RE: PH Blog: Dubai or not Dubai?

[shirt]

Contigo said:

What do you do? All you can really do there of any excitement is go boozing to one of the many hotels bars/restaurants. Outdoor life is pretty much non existent for 8 months of the year because it is simply to darn hot.

3-4mths it gets hot but after the first summer you get used to it, dry heat is fine, i work outside and can manage 60-90mins at a stretch in summer. the 3 weeks either side of summer are the worst, humidity rockets and wearing anything other than shorts and t-shirt is uncomfortable.

conversely, what do you guys do in winter? warm house to warm car to warm office. same for us, just with air con in all 3.

as to what i do, whatever i can think of really. i build fix and race cars, go dune bashing, camping in oman and the northern emirates, stage weekend long parties in the desert with a pro sound system and 3-400 people in attendance. i go fishing for mahi mahi and tuna, waterski, bbq like a bd, sail, play football once a week. you can go skiing, hire a dirt bike for the day, go hot air ballooning, learn to fly, pretty much anything you like. the bonus being it is far cheaper to do these things in dubai than it is in the UK and there's no nannying HSE rules to prevent the riskier activities or tell me i an't take my jeep on a particular patch of common land.

when i tire of all that i suppose i could fly to goa for a weekend for £90 return, sri lanka with etihad for £20 more.

dubai is not a paradise but it is also not the place it is made out to be in the uk tabs. i would never take a holiday here but as the lifestyle is as easy and diverse as you could imagine. just wish there was some more greenery!

back on topic:

works car park today - 964 3.6 turbo, aston v12v, ferrari 599 and 430 scuderia, gallardo, merc E500

drive home: 2 aventadors in a hurry, karmann ghia, defender pickup, rangerover classic. traffic jam coming out of work due to an accident so i drove off road for a stretch and missed the queue.

apartment car park: viper, r8, few g55's, bentley arnage, 356 speedster replica, v12 e type, 993 c2, corvette z06

Edited by shirt on Tuesday 15th January 22:12

[kenyakirk]

I feel I have to re-emphasise the majority of opinions on here. Yes, Dubai is a place of excesses, and yes, there are a huge amount of bangers on the road, but if you know where to go and when (JBR on a Friday night, Mall of the Emirates valet on a Thursday night) then you'll see the exotica in all it's glory.

I am from Scotland and the main thing to note is that, there are as many bangers on the roads here as there are in the UK, but there are significantly more exotics than you would ever hope to see in the UK, other than the exception being Central London on a weekend.

And for the PHer saying that there is nothing to do here, I echo the message of 'What can you do in the UK you can't do here?' Sit in the house with the heating blaring while it lashes down with rain outside, watching Coronation Street, no thank you.

I have been in Dubai for 4 years now. Being settled I decided to treat myself and bought a 911 Turbo Cabriolet (complete with PH Smiley on the side window). I love my cars and am of the opinion that while the means allow I might as well jump at the chance, cause if I ever return to the UK a car like that would be a distant dream.

Yes, Dubai is a place of extremes, but once you get used to some of the driving (BTW I was in the UK over Christmas and had numerous occasions where the driving ability of others left much to be desired), and the summer temperatures, then if you had the opportunity, why wouldn't you? When I left the UK it was difficult, hard to up everything, leave family and friends behind and start a new life thousands of miles away, but having had 4 years here, I sometimes wonder why I didn't do it sooner.

[dxbtiger]

KissMyR8 said:

modified cars don't exist

That is just not true.

If I forget that I am English and based my whole opinion on the place from staying in a hotel in London for 5 days in the summer I would have a very differing opinion of the place. That seems to be what some posters here have done though with Dubai.

It is an awesome place to live and work, if you cannot find things to keep you entertained here, whilst enjoying approximately 362 days of sunshine then good riddance I say.

[micawrx]

I have visited DXB a number of times on business and moved out here in Nov. 12.

All the expats I have spoken to dont want to go home...

(mind you one of them thought the food was expensive here until they went back in the summer to the UK and did some shopping in ASDA!)
Their kids played in the mud, as they hadnt seen it for a few years!

One of my colleagues hasn't been back in 30 years.. ever.

Three weeks into to 'normal' family life out here...
The weather is 22-30 degrees and sunny 90% of the time.
I have been to 3 quality motor sport events from free to 5 quid. One I watched from the paddock club at Yas and nobody was bothered where I wandered.
Sheikh Zayed Road has been utilised 50 times and I am not dead.
I havent paid tax on anything - therefore my hard earned is 30% better off (without considering my more appropriate salary)
It cost me 90AED to fill my 4x4 tank last night
My wife already has more friends due to no work (more time for my recreation!)
I bought a 32" LED Toshiba LED TV for 100 quid and a 6 seater table set for 995 AED last night (same that would be 700 quid in 'super sale time' DFS etc)
I have a gardener at home that also washes my car for 300AED a month, and has never stopped smiling (I pay him what he asked for)
We had my daughters birthday at Rainforest Cafe and the staff played with the kids for an hour after we had finished our meal.. had to go searching for someone to pay the bill


Downsides
Bacon is flipping expensive
I kept my house in the UK and the council have taken away any council tax reduction for expats
Straight roads.. when i get sick of them i'll book a trackday.. (or take the intersection from Umm seqiem road to Motorcity a few times!)

