One of the great things about living in the Middle East is the close traveling proximity of other countries. This year I traveled with my husband to Dubai to participate in the Dubai world cup and the shopping festival.

From the state of Qatar the airplane journey only took half an hour, but felt more like taking a bus into town back home, and the airfare cost the same as a return ticket to London from my hometown in Portsmouth.

You will find when entering Dubai airport that for such a big airport with so much traveling traffic going through it each day, that it is highly efficient and modern. You do not require a visa from an embassy to enter Dubai as you can get a tourist entry visa at the airport which primarily consists of just a stamp in your passport.
Incidentally, same tourist entry visa facility is available for entry into Qatar at Doha airport

When you walk out of the airport the cosmopolitan atmosphere hits you immediately. Mirrored windowed skyscrapers soar high into the sky, modern new roads wind like spaghetti out into the city. Dubai is the first Gulf country to have female only taxi drivers. So if you are a lone female traveler you will find that these female taxi drivers are very helpful with any tourist information that you require. The taxis here are very modern, cheap and clean. Most taxi drivers speak sufficient English. Basically getting yourself around Dubai is easy and quick and for the more adventurous traveler there are buses.

Dubai has always been a trading Port and successfully combines the old parts of Dubai with the new buildings. But if you like horse racing one of the most spectacular and exciting race meetings I have ever been to has been the Dubai World Cup.
This event was created six years ago with the aims of inclusion and of taking international racing into a new era. The Dubai World Cup is known as the World's richest race meeting, containing the World's richest race for thoroughbreds and purebred Arabian horses and the most valuable Derby in the World.
The Dubai World Cup was the result of the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rahid Al Maktoum, whose passion for horse racing ignited the idea of posing the ultimate challenge for champions from all parts of the globe. Its global status was last year recognized when the three championships held in Dubai, the Dubai Duty Free, Dubai Sheema Classic and Dubai Golden Shaheen were all promoted to join the Dubai World Cup at Group 1 level.

The event was to be held in the evening at the Nad Al Sheba racecourse just 15km outside of the city of Dubai. In the early evening forty thousand people made their way towards the stadium. Thousands of hats, feathers, large, small, brightly colored and novelty hats were all proudly on show at the stadium. The ladies were all dressed to kill in fact if you ignored the Palm trees and the heat you could have thought you were at Ladies day at Ascot. Some men wore top hats others wore just dress suits. The atmosphere was of casual chic enjoyment. In the grounds a multitude of stripy hospitality tents with waiters looking like penguins ready to usher you in and indulge your every whim regarding champagne and strawberries and cream. In fact the champagne cocktails in the Bubble tent were cheaper than in England and the strawberries and cream were about 50 pence. Sitting outside in the Bubble tent with the setting sun radiating its last warm rays like ambers in a fire, the warm laughter in the back ground, New Orleans jazz playing from another Marquee, Frankie Detorie walking around in his jodhpurs a midst the crowd, with champagne in hand it was hard for me to believe that I was in the Middle East.

Before the races started there was a carnival inspired show as the military bands of the United Arab Emirates paraded down the race track Children wearing different national costumes of the participants of the race all made for a colorful start to this exciting dynamic pageant.

After all the races had finished the party continued, live bands played in an open-air disco until the small hours, which felt so decadent. I think the best fish and chips I had ever tasted in my life was served that night and washed down with freshly made Pimms. I almost floated away into the heavens as I danced with my husband to Dancing Queen by Abba under the sultry balsamic Arabian moon. I

The event was very well organized and the crowd control by the police was fantastic. The taxi queue was three deep and a mile long to pick up the jovial crowd. Everybody stood in line waiting patiently for their carriages and reluctantly we left and went back to our hotel.

The next day we took of to Jamira beech, which is famous for the location of the world's most expensive hotel with it's sail profile. Long white beeches stretched ahead of us. The beeches are free and are quite safe to sit on as Dubai is very cosmopolitan and the sight of a westerner in a Bikini does not give rise to stares or criticism.

Finally we ended the trip by visiting many of the shopping Malls, where you can find anything you want from designer labels to Woolworths.

At the end of the trip and return to another month of summer festivities in Qatar, we can truly say that if you are planning to live in Qatar, there are many wonderful events that you will have the opportunity to see and visit all year round. I am busier now than I have ever been in my live and happy with the knowledge that I can travel within easy reach of international events that may take my fancy for a fraction of the cost.

Anne Smith