Recharged and ready to go

Our original intention was just to spend a week visiting Dubai, but as we started to do more research, we realized just how much there was to see in the area...and how little time a week was! So, we packed the week full (as we have a tendency to do) darting around the UAE and up into the Omani peninsula. It was a welcome change of pace, a glimpse at another part of the world that is such a stark contrast to India. We left the region still in awe of all the money and modernity in Dubai and Abu Dhabi--man-made oases in the desert where camels and fishing boats have been replaced by sleek SUVs and sport cars. I knew it wasn't a place where I could stand to spend too much time, but valued the opportunity to experience it. Being able to venture out of the cities and find camels roaming about and local men out fishing enriched the experience and made the place seem a little more real. Driving through high red sand dunes gave us a glimpse of what the whole region once looked like.