I’m rather surprised by how much there is to do in the UAE (albeit expensive at times), but as great as the country is, what made the experience for me was not so much the city, attractions, or even activities – it was the great company I got to share it with. Backpacking across the world by myself grants me the freedom to make spontaneous, unilateral decisions as I go, but there is a price: I have nobody to share my adventures with. While I do my best to share my stories with family and friends back home through this blog, it is a far cry from actually experiencing the events together. While cliché, it’s true when they say life is better with company - and the same applies to travel. Ironically, what started out as terrible travel delay with my Indian visa turned out to be a blessing in disguise and I had the opportunity to travel with two old friends from college, Sean and Will, who were visiting family in Abu Dhabi.