Loving life in Dubai!

[skysod]

I am fed up of every man and his dog slagging off Dubai, so I thought I'd start a thread for those of us who are actually enjoying life out here.

So come on guys and gals if you live in Dubai and actually like it please post!!

Ps. If you want to slag off/moan/whinge about Dubai...please do so on another thread.......God knows you have enough to choose from!!

Cheers to all those who are lovin' life in the pit!!:):)

[Kep Ten Jim]

OK here goes then......

Dubai sucks big time. I'm at my happiest when I'm anywhere but in Dubai

Good thread by the way

[littlejet]

skysod, do you live there?
Are you with the family?
If you are can you describe a normal off-day. Where do you go? How are the beaches? Is sailing possible? Scuba? Cycling? Roller-blades?

[three eighty]

I am fed up of every man and his dog slagging off Dubai

I dunno mate, if even the dogs are starting to slag off the place...

[ab33t]

Sand in every crevice sucks big time

[CAVnotOK]

I dunno Skysod,

Sounds to me like you are someones wife????

[millerscourt]

White Knight in drag probably:ugh:

[Payscale]

I felt like that for my first year too...that was 7 years ago. I dont hate it, but my enthusiasm has gone

[tonker]

Heres what i don't understand.

Most of the moans company issues aside are about 1 .Having to live and work with Arabs 2. The very hot summer and 3 The high cost of living.

What the f**k did they expect.

[Trader]

NO...most were happy here until they 1. increased the productivity target and started flying us like robots. 2. Flt Ops taking every opportunity to make life miserable--ie. rostering practices etc.

Other then the pay and flt ops specific issues most are quite happy here! Bring the monthly hours down and run flight ops properly (most of which is costless) and you would have a majority of content pilots!

[MrMachfivepointfive]

There are better places on this planet and there are worse.
You hate heat and homo sapiens of Arab ethnicity? Sorry - wrong place.
Crazy driving? Try not to be the infamous slow car in the fast lane and you will be left in peace. Emirates Rd has another 4 or 5 lanes to the right of the one you are congesting.
Sub-optimal management? Have seen that in airlines on all continents. The smartest folks end up as bankers, or as rocket scientists - not in airline management.

On the up side: Average pilot lifestyle (3-4 bedroom villa, pool, gym, squash and tennis court, 4x4 plus sportscar in the garage, full time maid, choices for food and nightlife, some outdoors...) is not too bad at all. While luxury goods are on a par or more expensive than elsewhere, it is possible - if you chose to - to live extremely inexpensively and save some money.

I agree that the overall package has been in decline throughout the years. But for me at least it does not hurt enough to dust off my CV yet.

[Cyberbird]

Mister Mach.8something ,,
Your post:
"On the up side: Average pilot lifestyle (3-4 bedroom villa, pool, gym, squash and tennis court, 4x4 plus sportscar in the garage, full time maid, choices for food and nightlife, some outdoors...) is not too bad at all"

is WAY off reality, as i know quite some captains still living squashed up in temp. accomodation (2-3 bedroom appt.) for almost a year now !
Ther only perspective of movin out is getting a scruffy shed in Mirdiff -NO thank You!

And on our fleet (Airbus) have over a dozen F/O recedntly resigned, over the changed upgrade policy plus the really (and i mean REALLY !) VERY LOW F/O salary, which does NOT allow them to support their families in a proper way - they are dept-loaded! and don't make enough money (25k Dhms/mobth) to get rid of thei CC-bills That hurts !!:eek:

I - personally - couldn't care at all (anymore) as i'm serving my notice period (Yeaaaaap !!!!) and can't wait to leave this s**thole behind in spring!:ok:

And i will definitively never look back to this dreadful place ever in life !!
Who needs fancy towers in a bankrupt biased society - Not Me !! :yuk:
Hallas Habibis!

[skysod]

See it's happening already!!!..........this is a thread for anyone out there who's happy in Dubai.....so come on you guys give me some support...or am I really the only one!!!!!:}

[CAVnotOK]

Give up, more chance at getting blood from a stone.

[helen-damnation]

Cyberbird
Average pilot lifestyle
is WAY off reality

WRONG - it's his reality, not yours or someone you heard about.

