WEEK EIGHT:After a quick transit through lawless southeastern Iran and an overnight car ferry across the Persian Gulf, we arrived at Sharjah. This is among the most conservative of the seven member states of the United Arab Emirates, so we didn't hang around. Instead we went straight to Dubai, its glitzy neighbour, 50km away.
We were instantly struck by the development. Marvelling at structures such as the ostentatious Burj Al-Arab, the world's only seven-star hotel, and the Burj Dubai - recently announced as the world's tallest building, despite being only 75 per cent complete - highlights the city's over-the-top nature.
There was plenty to do for our week in the emirate. With a huge selection of shopping malls, hotels, chic nightclubs and restaurants, it seemed a bit easy for us, especially considering the countries we've been through in the past few months.
When it comes to alcohol and nightlife, Dubai is very liberal for an Arab city. As alcohol has not existed for us over the past few weeks, we indulged in a pint or two of stout at Dubai's Irish Village and visited some nightspots. Our favourite was Barasti, a beach bar overlooking the Gulf and one of the spectacular Palm Island developments.
We also visited Ski Dubai, the world's largest indoor ski resort. We enjoyed watching locals, many of whom had never seen snow, hurtling to inevitable crashes.
We then headed southwest to Abu Dhabi, the federal capital of the United Arab Emirates. The Red Bull Air Race was being held in the harbour during our visit, and we greatly enjoyed the aircraft racing around at 400km/h only 10m above the water.
We left Abu Dhabi through the desert towards the sultanate of Oman.
Next week we visit its capital, Muscat, and head south through the desert.
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