Anyone ever travel to Dubai and/or Abu Dhabi?

[DaKCMan AP]

Was it for work/school/vacation?

Where did you go?

When did you go?

What did you do?

Did you travel elsewhere while on this trip? Where?

Would you recommend going?


Thanks!

[RockChalk]

Originally Posted by Laz

sounds like my cousin

are you stalking me through my family?

Yes. But only to find out the name of the chick in your avatar

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by RockChalk

Yes. But only to find out the name of the chick in your avatar

oh ... well that's ok then.


but seriously it's sounds like your client is my cousin. That's pretty much exactly what he did.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

You could say that about a lot of places.

True, but most of them weren't built in the last 20 years. Not to say you shouldn't go.

[MIAdragon]

Yes,a few times.

Was it for work/school/vacation?
for work/play

Where did you go?
All over Dubai

When did you go?
March and October

What did you do?
You wont want to go where we went, we usually go to the places where tourists don't go. This is not the city for this. There is quite a bit to do there, its a hard place to describe, its one of those "you have to try and decide for yourself".

Did you travel elsewhere while on this trip? Where?

Would you recommend going?
I didn't like it, its a very "shady" place. You need to watch your P's and Q's.

Thanks!

I don't really have time to get into much detail now, Ill have more time later.

[raybec 4]

I went to Dubai and the UAE when I was in the military. It was an excellent experience.

[eazyb81]

Originally Posted by RockChalk

I have a tax client that worked over there for a year. Did some hospital software management type stuff.

He told me it was a whole different world over there. LOTS of money. He generally enjoyed his experience over there though. Said he would do it again if he wasn't married. His wife didn't really want him over there for a year, but for what they paid him, it was really a no-brainer.

And this is why a lot of people go there.

A couple years ago, it was quite common for foreigners to go to Dubai for a few years, make a couple hundred thousand a year with no taxes (finance/law types), and then head back to their home country. I had a few friends in finance do it and they are now set. Due to the economy though, those opportunities are less frequent.

[2bikemike]

I went to Dubai years ago courtesy of the USN. We hung out at a place called Pancho Villas. They had this little dude standing at the door with a big sombrero on. I don't know if he was Arab or Mexican. Saw an article on MSNBC about the place a couple years ago and they still had that little dude standing out there. It made me laugh.

IIRC Dubai wasn't a real fun place but things have changed a lot in the 20+ years since I was there. They have grown to be a very cosmopolitan type city and from what I here you can get pretty much anything you want there now.

Of all my travels and of all the traveling that I would like to do. The Middle East is not even at the bottom of the list. I will never go back there and can't imagine why anyone would want to go.

[SLAG]

I've been to Jordan and Syria

but my dad Owned a company in Dubai for a few years

[Fritz88]

I have been there several times, quite a while back. I think I have quite a few friends over there. Not sure if they moved though.

It's not that expensive. It's tax free. You could eat a decent meal for less than 8 dollars.
It's unbelievably hot and humid. Unless you go between Late Oct and leave before Mid May, it's going to be nearly unbearable. But you live in FL. So you could manage .
Lots of exposure to top notch companies. Its geographical location and investment incentives make it a hot business hub. That's what it is. Also, that's why your MBA program offers its students to go there. It's going to be a good place to get connections, build your network, get to know people from different cultures and backgrounds.
It can be insanely crowded at times. They built a metro but people are still using cars.
Crazy night life, many parks and malls. It the Las Vegas of Arabia as some would like to call it.
Slave labor is there. Yes, you could say that about a lot of places. But in this particular place, workers from South East Asia are suffering quite a lot and they are paid way below what they deserve. I think it's quite hypocritical that they claim to be a first world city/state but treat their labor that way. It's the same thing across the GCC. As Brock said, that should not keep you away from going.
If you do something wrong in their standards or system, and I am not saying that you would, you could end up spending a lot of time in jail. Their judicial system is way different than what many westerns are used to.