The upgrade policy sucks and may be a good reason to leave for some.

Anyone who's regular credit card bill is Dhs 20,000 a month, unless they have 4 teenage sons, needs a lobotomy or a new wife.

It's very possible to live a good life here without busting the bank, especially at this time of year. You may not get fillet steak and caviar, neither do you do your weekly shop in "Park n Rob". You need to make a bit of effort and look around, use your EPC card etc.

For now it's "suits me Sir", and the family, so it's good. When it's not, I'm out.

Good luck in your new job, care to tell us where you will be?

[sheikmyarse]

Dubai is a ****hole period.

[porra]

I LOVE living here too!

Live on the Palm - am on the beach most days - wind is good this time of year for kitesurfing and in summer good every day a couple of hours down the road - supermarkets stock foods from my home country - I drive a car that I could only dream of back home - am saving half my salary (if my calculations are correct I should be able to retire VERY comfortably in 10 years) and I have made some true (local) friends here.:D

P

[harry the cod]

Living on the Palm AND saving half your salary!

Mate, you have just got to be single, no kids and in the left seat for the last 5 years. Oh, and made a couple of mill in the poperty boom a few years back. Anything else you forgot to mention?

Not taking anything away though. enjoy it!

Harry

[Marooned]

I'm getting the whiff of desperation from the recruiting department...

porra's apparently 'on The Palm saving half salary and a comfortable retirement in 10 years' ... well please share with us all the info as we would all love to now how you do it, if at all.

There are many who have crap accommodation, in debt with no hope of a decent pension.

[Cloud Bunny]

I'm getting the whiff of desperation from the recruiting department...

porra's apparently 'on The Palm saving half salary and a comfortable retirement in 10 years' ... :ugh:


Could be genuine. The mrs and I are considering making a move out. I'm looking at FlyDubai and Etihad specifically and have done a lot of research (including several trips out to the area) and we reckon we would be saving a bundle each month. Obviously circumstances play a part. In our case, both working therefore two incomes, no kids, all other debts cleared (training loans etc) and as long as you live sensibly then you could save a considerable amount of money. Certainly in our case and we are struggling at the moment to find a single reason as to why we shouldn't make the effort (and thats not an invitation to all those doom-mongerers to tell me). I can understand the hardships and downsides but don't be so quick to poo poo anyone who is making money and enjoying things. It can be done dependant on circumstances.

[Marooned]

I'm looking at FlyDubai and Etihad

Probably a good move. I can only see it from an Emirates standpoint and it taints the view of life and Dubai in general. Good luck.

[IXNAT]

Poor Porra. "At the beach most days". Hmm, either a trainer of some sorts or just plain BS. So who has time to be "at the beach most days" except a trainer doing sims. Not someone doing subcontinent turns every other day in the middle of the night. And as was said, probably single with NO financial obligations other than his kitesurfer. Single in this town? No wonder he likes it.

Two things, if the job were fantastic with time off (like it used to be) with a fair wage with overtime, it might not matter where one lives. Or if one is living in one's paradise location, no matter the job, could be happy. But as what is reality for most now, Dubai and crap job conditions......the buckets are filling. Resignations happening regularly now. Heard contract pilots being considered (ref. Alteon several years back) for this summer. Just rumor.

And of course, comparing Dubai from the location someone came from, it may truely be paradise. But a lot of the pilots have not made Dubai their permanent home and location. No opportunity to escape with no time off.

[CAT3A]

I like the life in dubai in general, family happy as well with good lifestyle

(much better than europe at least)

rostering practices the last six months spoil the mood

[CAYNINE]

Each and every one that posts on this thread should state how long they have been here to give us all some perspective to your comments and attitudes.

Yes I used to think this was the greatest job and place to be.... but 7 years on, the job is still good, I can't say the company has ever been personally unfair toward me, and the money (keep the perspective on what you will make at home after tax) is still ok, (yes married and a kid). Dubai..... well that is a different story now, after being ripped off by banks, realestate agents, goverment fees for everything, etc etc.... (not to mention those that KNOW they are above the law and behave accordingly) the place has lost it's shine.

