Loot from trip to Dubai

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ahmadothman

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 26, 2016
751
7
Egypt
The way this is going, they're going to start claiming that you'll be struck by lightning if you even think about smoking, or that it will make you go blind or put hair on your palms.
Nanny states!
Yeah.. And especially Dubai.. they are trying to be "smoking free" No smoking allowed anywhere except in select cafés and pubs.. and soon this will be eliminated :x

 

jvnshr

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 4, 2015
4,616
3,868
Baku, Azerbaijan
I have been to Dubai once, smoking there is a huge dilemma. Either you have to smoke outside under 50C (122F) or you have to sit in a cool cafe and breath air.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Ahmad, how do you find Dubai? I'm not likely to travel there. The travel stories I've seen on it look bizarre, the extravagance, the ski slopes in an air conditioned dome, the condos on breakwater networks, the pools on penthouse roofs, etc. My sister has friends who relocated there with a newborn. It looks/feels like a settlement on another planet. How was it in person?

 

jvnshr

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 4, 2015
4,616
3,868
Baku, Azerbaijan
In Dubai, you are either very poor or very rich. There are two sides of Dubai which is connected through a highway. If you go to Deira you will see immigrant Indians, Pakistanis, etc working under 40-50C (110-120F). That was one of the worst things I have ever seen in my life. That's the real part of Dubai working and making money. They work so hard to earn few hundred dollars a month and send it to their families. If you go to Jumeirah beach or Burj Khalifa or a mall you will see an Arab with his 4 wives and 14 children behind walking in the brands like Louis Vuitton or Chanel.

Interesting things I have seen there: some of the places are equipped with automated water sprayers. Those devices spray water droplets onto you to cool you. Drinking water is free in Dubai, if you ask for a water while sitting in a cafe or restaurant, they won't charge you for that. They don't turn off the engine of the vehicle if they are leaving the car for 10-20 minutes (to let the air conditioner work).

 

ahmadothman

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 26, 2016
751
7
Egypt
I have been to Dubai once, smoking there is a huge dilemma. Either you have to smoke outside under 50C (122F) or you have to sit in a cool cafe and breath air.

True.. and it's getting worse.. they are soon preventing smoking anywhere, even in bars and pubs.
Ahmad, how do you find Dubai? I'm not likely to travel there. The travel stories I've seen on it look bizarre, the extravagance, the ski slopes in an air conditioned dome, the condos on breakwater networks, the pools on penthouse roofs, etc. My sister has friends who relocated there with a newborn. It looks/feels like a settlement on another planet. How was it in person?
It is extremely extravagant as you said.. And all these are true..I stayed there for a week and my conclusion was "It's an amazing place to live, for all the excellent infrastructure, facilities and luxury.. But not much of a place for tourism" as it has no soul, no character and EXTREMELY expensive...But my friends living there are enjoying the benefits as salaries there are considerably high.. And yes, in any given residential tower, there is a gym, a Sauna and a pool... mostly penthouse pool.. And there is a huge ski dome with live penguins and Metro stations that look and feel out of a sci-fi film. with trains to match

 

ahmadothman

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 26, 2016
751
7
Egypt
In Dubai, you are either very poor or very rich. There are two sides of Dubai which is connected through a highway. If you go to Deira you will see immigrant Indians, Pakistanis, etc working under 40-50C (110-120F). That was one of the worst things I have ever seen in my life. That's the real part of Dubai working and making money. They work so hard to earn few hundred dollars a month and send it to their families. If you go to Jumeirah beach or Burj Khalifa or a mall you will see an Arab with his 4 wives and 14 children behind walking in the brands like Louis Vuitton or Chanel.

Interesting things I have seen there: some of the places are equipped with automated water sprayers. Those devices spray water droplets onto you to cool you. Drinking water is free in Dubai, if you ask for a water while sitting in a cafe or restaurant, they won't charge you for that. They don't turn off the engine of the vehicle if they are leaving the car for 10-20 minutes (to let the air conditioner work).
I have rarely seen emirati people there.. Mostly indians, and Philippines.. And they stack throughout the whole job market, from garbage collection to bank management... Followed by Lebanese, Jordanians and Egyptians.. then Europeans and Americans.. As out of the 9M inhabitants there, there are around 900k Emirati.
And true, there is a stark difference between people in Dubai.. It's either filthy rich or aspiring to, who are basically living in HUGE malls.. and believe me when I say HUGE...and then there are the outskirts poor..

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I think the massive development, skyscrapers and malls, were based on oil profits. I'm not sure how Dubai will weather the fall in oil prices. Maybe the infrastructure is at a place where it can sustain itself as a financial and marketing center, but the extravagance seems a lot to carry on that alone. I assume Dubai is interested in relocations from London after Brexit.

 

ahmadothman

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 26, 2016
751
7
Egypt
I think the massive development, skyscrapers and malls, were based on oil profits. I'm not sure how Dubai will weather the fall in oil prices. Maybe the infrastructure is at a place where it can sustain itself as a financial and marketing center, but the extravagance seems a lot to carry on that alone. I assume Dubai is interested in relocations from London after Brexit.
Surprisingly Dubai is the poorest part of Emirates in terms of Petrol.. It nearly has none.. However, it positioned itself as a global business hub and touristic attraction. And this is how they get most of their GDI... I assume that the extravagance will recess once the Emirati petrol dries out, but I think Dubai will be the biggest survivor of the whole country..

 

fafnir

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 21, 2016
125
1
Didn't Abu Dhabi bail out Dubai after the financial crises in 2009 and now owns/ pulls the strings, if I recall correctly Dubai was on the verge of bankruptcy and the other Emirate nations had to supply cash as Dubai's sovereign wealth funds got smashed?

 

fafnir

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 21, 2016
125
1
Oh the joys of google.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8382275.stm

 

ahmadothman

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 26, 2016
751
7
Egypt
That is true. And it was because the mortrage crisis savaged Dubai. And they were building the longest pencil in the world

 
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