On our third day in Dubai, Marc and I set off for the first of two days of day long excursions traveling and sightseeing in the different Emirates of the UAE. The first of the emirates we visited shortly after leaving Dubai was Sharjah. It was a short drive away from our IBIS Deira City Center hotel and our driver and guide took us to the emirate's main attraction, the blue souk where gold was sold.

It was quite early when we arrived and so many of the stores inside the souk were either closed or just opening up for the day. Unlike the gold souk in Dubai where many of the sellers inside the stores were Indian nationals, here in Sharjah, the main vendors seemed locals to me, meaning, Emiratis!

We took a quick stroll and out we went of the souk and took pictures of the surrounding areas. We were told by Ali, our Pakistani driver and guide, that Sharjah was the most conservative Emirati of the seven. Here, alcohol was completely banned and anyone caught drinking was headed for jail. The place did look a lot quieter and less rich than Dubai. Every man we saw was dressed in the local garb which was the long white robe with the matching head dress.