But I am still here and will be for quite some time...... so I go to work and try and enjoy what I have and not whinge about it too much, hoping that one day I will be able to exit back to the real world not too damaged.:ugh:

[porra]

:ok::ok::ok:

[Marooned]

:mad::mad::mad:

[harry the cod]

I didn't realise ATC guys were so well paid.

[Mr Good Cat]

Okay, I'll bite too...

Things I like about Dubai:

(1) Job: Not the company but the places I fly too and the people I work with. One sector with a suitcase on the 777 is a very nice deal indeed after 4-6 sectors a day 12 hrs on 12 hrs off on little orange 737's in the UK. And EK is still the fastest way to get a left-seat on the 777, providing you're lucky enough to have the time over 55t.

(2) Weather: 9 months of perfect climate, followed by 3 months of hot dust. Beats the UK's 11.5 months of rain followed by a week of dry weather that I can't get leave for.

(3) Lifestyle: I try to avoid night turnarounds as they are fatiguing but generally I spend my days off enjoying using my EPC card for lazing at the Mina Seyahi beach club and eating out at nice joints. I even have a heated pool on the 25th floor of my apartment that's open til 10pm for me to use. I'm married with no kids yet, but I don't live an expensive lifestyle so I do save money each month and have zero debts. I still manage to enjoy fine food, wine and holidays each month. However I only drive a Fortuner not a Porsche like my neighbour.:ok:

(4) Safety: Dubai is a relatively safe place to live compared to most other big cities and I feel comfortable anywhere at any time of day. I also like the cosmopolitan feel about it. Just me I suppose.


Things I don't like about Dubai:

(1) Driving. :mad: Just can't get used to the lack of awareness or common sense of other drivers here, or just the sheer recklessness. But that's just the way it will always be when 90% of the drivers are from the 3rd world and see driving in a different light to those from the developed world.

(2) The Company. I knew it would be like this so I can't complain too much but I just feel that this blame culture and face-saving will eventually lead to a big accident. History shows that open, honest cultures with a bit of integrity have better safety records. We are a big western-style legacy carrier on the outside but if you scratch under the surface it's just the same-old third world regime style of management. I go to work, do my job to the book, then come home enjoy my days off and try not to think about EK at all.

(3) The ethnicity gradient. There is an ethos of s**tting on those less fortunate than others here. I read recently about a group of kids who spat on the shoes of a street cleaner as he was going about his daily job. And it's not just the locals who are guilty it's the expats too. Interesting that one day when the oil is not needed anymore, it will be those living in these states who are looking for labour work in the likes of India etc. I hope I get to see it.


Anyway that's how I see it as a European guy from the right seat of a 777... Overall very nice, but some real stinking negatives to gloss over too. Everybody's circumstances are different of course but that's my two penneth.

MGC

[White Knight]

Millers - you do NOT want to see me in drag!!!

Then again maybe you do as you seem awfully fascinated by me:eek::eek:

[Von Richtofen]

9 months of perfect climate?Are you joking? It is exactky the other way around. 9 months of dusty infernal heat followed by three months of decent weather ..who you think you are trying to fool?
Fom march to to mid november you cannot breath in Dubai and you are forced into A/C all ******* day!!!

[PorkKnuckle]

Weather: 9 months of perfect climate, followed by 3 months of hot dust

You must be either English or a piss-taker. Possibly both. As stated by the Baron (whose English is much better these days! :ok:), there are about three months of decent weather after which is starts to get hot. Then it starts to bake and it gets really, really humid, then the temperature goes up and the humidity goes from high to oppressive and it stays like that for three to four months, after which it backs off to a nice period of really hot with high humidity. Then it's just hot for a while. Then you get a couple of months of nice weather during which you can't help keeping an eye on the calendar, knowing it only lasts a short while.

ALL THE WHILE, it's sandy, hazy and dusty. You can't see stars at night. Leave anything outside and it's covered in sand and dirt in no time.

The beaches have been trashed by the changes wrought by the introduction of palm islands and jingly sewage-truck drivers.

Beaches. Great if you enjoy swimming into silt, turds and spinneys bags. Or sun-bathing next to some KFC refuse a habibi dumped on the sand because it's "his country" or whatever although it's really just plain breeding.

But I like it here.

