I was asked to start this thread by a member. I first came here in 1993 for a visit (it was much smaller then!), started spending a lot of time here in 2002 and moved here in late 2004. I am about to start spending less time here because of the soaring costs and traffic congestion.
Ask away!
Do you know anything about camel races? I saw a camel race on television once in Qatar, and there were what looked like stuffed-animal jockeys strapped to their humps; what’s up with that?
How’s that palm-island coming along? Come to think of it, they were building an island in Qatar when I was there, too. Dubai’s is probably better.
In general, what is it like to live in a filthy rich Arab country? Are they like so many other ME countries that import labor from the Phillipines and India, while the minority that are actually citizens get free land and utilities while smoking hookahs and collecting oil checks? (I’ve heard this of Qatar and Kuwait – is it even true there?)
Also, this probably isn’t the right forum, but I’ll play along if everyone else does.
Moving to MPSIMS.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
I know a lot of Westerners go to the Gulf states to work. How easy is it to bring pets along? I’m currently looking for a job in the region and want to bring my ferret.
which place is better to live ?? sharjah or dubai ??
If living costs are going to be spiralling upwards like this, there will be shortage of labour in Dubai in near future … How will Dubai cope without the labourers ( construction /others)??
In your view ,what direction will the dubai taking in next 15 to 20 years ?? Will it become a tourist destination for commoners , and less of a place to live ??
what will be the cost of a 1000 square feet carpet area flat in a decent locality ?? 
Availability of booze? Hookers?
So, how tall is the Burj Dubai really going to be?
–Sunspace in Toronto, now home of the world’s second-tallest free-standing structure
And where’s the electric train system to serve this new metropolis? I’ve heard that the traffic jams are horrendous.
Frontline did a piece on hookers in Dubai, so apparently they’re available.
I want to know if the quality of the construction of the Burj Dubai is any good. They seem to putting that up faster than Starbucks can spawn, so I have a hard time imagining that thing’s very sturdy.
I have an American friend about to move to Abu Dhabi to work on a start-up newspaper. He does not really want to leave Thailand, but the money is too good to pass up. He told me he expects Dubai to be good for the bar scene, as it’s sort of a sleazy red-light district from what he’s heard, although he’s not been there yet. Will he be disappointed? And what are your thoughts on Abu Dhabi? He says the two places are about 90 miles apart.
From the perspective of a Western expatriate, how does living and working in the UAE compare to living and working in the other Gulf states, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar? Is the climate, typical income, and access to amenities roughly the same, or wildly different? (I know you didn’t indicate that you’ve been to these other places, but since you’ve lived in the UAE so long, perhaps you’ve conversed with other expats who have.)
I’m thinking of trying to get a job in Riyadh. Lack of free access to alcohol doesn’t concern me as I don’t drink.
From frequenting several car message boards that interest me, it seems like there is a disproportional amount of 18 year old Dubaians driving Lambos and Z06s. Is this the case? Oil money?
They did have issues with very young boys (7ish) riding… they don’t weigh much so the camels could go faster. This has been stopped (or at least seriously curtailed). They now are experimenting with “robotic” jockeys. :rolleyes:
There are 3 Palms, one finished and being built on, one nearly finished, and one just starting. They are washing away faster then planned so the costs are going up - I’d never buy anything on them.
More or less, yes. 80-85% of the population is foreign and about 10% is Western. There is almost no middle class. Lots of Indians and Pakistanis.
No idea about ferrets. If you have all the paperwork (at least for dogs and cats) it is easy, but most people don’t have dogs here as locals would never have one for cultural reasons.
Dubai is better for amenities and space, Sharjah is cheaper. Sharjah has a bit of a reputation has having backwards/very religious people in the UAE (Think Alabama, USA). The traffic from Sharjah to Dubai in the morning and back in the evening is horrible… like a parking lot on the expressway… 2-3 hours at least.
Labor will always be cheap with a billion Indians 3 hours away. It is already a tourist destination super-popular with Europeans, Americans less so. Nobody has carpet here… only tile. A 1000 sq ft flat will be 1 or 2 bedrooms and cost about AED 110,000 per year - roughly $30,000, payable in a single check when you move in… two checks if you have a good landlord. Nobody pays month-to-month.