Abu Dhabi is more conservative, more cautious I would say. It's the capital. The ruler of the UAE lives there. It's less crowded. I say cautious because it's not as wild as Dubai. In Dubai, people could get carried away one way or another and get screwed. Abu Dhabi has less night life, less business opportunities and less companies than Dubai. Same weather though, to some extent. Same rules I would say. It's still tax free and cheaper than Dubai.

I hope that helps, if you need more info please let me know. Good luck. I really recommend it for your MBA program. Lots of expats over there, you can really build connections and hit it off really well.

Remember, it's 13 or 14 hours away from the States. Time different will make watching College football and NFL a little difficult .

[DaKCMan AP]

Originally Posted by Fritz88

I have been there several times, quite a while back. I think I have quite a few friends over there. Not sure if they moved though.

It's not that expensive. It's tax free. You could eat a decent meal for less than 8 dollars.
It's unbelievably hot and humid. Unless you go between Late Oct and leave before Mid May, it's going to be nearly unbearable. But you live in FL. So you could manage .
Lots of exposure to top notch companies. Its geographical location and investment incentives make it a hot business hub. That's what it is. Also, that's why your MBA program offers its students to go there. It's going to be a good place to get connections, build your network, get to know people from different cultures and backgrounds.
It can be insanely crowded at times. They built a metro but people are still using cars.
Crazy night life, many parks and malls. It the Las Vegas of Arabia as some would like to call it.
Slave labor is there. Yes, you could say that about a lot of places. But in this particular place, workers from South East Asia are suffering quite a lot and they are paid way below what they deserve. I think it's quite hypocritical that they claim to be a first world city/state but treat their labor that way. It's the same thing across the GCC. As Brock said, that should not keep you away from going.
If you do something wrong in their standards or system, and I am not saying that you would, you could end up spending a lot of time in jail. Their judicial system is way different than what many westerns are used to.

Abu Dhabi is more conservative, more cautious I would say. It's the capital. The ruler of the UAE lives there. It's less crowded. I say cautious because it's not as wild as Dubai. In Dubai, people could get carried away one way or another and get screwed. Abu Dhabi has less night life, less business opportunities and less companies than Dubai. Same weather though, to some extent. Same rules I would say. It's still tax free and cheaper than Dubai.

I hope that helps, if you need more info please let me know. Good luck. I really recommend it for your MBA program. Lots of expats over there, you can really build connections and hit it off really well.

Remember, it's 13 or 14 hours away from the States. Time different will make watching College football and NFL a little difficult .

The trip is set for early March, making it opportune for both climate and the football offseason.

The trip is for 1 week, but if I travel that far I probably want to extend my stay. I have no intention of visiting the surrounding countries of Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan or Yemen. I guess options would be Egypt, India or Turkey. Thoughts?

[Fritz88]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

The trip is set for early March, making it opportune for both climate and the football offseason.

The trip is for 1 week, but if I travel that far I probably want to extend my stay. I have no intention of visiting the surrounding countries of Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan or Yemen. I guess options would be Egypt, India or Turkey. Thoughts?

India is 4 hours away. I do not have to tell you how diverse and culturally rich India is. You grab your camera and pretty much find amazingly spontaneous and bizarre things to photograph everywhere. Dubai has huge Indian workers. I believe the number of actual UAE citizens is 1 to 5 non citizens in the entire country . They have probably at least one flight per day to India. They should be affordable as well.

Yemen and Iran are two amazing places, but due to political unrest. I don't recommend them.

Turkey and Egypt are pretty awesome. Turkey is going to be quite cold though. Egypt is 4 hours away as well. Weather would be prefect. Not too hot, not too cold.

My vote goes to India for sure. It really depends on what you look for when traveling, though. Do you look for history? Culture? Night life? Monuments? Archeological sites? India should have all. So does Egypt and Turkey. But India is just way too diverse.

Good luck.