[EK Snorkel]

A British woman who claimed she was raped by a waiter in Dubai was arrested by police in the Arab state for having illegal sex with her fiancé.
The 23-year-old Londoner said she was was attacked after she passed out in a hotel lavatory.

The woman, a Muslim of Pakistani decent, told police she had been celebrating getting engaged to her boyfriend at the time.
But when she admitted drinking alcohol and sharing


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1241582/British-woman-Dubai-arrested-having-sex-fianc-raped-hotel-waiter.html#ixzz0c1WD22O5 (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1241582/British-woman-Dubai-arrested-having-sex-fianc-raped-hotel-waiter.html#ixzz0c1WD22O5)

:ugh::ugh::ugh:



British woman in Dubai arrested for having sex with fiancé after being 'raped by hotel waiter' | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1241582/British-woman-Dubai-arrested-having-sex-fianc-raped-hotel-waiter.html)

[Jet II]

A British woman who claimed she was raped by a waiter in Dubai was arrested by police in the Arab state for having illegal sex with her fiancé.

:ugh::ugh::ugh:



I would be very wary about believing everything you read in the Mail snorkel.

From the Dubai Expatwomen forum:

"MY DH works in this Hotel and was MOD that night.

The girl was NOT raped!!! and as a matter of fact there is CCTV footage to prove that. The waiter who escorted her to the toilet and then allegedly RAPED her NEVER entered the toilets he returned to the bar and that is on CAMERA. She fell asleep on a make up bench inside the Ladies room.
The two girls who were directing people to pool, bar, toilets, elevators (lack of signage) got worried when she didn't return and entered the ladies room to find her asleep. She was woken up, escorted back to bar where the F&B DIRECTOR had to cut her OFF.
It was the boyfriend who began the rape story in the morning as he was ****** off about her being cut off and 'ruining' the night. The girl said she couldn't remember and just went with the boyfriend's story.
There was a massive investigation on New Year's day with Hotel staff being held, statements of witnesses, the camera footage being investigated and the staff has been cleared.
That is when the police detained the couple for drinking and unlawfully sharing the room."

[Mr Good Cat]

RE: The Weather

To each his own. September to June is fine for me. For others 15 degrees and pissing with rain may well be their shangri-la.

As I stated in my post I am just giving my view of things as a European working in the right seat here. I'm not trying to big up the place or gloss over it's faults, just giving a balanced opinion of the good and the bad as I see it.

MGC

[EK Snorkel]

Thanks for that insight JetII- as you quite rightly say there is always more to a story..

[ATCO1962]

Skysod,

I like living just across the border in Oman.

I would also like to reiterate what I've said many times before in these hallowed fora and that is, don't come to these parts unless you have a plan B that means you can walk at any time without rancour. If you set yourself up so that you can't leave because of employment issues, children issues, financial issues, etc, you are in a bad place and will end up bitter and twisted, like many posters.

Remember, your contract is only a vague agreement between you and your future employer here. It's NOT LIKE HOME. There's a bit of give and take necessary and when they take more than their fair share, it's time to move on. Psychologically, it's great to know that I can, and have always been able to, move whenever I choose. Please, get yourself in that position and your stay here will be far more pleasant than that evidenced in the posts of less-than-happy campers venting here, especially as this is supposed to be a thread on happy campers!

[fractional]

Will this be Dubai's new advertising? It is probably a smart way to cool down matters a bit. They should have kept a balance worldwide campaign between the luxurious life of many and the affordable like of the most.
BBC News - Dubai shows different face of emirates in advertising (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8448768.stm)

[White Knight]

Well - let's hope that the owner of the 4x4 in the background on our local beach there didn't get a fine!!! After all (Mensa take note) - the signs have been up for about 5 years now:E:E

Interesting link thanks fractional...

[Voodoo 3]

As Lloyd Grossman on 'Through the Keyhole' would say - Let's look at the evidence.

Money. Don't pay any sort of tax, except for SALIK I suppose so that immediately makes me 40% better off.

Accommodation. Company gives me an allowance to cover my accommodation costs. Therefore I have no mortgage to pay.

Fuel. Can fill up the car for about £13 as opposed to nearly £60 in the UK.