15-20 years, hard to say, but I am hoping the metro coming in 2010 and the completion of many more apartments will turn things around.
The Burj… perhaps 200 floors? I live about 1.5 miles from it and have a full view of it from the terrace. It looks VERY tall and is also quite thin. We are all waiting for the metro - originally planned to be 2 lines, there are now 6 lines being built/planned. It is all too little too late as the traffic is the reason I will be spedning more time in Europe now. From 6-9pm it is faster to walk than drive almost anywhere in the city. I have walked more than an hour to go out to dinner.
Touch wood, no building has collapsed here, but when we have been out looking for an apartment to buy here, the quality of construction is our #1 concern. All the labor is from India/Pakistan and is just not very good overall. The engineering is top notch, but the construction - who knows?
They do bring in more experienced people for some stuff (like Thai engineers for some tunnels for the metro). Progress seems to have slowed on the Burj - they are in a transition from the concrete section to the upper steel section, but the two cranes on top are still working 24 hours a day.
There are currently some 800 50+ story buildings unde construction here so it is one big construction site. I think a building collapse or a serious fire will have to happen before Dubai cracks down on the situation of quality… they are a bit more reactive than proactive here.
Sharjah has a huge problem with warehouse fires… seems to be one a week going up there.
I would not call Dubai sleazy. There is nothing remotely close to the red light parts of Bangkok. ABu Dhabi is a bit dull, but a more relaxing place to live I think. It is a 2 hour drive but the road is very dangerous - lots of young, male, locals with very fast cars and no understanding of physics.
The cost of living will be a shock after Thailand… hope he has a big housing allowance.
I have been to Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Yemen, but not Saudi. Climate is about the same, but Kuwait is a bit cooler in the winter and perhaps slightly less humid… and Riyadh is less humid from where I hear… but all in all the Gulf is similar everywhere as far as climate goes.
Cost of living is highest in Dubai, and in Doha (Qatar) costs are rising fast. Amenities are best in Dubai, but in all the countries except Yemen (not really a Gulf country) you can get most anything you need. Incoms are similar throughout the Gulf, and there are more jobs in Dubai and Saudi, but the after expenses savings will be lower in Dubai than most as there is a very high cost to housing here and probably more things to spend money on.
I don’t drink either so I couldn’t care less about access to booze. If I had my choice, I’d live in Muscat - much nicer scenery with the mountains and Omanis actually work in all levels of society - so it is harder for expats to get a job there.
In Saudi, you will live on a compound, but not in other countries. Our neighbors are Indian on one side and Emirati on the other.
Yes. I have seen more crashed Ferraris and Lamorghinis here than intact ones in Nevada. They all drive like lunatics. Seriously, the driving here is scary. It is not chaos like Uganda or Thailand, as we have fastasticly good roads, but the speed kills people.
Per capita, the highest fataliteis are in Saudi, UAE and Oman. Mostly it comes down to driving too fast and poor lane discipline.
Lots of 20-something Emiratis have these hot cars - it was interesting to see these young guys at the Dubai Auto Show making purchase deals.
I keep thinking… All that non-earned wealth. Being dependent on servants, while at the same time considering those same servants sub-human; the schizophrenic “keeping up islam appearances” even in the cases where the Saudis themselves know keeping up such appearances isn’t realistic (for instance, “tolerating” forensic medicine even though the Koran forbids cutting into a dead human body)…aren’t Saudi’s in essence morally bankrupt? Aren’t the glaring inconsistencies in their lifestyle gnawing away at their souls? Is that noticable in the psychology of the Saudi’s you meet?
Hasn’t the schtick of being gaudily rich, golden-taps-in-every-bathroom-style, hanging yourself with diamonds and Gucci’s, grown weary among young Saudi’s? If you are rich for several generations, don’t young Saudi’s start to look for other pleasures in life, like self-developement?
Don’t you ever want to tell them what you really think of them?
Do young Saudi’s (men and women" have access to Internet? How has that changed their outlook on the world?