Abu Dhabi - Day Three (Return to Doha)

We didnt plan on shooting anything else. The real plan was to chill, sleep, then hit the pool, check out of the hotel at noon, then spend the remainder of the time at a mall.
That plan went to hell.
I had packed everything up, got my swim shorts on, and prepared for a nice day.... then my phone beeped. We got the word that the president of the Abu Dhabi Film Commission agreed to an interview. I unpacked everything, changed my clothes, and jumped in a cab.
We got there and finished the interview with the quickness.... but it was still 1pm somehow.
We were an hour late for check out.
We ran back repacked everything and hustled to the front desk.
Ahmed lost his credit card and spent 30 minutes trying to find it (he left it at the restaurant the night before).
The hotel agreed to hold our luggage for us while we went over to the mall for one hour. There wasnt a single thing that we saw that was worth purchasing and then we looked at our watches.... 3pm. Flight took off at 5pm.
Jumped in a cab, went back to the hotel, got the luggage, and were speeding off to the airport. I was trying to convince Ahmed to just forget about the bribe/deposit money we had to pay when we arrived but he refused on "principal".
So the wild goose chase began. One guy tells us immigration. Another guy tells us customs. The other one tells us terminal 1. Finally, we find some guys who know what we are talking about. They take Ahmed and go into the arrivals terminal.
Its 430pm. No idea where he went. I am left standing there with his bags and an extreme paranoia that we are going to miss the flight.
440pm. Still no sign.
450pm. No sign... no answer on BBM.
5pm.... he comes out and we run to the plane.
Somehow, we still werent the last people to board.
After an hour flight, we land in Doha. Home free. But not really.
The airport security was giving us the same problems here that they did in Abu Dhabi. We show them paperwork, explain the situation, read off the serial numbers....
They say they have never heard of Doha Tribeca Film Festival. One guy goes to another guy, he takes the papers to another guy, then another guy....
Finally, they let us go.
End of story.
I wish I could say that the trip was awesome or I love Abu Dhabi or at least that I had SOME fun.... but not really.
It was work.
And that's all.
Although, Ahmed is quite funny and I am glad it was him that I went with.
Next time I land in the Father of the Gazelle.... I want to see something other than Intercon, Khalidya Palace, Marina Mall and the Emirates Palace.