Car. Due to much lower costs I could upgrade from a small German car back home to a bigger, louder, more prestige German brand. :ok:

Work. Fly a lovely little jet around three times a week with some great colleagues for good money.

Weather. Alright the sun all year does get a bit annoying but it's great at the moment. The summer is oppressive and you can't go out but then again you can't go out in the UK during winter as it's so sodding cold. -20C anyone?

Social. Made friends with some great people and you know you can go out any night as the weather will be fine. Spend lots of time on the beach, marina beach clubs. EPC gives you up to 50% off in some bars/ shops etc.

Costs. Many things are on a par with the UK but there are many bargains to be had if you wait for the sales.


Of course there are some drawbacks as have been mentioned by previous posters. Driving is erratic, no real complaints procedures etc.

On the balance we do enjoy life here. Compared to going back to the UK then certainly for the moment it is a no-no and I suppose will remain so until either life in the UK picks up (it'll have to be a lot) or things here go down.

My two cents or should that be my five fils!!

V3

[Wiley]

I think the most important phrase in Voodoo's well-balanced post is this one:Compared to going back to the UK...with the emphasis on the last word in that phrase - and among the expat population in Dubai, it's always been thus. The Brits simply love the place (and can't imagine why everyone else doesn't too) because it's not the UK, while many non Brits, (at least those from First World countries), wish circumstances allowed them to hold down the EK job but be living in their home countries.

[dustyprops]

Seriously? A thread started specifically to ascertain who loves Dubai and the other 99.8% who don't?

Just look at every other thread for this region, it basically does the same thing.

the sand.......ohhh the sand:uhoh:

[MrSandman]

Just got into town recently so will be sure to let you know my opinion:ok:

[skysod]

Thanks for all your comments guys.
Just for the record, I came here in July and after 6 months (still early days I'll admit) I absolutely love it out here!!
:):):)

[Instant Hooligan]

It's called the "honeymoon" period and unfortunately it wears off.....!!!
I know of nobody that didnt think this place was good then you start to actually experience what a pain it really is to live here. For the record I aint that unhappy but certainly ain't ecstatic.

[fractional]

The life here is what you make of it. As long as the company pays the accommodation and (most of) education fees, life should not be a misery. If one is single or married with no kids, I believe life will be even easier. The ladies will find their niche communicating with other ladies.
We cannot mirror our life styles on what others do, if they are not on the same trade. We all should know what we came for ($/£/€, etc.). This forum and so much more information on the net provide us with the essentials. This is no paradise. Don't expect everyone will have a pool, spa, servants, cheap clubs, etc.. It's another place, safer than where I come from and where I mind my business and ensure family is ok first, respecting the locals and other residents. Remember, this is not your home country and don't make it as that :=. Don't assume you are a guest because you are not. Just do what you have to do, get your money and go somewhere else to work or retire.
In regard to the job, well, it is my job to sort it out professionally because it is something easier to deal with. I admit that some people aren't so lucky because they do not work for reputed companies, but then this is something not wide-spread.

[nolimitholdem]

I thought it was **** when I moved here and after several years my opinion remains unmoved.

Third-world greedy clowns who couldn't organize a one-car parade. A medieval barbarism that tried to cloak itself in "culture" to hide the fact that it's hopelessly irrelevant in the century it actually exists in.

Fortunately the savings and job situation are nearing the point of exit, but would I do it again? Not on your life.

"Loving life"? How silly. I enjoy life, anywhere, because I choose to. But I do so in spite of the cesspool that is Dubai and it's attendant "culture", not because of it. It's all lies.

[Desert Dawg]

@Skysod

I agree with Instant Hooligan - You are in the 'Honeymoon' phase for sure...! I have spent 8 years in the sand pit and can assure you your view will change soon enough.

I have just finished reading Herve Jaubert's book 'Escape From Dubai'. I suggest it is mandatory reading for anyone who is looking at Dubai with rose-tinted glasses. The escape of Herve Jaubert from Dubai (http://www.escapefromdubai.com/)

PS: I actually knew Herve personally (when he was here for his last two years) and I can assure you his life was not pretty....

[Geebz]

Yeah, that's what I wanna' do. Fly 8-14 hrs (depending on where coming frm) just so I can shop for cheap crap in some low-rent Arab district.