Driving.
The driving is close, very close, you can't maintain a 'braking gap'..
BUT, Everyone driving like that is paying attention, looking in their mirrors, will yield if you want to be an ass and not let them in... Road Rage is negligible as it just doesn't wash with the authorities
(there are still the people texting, which stick out a mile as they do in the UK)

Saw a Veyron and 70's Carrera RS last night in 100yds (including the run of the mill G55/65/C63 AMG's, SL65 BiTurbo's, 911's, BRZ, GT86, Maseratis etc)

Your 'supercar' threshold gets quickly readjusted here!

Motorsport
Interest from speccys is low, but it doesnt matter as the tracks dont need the income.
Now look at the UK....
Rally GB 1980 to 2012... Spectator comparison anyone? 10%?? less?
Touring Cars.. 1987 to 2012.. same???
Recruiting marshals in UK?... nigh on impossible.
...there is not interest in motorsport now..I dont know the answer and I am posting on the wrong forum to get it!

Nothing to do?
As a petrolhead.... from birth.
Watching.. Drifting Comps, National Series, Motorbikes etc etc
Doing.. Off road driving at will, Trackdays, indoor outdoor karting, Fettling my cheap off roader.

...but...
As i am home at 5pm every night and have every weekend free (not possible in the UK for me to earn money) I will spend most time with the kids at the pool , at the beach, riding bikes, eating out.. all assisted by the weather

and the point of cars not fit for the road/rotten MOT failures??
...absolute tosh, the testing is very tight here.

If you hadnt guessed, So far, I like it..

[shirt]

kenyakirk said:

stuff

ooh a lurker!

come say hi in the middle east forum. few of us are going for a beer on thursday if you fancy it.


andy - i can see whay it is not to your taste here but then your career position and home life wouldn't neccesarily benefit from the move. for me it has opened doors and given my career a huge boost. i can't see me settling here but i also know i won't go home after i'm done.

ps - next time you;re out i'll take you to the offshore sailing club.

[72911]

"the UAE no longer deserves its reputation for being home to an excess of wealthy, reckless playboys with brashly-modified cars. It’s a calmer place these days, as far as its car culture is concerned. Showing off is on the way out, and anyone who does still enjoy driving fast is clearly being urged to take it to the track."

You have to be kidding.

If you wanted to get into the local (Emirati) car culture you completely missed the point. Many Emirati's are passionate about old Nissan Patrols (160 series), Toyota Land Cruisers (especially the 40 and 70 series) and the old dodge pick-up truck that was used in oil exploration (and paid homage to in pretty large scale... www.enam.ae ). You should head to Moreeb Dune in Liwa on any given weekend and you'll see what I mean. There is also a deep love of Mercs here (Shed would be proud) – old and new. There has to be more C63 / CL63 / S63 cars here than anywhere else on the planet!

[Dr Imran T]

dxbtiger said:

Contigo said:

What do you do? All you can really do there of any excitement is go boozing to one of the many hotels bars/restaurants. Outdoor life is pretty much non existent for 8 months of the year because it is simply to darn hot.

I play golf all year round, last summer wasn't too hot at all, much easier than trying to play in the rain/frost/snow of an English winter

Head out into the dunes and/or wadis.

Squash, tennis, bit of football sometimes.

Fishing, sailing, a combination of both.

SWMBO goes horseriding 3 times a week minimum.

Sure we booze hard, especially in the summer but then I'd do that in the UK as well.

Take this weekend for example, playing golf on Thursday, memorial fund raiser for a friend who passes away last year. Friday cruise up to Abu Dhabi to watch the best 2 golfers in the world for free and be able to see them due to small crowds. Saturday bbq at a friends villa with a pool. Back to work Sunday (we work Sun-Thurs)

By clubs do you mean nightclubs or some other kind? Plenty of those here, I wouldn't say a lack of those means there is fk all to do.

I agree there is plenty to do in Dubai, it's what takes your fancy really. It certainly caters for people who are willing to spend a bit.

My brother-in-law is out there and is always keeping himself entertained. There are a fair few concerts that take place there too.

There's also the cricket ground, the horse racing ground which is awe inspiring and plenty of stuff to do out at sea

I am sure things have slowed down a bit post 2008 - were they not planning on building a canal through the centre of Dubai?? it was a huge project that has now been shelved iirc.

Nevertheless, they're still building things and what not.

Also, what's the name of that shopping mall at the bottom of the Emirates towers? the Emirates mall? it had some very very expensive watches in there!!

[6th Gear]

The local car wash this afternoon.

[Dagnut]

I was there last year and there was lots of Mustangs, Chargers, Camaros .. that is one major difference with the UK....not sure how the author didn't notice that.
I had preconceived notions of the place as well but I went to stay with my brother who had been a resident there for 3 years and I have to say the ex-pats have a great lifestyle....he went back to Australia and he is itching to get back.... petrol about 40p a litre, cheap insurance, no road tax...perfect place to run a big V8...like Australia used to be

[Fatdude]

Dubai is similar to the US but with a lot more $$$$$ you have to have a lot of cash to enjoy it all or your just watching the rich play from the side lines.