Give AJK credit for this TR - his encouragement is what pushed me to write up my TR. And of course my fellow DDF travel buddy who I welcome to give his input and perhaps write his own TR from his perspective and his own experiences after I had already left. (I think his delay has to do with my taking forever to send him my pics which are currently sitting in Lightroom).
I originally booked this trip to AUH on the Etihad glitch with a friend as it was easier to go for 2 days with a pal than with my wife and kids. He ended up backing out, however I found a fellow DDF member who was on my flight to AUH. He was going solo as well so we connected here on the forums and decided to go together!! Great DDF story connection!
We decided that AUH and Dubai doesn't really need more than one day and I had always wanted to explore the extended area so day 2 was dedicated to other Gulf Coast countries. Bahrain and Qatar were chosen and we got a flight DXB - BAH on CX in J for 9K Avios and BAH - DOH for 4.5K Avios on Qatar Airways. DOH - AUH on Etihad was 5K Amex with a UK based Amex account and we were set.
Our trip ended up as follows JFK-AUH then DXB-BAH-DOH-AUH-JFK. More on that part of the trip later.
We arrived at around noon and quickly hired an airport cab to take us to the Sheik Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi. We were completely blow away by it. Only hitch was when were required to x-ray our backpacks which was a bit of hassle. Our Driver waited for us and then took us to the Marriot Harbor Hotel where we went up to the top floor bar to view the palm islands from the sky. Really cool views and free of course as they didn't even ask us to order anything. Could be the time of day had to do with it.
We then hired a car to take us to the Mall of the Emirates to see the indoor skiing and check out the mall. Unfortunately didn't have time to actually ski. I guess there's always the next glitch.
From the Mall of Emirates we went to the Dubai mall to see the Burj Khalifa, water show and explore the magnificent mall. Keep in mind that we hadn't even gone to our hotel yet and were straight off our flight with out backpacks and all, and at this point it was already getting pretty late. The action, lights, and noise can definitely keep you going!
We then went to the Four Points Sheraton where we quickly ate and went to sleep as we had a flight to catch early the next morning. The actual hotel was the Four Points located closer to the airport and it did the trick although the location wasn't that great. I would have preferred to stay in the heart of things although I guess the price reflected the location.
The following morning we took a cab to the airport for our flight to BAH. Unfortunately our flight was a bit delayed however we eventually took off. Upon landing in Bahrain we headed to immigration. The lines were pretty long - filled with migrant workers. My friend and I were both separately taken away from the immigration booth and told to wait as our passports were taken to the back office. We weren't sure why we were singled out for a thorough examination although in the end they did let us through. At this point - due to the flight delay and immigration issues we didn't even have enough time to leave the airport grounds! We did meet an Arab Sheikh outside holding his falcon who let us pose with him so at least we got one pic in Bahrain!
Waiting in the terminal in Bahrain for our flight to Qatar was a surreal scene. Hardly any Westerners and it was filled with Arabs or every stripe and color. Flights kept on taking off to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and all the neighboring countries. Everything was a bit confusing and the terminal we were in felt more like a train station. When we finally took the bus to our plane we were happy that the Qatar airlines flight crew for the short 20 minute flight were typical Westerners. Watching the Arab women refuse to sit next to men and the watching the men refuse to buckle before takeoff and landing reminded me of an ElAl flight in a strange way.
To be continued from Doha Qatar...