Anybody notice the LadyBoy manning the hotel front desk in the video? Reminds me of BKK. Adams Apple spotted at 4:07. Didn't think the UAE allowed LB imports. But hey, anything and everything in Dubai, right?

[MrMachfivepointfive]

Guys - sorry: But I have to comment on what became a 'hit the locals' blog.

How many of you learned the language?
How many of you left the comfort zone of the Oz BBQs, Brit piss-ups, Schweinehaxen feasts and St Paddies days?

In my home country we had lots of Muslim expats, who never bothered to learn our language. It upset us and I swore not to repeat the mistake.

So, I learned the language, asked the locals about their (I don't wanna say 'culture', it has been maligned) customs. I made some great local friends, who appreciated my efforts. I now get invited for weddings, Eid, Iftar dinners, the lot. I have received insights that I wouldn't want to miss in a lifetime. I am still a radical Atheist. Some of my friends don't mind, others find it odd. But they leave me alone about it.

I totally agree: You can't compare this place with a European democracy. Almost all of what has been written in this threat is true. But if you go with the flow you can live damn well and learn a lot. About life, the universe and all the rest. 42.

As they say: You find good people on the rough roads. :)

[Desert Dawg]

@Mach5.5

I have learned the language and learned as much of the culture as I have (over my 8 year tenure in Saudi and the UAE to date)... I too have been invited to various events and ceremonies (maybe not as many as yourself) and have traveled to almost every small town in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. I can say, with confidence, that I have experienced local culture on many different levels during my time here....

My views remain the same (sadly)..... :ugh:

[saywhat]

I hate it here...

I didn't realise ATC guys were so well paid.

They earn great whopping salaries, and then steal the meager wages from hard working Emirates pilots. I donated all my money to the miserable bastards today at golf..........How **** is that? Golf at Ernie Els's place. Then got into my crap brand new 4X4 to drive to my 4 bed Villa that I get for free. Later, the kids will be home from school that the company (A.K.A. Those bastards) pays most of the school fees for.

Anyway, it's so crappy here, I cant wait till my next golf appointment. Perhaps I'll even win some money from those chops.. Probably not though. They cheat. Useless turds!!!!! Perhaps It's just better I just stew in my own misery...........and God forbid one of you useless morons tells me to just pack my bag and go....You just don't understand, it's not that easy....I was an unhappy Toss there too. In fact I can't go back. The people back home hate me. They accuse me of being a miserable sod anywhere in the world. I believe the f#@&ers had a great big party when I left..........at the airport after I went through the gate.

Anyway, all you prospective Dubai wannabys out there. Don't do it!!! You might just meet me at one of the crappy beach clubs, and I'll winge enough to make you tear your own Jugular vein through your belly button.

Hope you have a miserable day, and just remember - management is having a secret meeting as we speak on how to screw us over even more.

[MrMachfivepointfive]

All EK management, all EK management: Engage class 3 concealment protocol and alert THE DOCTOR. No, not that whimp 'Dr. Who'; ... (*gasp*) THE doctor!!!

[ekpilot]

UAE ranked 141st in 2010 Quality of Life index - Culture & Society - ArabianBusiness.com (http://www.arabianbusiness.com/578341-uae-ranked-141st-in-2010-quality-of-life-index)

It just speak for itself now!

Keep Discovering:ok:

[saywhat]

The UAE has been listed below countries such as Colombia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mongolia, Swaziland, Azerbaijan and North Korea in terms of quality of life, according to a new list compiled by a magazine specialising in moving overseas.

International Living magazine’s 2010 Quality of Life Index ranks 194 countries in terms of their quality of living and ranked the UAE 141st, just below Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and North Korea.

“This isn't about best value, necessarily. It's about the places in the world where the living is, simply put, great,” claims the magazine, which is based in Ireland.

The countries were scored in nine categories including cost of living, culture and leisure, economy, environment, freedom, health, infrastructure, safety and risk, and climate.

Yeah right....I'd love to go work as an airline pilot in Colombia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mongolia, Swaziland, Azerbaijan and North Korea. What a load of shyte....The only thing I find surprising about this is that some folk believe it! I'll bet that the author of this garbage has never been to any of these places. Where are Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan anyway. Kenya.....OOOOOhhhhhhhh. Lions and Zebra on my manicured lawn. What joy, what hallucination......

