labour camps and give out surprises to workers in Abu Dhabi – we celebrate their birthdays with a cake. It’s part of what we do at Celebrating Life Bakery [7]. The best reaction we’ve had was one guy who was given a cake at the end of his shift (at around midnight). He didn’t want us to leave because nobody had ever celebrated his birthday with him before.