Dubai and Doha

Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and Doha in Qatar are popular get away destinations from Khartoum, in no small part because you can fly to each one directly and fairly cheaply.

In my mind, Dubai was going to be like Vegas.  It had a reputation for opulence and over-the-top spectacles like the worlds tallest building, biggest mall, fanciest hotel, and largest indoor ski slope.  Doha was going to be like a mini-Dubai.

We spent a weekend in Dubai recently, and a few months back we spent a day in Doha when we missed a connection.  I do think the two cities are very similar, but I think the comparison to Las Vegas does not really hold up.

The best thing about both of these cites is the architecture.  Modern Islamic architecture is really interesting.  The shapes and colors are impressive.  Because of the nature of our visit to these 2 cities, I was not really focused on photography (no pun intended).  In my short visits, the thing I most regret is that I did not do a better job capturing the wide variety of buildings.

Doha

Doha

Doha

Dubai - The Burj Khalifa - The world's tallest building.

I have never been much of a mall person, but since living in Khartoum, I very much appreciated the malls of these two countries.  They were clean, well lit and had great air conditioning. If that seems like a pretty low bar, well, come live in Africa.  The crowds in the malls were a model of diversity and tolerance.  There were people of many races and nationalities wearing a wide range of clothes.  People in very traditional, very conservative Arab garb mixed with people in shorts and t-shirts.  And there was everything in between - Indian Saris, designer clothes, jeans, you name it.

The mall in Doha we went to had an indoor hockey rink.  The mall In Dubai had the famous ski slope.  Both were fun to see.

Doha

Dubai

Dubai also has the worlds only 6 star hotel, the Burj al arab.  I would have liked to see it, but if you don't have a room, or a dinner reservation, they will not even let you in the building.

The closest we could get

But in the end, I did not find these cities to be like Las Vegas.  The best way I can describe it is that in Vegas, the range of choices of things to do are wider and deeper.  Wider in the sense that there is a huge variety - gambling, shows, restaurants, bars, roller coasters, art museums, and on and on.  And deeper in the sense that there is something at every price point.  Penny slots to high roller tables.  Free water fountain shows to Cirque du Soleil.  All you can eat buffets to fine dining.

So if you want my advice, if you live in Africa or the middle east, go to Doha and Dubai for a great break.  If you live in North America or Europe, don't bother.