This article is classified "Real"
Dubai is the most significant city of the United Arab Emirates, the trade
Mecca, the pearl of the Gulf, the gates of the Middle East, and so on.
Dubai was founded by the British, who still do a lot of business there. It
is owned and ruled by Arabs, maintained by Pakistanis and Hindus and visited
mostly by Russians.
So if you arrive to Dubai you are one of the following:
1) An Arab;
2) A Briton on a business trip;
3) A Pakistani, Hindu, Iranian, Lebanese or Filipino waiting for
employment;
4) A Russian on a shopping tour or a Russian who just wants to
see "the hot countries".
It is very suspicious if you are none of the above.
The money unit used in United Arab Emirates is Dirham. The rate since 1971
has been 3.65 Dirhams per US Dollar. Big trade centres and state
institutions accept only Dirhams, but small stores accept dollars and
British pounds.
The data concerning the population of Dubai is controversial. Some sources
say it is some 100,000 persons (natives only). Some of them say it is up to
one million (including all foreign labour force). The city is not yet
completed, and it is hard to say when it will be. Here and there new
hotels, shopping centres, office and residential buildings are erected. The
city is built right in the desert. Wealthy sheikhs surround their villas
with nice palm gardens, which are watered by computerised sprinkling
systems, while some new buildings in Bur-Dubai are still surrounded with
sand.
Dubai has very little public transportation -- just a half dozen bus routes.
Taxi cabs are numerous, and they differ much. City owned yellow cabs
(Mercedes, Chevrolet or another big good new car with air conditioning,
taximeter, driver in a uniform) are cheaper than private taxis (old Japanese
cars with Pakistani drivers). Any ride in the city hardly ever costs more
than 25 Dirhams.
The best way of getting around Dubai is to rent a car. Rental rates are
very reasonable. A Toyota Corolla can be rented at only US $33 per day and
a Chevrolet Caprice at US $48 per day.
Dubai is made of two parts -- Deira and Bur-Dubai -- which are separated by
the Dubai Creek. To get from one side of the Creek to another you have to
take either tunnel (closer to the Gulf) or one of two bridges. The roads in
Dubai are excellent. To make them so, they are often mended, mostly on the
weekends. So do not be afraid if you find one of the bridges closed on a
weekend. The weekend in Dubai starts from Thursday twilights and lasts
until Friday evening. Just take another way.
You have to be a complete idiot to lose your way in Dubai. If you take the
wrong way you can always turn back on one of the numerous roundabouts. The
only tricky zone is old Deira with its narrow streets overstuffed with
parked cars. Sometimes the cars are parked in two rows and only one lane
can be used for traffic.
There is practically no crime in Dubai. According to the very severe local
laws, you may get your arm chopped off for theft, and get hanged for the use
or storing of drugs. If the police stops you drunk at the street, you may
spend several weeks in prison. But normally police hardly ever stop people
to check their passports and driving licenses. Foreigners are treated
friendly. Although it is a Muslim city, Dubai does its best to be
cosmopolitan.
There are numerous hotels in Dubai. They differ in number of stars and
location. All five-star hotels (Dubai Hilton, Royal Abjar, Hyatt Regency,
Chicago Beach) either stand on the sea shore or have private beach clubs.
Four-star hotels are numerous and offer good number of facilities, including
swimming pools. Three-star hotels, if they are not called "Apartments", can
hardly be recommended, because often they have troubles with air
conditioning (air is always hot), water supply (water is always hot),
breakfasts (amount of food served at buffet is insufficient for number of
people who want to have breakfast) and, sometimes, guests.
Dubai climate is... well, what can you say of climate if it is some 40 to 45
degrees centigrade in summer, about 30 in autumn and spring and some 25 with
an occasional shower in winter. (The moisture is always above 90%)?
Dubai gives great possibilities for active sports and outdoor activities.
Go to the shooting centre, where you can shoot still and moving targets with
various weapons -- from bow to automatic rifle. Join a paintball team and
paint yourself in red and green. Go yachting, ride a horse, play golf, try
yourself as a falcon hunter, ride a jeep in the desert -- all these are not
cheap, but affordable entertainments.
Having fun in the evening is a sort of problem in Dubai. It's a Muslim
world, so everything has to be modest. The nightlife (dancing parties,
etc.) is almost secret. It can be found at most fashionable hotels only.
The same with the drinks. Draught beer only became available in hotel bars
in 1997. Bottled beer is overpriced (0.33l bottle cost over 4 US Dollars).
Wine and strong alcohol are very, very, very expensive. Alcohol is served
only in international hotels and totally unavailable in the city. A hint:
most of the Russians always have alcohol with them; the thing is to choose
the right person to make friends with. If the guy wears a golden chain
heavier than 50 grams, do not try.
Shopping is a real thing in Dubai. Besides modern shopping malls (like
Al-Ghurair centre) with world best goods which are sold at fixed prices,
there are lots of small Oriental stores and market areas. There are auto
parts area, golden market, grocery markets (wholesale and retail), fish
market, fabric area, home appliances area. At the end of February they have
a trade festival, where they sell everything with little or no profit.
Food is another great thing. Numerous restaurants of different cuisines
offer the choice of food at rather low costs. A dinner for two may cost as
little as 40 Dirhams, and the meals are so big, that you better order only
one to avoid overstuffing. I cannot remember the names of the restaurants,
since they are mostly in Oriental languages. "Golden Fork" at Al-Nasser
square (which serves fried shrimp, ox tail soup, delicious steaks, etc) is
definitely a must -- but try it at 6 or 7 p.m., because after 8 p.m. it is
always overcrowded.
The best way to relax in Dubai is to organise your day according to the
following schedule (or to a similar one). Get up at 7.30 in the morning,
get your breakfast (8.00--8.30), go to swimming pool (9.00--12.00; I would
not advise to go to the beach, except for after the dawn, because the
combination of salty water and merciless sun hurts), have lunch (12.00--1.00
p.m.), have siesta (1.00--4.00), go to swimming pool (4.00--7.00), go
shopping (7.00--9.00 p.m.), have dinner (9.00--10.00 p.m.), drink at the bar
(10.00--11.00 p.m.), go to bed (11.30).