Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar

We are going all over the place. It started in Dubai, where we had a relaxing 3 days. I was able to meet up with an acquaintance of mine at the mall of the emirates which was nice (this is the mall with the ski resort inside it). I was also able to buy a pair of jeans, which I've been missing for so long - my host Aunt laughs at me all the time for not bringing jeans to the middle east, especially she says, when skinny jeans are all the rage. Well, I didn't buy skinny jeans, but she will be happy to hear of my purchase regardless. Dubai is ridiculously over the top. It is an Arabian fairytale land with skyscrapers. The Dubai tower (the tallest building in the world) is the only object I recall seeing that gets bigger the further away from it you are. During our short stay I managed to get lost by foot and lost on a bus rout, but the new metro that just opened was a piece of cake (even I had no trouble). Each station has a different theme. The ones I saw were fire and water. It was a bit elaborate. I also saw the gold souk, the old souk, another souk I don't know the name of and a museum or two.
I really enjoyed Abu Dhabi. Our first night there was the last night of the 2009 Middle East Film Festival - and we had no idea until a few of us somehow ended up in the palace of the emirates surrounded by women in elegant abayas and long dresses. I was wearing jeans and a tshirt. This would have bothered me if I had known that Tony Blair and Orlando Bloum were there that night too. We enjoyed some spectacular fireworks, mourned over missing the last film and headed home. The next night we ended up at a concert that was followed by a big screen showing of a car race in Brazil. The commentators of that race were on stage and we had a great time getting into the spirit of the race with the rest of the emiratis. In two weeks the final race will be held in Abu Dhabi, and everyone is just a bit excited. We also visited a women's college, and I made so many friends. I had a great time.
Now, I am sitting in an internet cafe in Doha, Qatar. Earlier we visited the Al Jazeera headquarters which was unbelievable! Next we took a tour of the city and saw some beautiful Arabian horses.
Later tonight we are visiting the souk and going for a boat ride. We still have a few more days left in Doha.