[troff]

... and add on: No snow, slush, and friggin' scrapping your car every morning. Bundling up daily to fend off the assaults from the elements. De-icing 6 times a day or more... After all the time spent in the Atctic, my toes are just thawing out after more than 5 years here.
T&C's altered, yes, and it sucks that the company keeps moving the goal posts, but the one thing constant in aviation is change... Things will come around. Hell, we have jobs! Better situation here than to have tons of human rights, socialized health care (free- everybody waits) and be unemployed!
I don't live on the Palm (the water inside is gross) but I am on the beach pretty much every afternoon off.
I miss skiing, but hell, I can do that every day on that bump at the Mall. Europe is a few hours away and Iran and Lebanon even closer.
It's not all bad...

[Jet II]

A British woman who claimed she was raped by a waiter in Dubai was arrested by police in the Arab state for having illegal sex with her fiancé.
The 23-year-old Londoner said she was was attacked after she passed out in a hotel lavatory.

The woman, a Muslim of Pakistani decent, told police she had been celebrating getting engaged to her boyfriend at the time.
But when she admitted drinking alcohol and sharing


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1241582/British-woman-Dubai-arrested-having-sex-fianc-raped-hotel-waiter.html#ixzz0c1WD22O5 (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1241582/British-woman-Dubai-arrested-having-sex-fianc-raped-hotel-waiter.html#ixzz0c1WD22O5)



latest update to this story (which for some reason has not been reported in the Daily Mail) is that the rape case has been dismissed as CCTV from the hotel showed nobody entering the toilet after the girl.. and.. the the charge of illegal sex with her boyfriend has been dropped as the couple managed to 'find' a marriage certaificate :E

Now they are only getting done for drinking alcohol as they are Muslim..


Hotel rape (http://www.arabianbusiness.com/580227-dubai-hotel-rape-case-dismissed)

[priapism]

Although I work in a different profession, I have investigated work in the Emirates and Qatar. Nothing I have read here would entice me away from the land of oz to do it. A couple of colleagues have, but after the honeymoon period they returned home.

One described the place as like a movie set -"fantastic facade- entirely different behind it"

I guess home is where you make it though.

[goatherd]

Life is what YOU make of it.....
You can spend it with your mates,family,goldfish or drinking beer.(even reading the FCOM)
Or you can spend it on Pprune......:ugh:

[Marooned]

Or you can do it all like you appear doing Goaty.

The problem is that all the cr*p that continually spews from EK directly effects your life spent with your mates, family, goldfish (not so much) or drinking beer. (and especially effects the FCOM).

[Blue-Footed Boobie]

Porra

Out of curiosity where on Allah's Earth do you intend to retire? Somewhere cheap and the frauline's pay their share of the bill?

Blue Foot

[bulldogdxb]

yes i agree,,,theres so much to see and do here,,

im going to edward maya beach party on friday 5th february at habtoor grand,,,any other dubai lovers wanna join?

[BlueSkye]

Out of curiosity where on Allah's Earth do you intend to retire?

Anywhere between Bantry Bay and Llandudno would do just damn fine.

[porra]

Hey bulldog!

For sure I'll be there! Look out for the guy wearing the biggest smile on his face!

Bluesky - Looks like we'll be neighbours then..!

P

[Alvand]

Loving life in Dubai!
I am fed up of every man and his dog slagging off Dubai, so I thought I'd start a thread for those of us who are actually enjoying life out here.

So come on guys and gals if you live in Dubai and actually like it please post!!

Ps. If you want to slag off/moan/whinge about Dubai...please do so on another thread.......God knows you have enough to choose from!!






yeah sure...a sand loving arab dude, loving his home...:ok:

[thealps]

@ Porra - check your PM:s.

Cheers!

[menard]

I love Dubai because it's a place where people moan, whinge, complain. It's all over, even in newspapers. If you don't like the moaning, tough luck, it's part of Dubai... If you don't like it...LEAVE!

[thegypsy]

menard

Nice one cyril. About time time people who don't moan were told to leave rather than the other way round .:ok: