I spent 6 days in the United Arab Emirates and I can say it was just enough.  I began my trip by visiting Dubai (3 days) and then a friend living in Abu Dhabi (3 days).  UAE is a fascinating place to visit, especially if you like big cities and crazy architecture.  The outside temperature was still really hot (42 degrees), but I still enjoyed walking outside taking pictures at amazing buildings.   I found that UAE is a very interesting mix of cultures: Indians, Philippinos, Emirates, Arabs and Western people all mix in a diverse and respectful society.

  The food was amazing from Indian curries to hummus and shawerma (didn't eat Tim Hortons!).  Beer was available in some places, and I found that there were very few women out and about (metro, streets, etc.) except the malls, where many were fully covered with the Burka (maybe tourists from other Arab countries?)

I was amazed at seeing hundreds of buildings still under construction in Dubai.  I thought that the city was completed few years ago, but it is expanding at a continuous pace.
Abu Dhabi  had a different flavor, with less crazy buildings, but an amazing mosque completed few years ago.  I have to say that the Sultan Ibn Mosque compares to top sightseeings around the world, like the Taj Mahal in India.

While in Abu Dhabi, Scott took me the most expensive hotels in UAE to sample what rich and famous people do in UAE.  We drank some expensive beers at Ray's Bar located on the 63rd floor of the Jeimerah Eidad Towers.

We visited the Emirates Palace Hotel, a 7 star hotel, made of gold and serving 23 Karats gold flakes coffees and burgers!  Caviar costs 3300$ for 30 grams!

I rented a car for a day and drove around Abu Dhabi to visit the most interesting places: the flag pole, the corniche, some beaches, the carpet market and much more.

Left UAE on August 28th for Kazakhstan. Continue reading here!

More of my UAE pictures here on flickr!