Info about life in Dubai
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Behind a dusty desk, and in some really hot, dusty, wet and cold places subject to who is paying the bill. But mostly Gods own land.
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Alvord,
The golfs great.... if you have a spare 1000dhs for a round; the fishing is great if you have the money and time to sail offshore, since the palms not much lives inshore; water sports, no problem, subject too....money and the right day of the week, area of beach, permission from..... etc
Dubai=Money and lots of it... you can do anything there but it costs!
The golfs great.... if you have a spare 1000dhs for a round; the fishing is great if you have the money and time to sail offshore, since the palms not much lives inshore; water sports, no problem, subject too....money and the right day of the week, area of beach, permission from..... etc
Dubai=Money and lots of it... you can do anything there but it costs!
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: in the sandpit
Age: 49
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Grizz, an excellent piece if writing if i must say so 
My experience of living in the concrete desert is mixed. Having been living here for just shy of 4 years, some days I wake up and wonder if I really made the right choice to come here. On the other hand, often I wake up and think how lucky I am to be in this often strange yet wonderful city that is Dubai.
I guess it depends on what your expectations are when and before you arrive. I am originally from a small Island floating somewhere in the Pacific which is very third world compared to here. For me, it's another world which I have come to usually enjoy. Sure Dubai has its moments where you want to pack your bags and leave, but if you decide to live in the positive side of life your experience can be truly quite remarkable.
I suggest you make the most of your visit here and talk to other expats, not just pilots, before you decide to come and play in this immaculate sand pit some of us now call home.
Good luck!
My experience of living in the concrete desert is mixed. Having been living here for just shy of 4 years, some days I wake up and wonder if I really made the right choice to come here. On the other hand, often I wake up and think how lucky I am to be in this often strange yet wonderful city that is Dubai.
I guess it depends on what your expectations are when and before you arrive. I am originally from a small Island floating somewhere in the Pacific which is very third world compared to here. For me, it's another world which I have come to usually enjoy. Sure Dubai has its moments where you want to pack your bags and leave, but if you decide to live in the positive side of life your experience can be truly quite remarkable.
I suggest you make the most of your visit here and talk to other expats, not just pilots, before you decide to come and play in this immaculate sand pit some of us now call home.
Good luck!
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Somehwere on the planet
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Alvord,
The key to keeping happy here is to do exactly what you suggest...stuff on your days off. I do most of the things on that list, some more expensive than others, some cheap compared to NA typical costs. Keeps it interesting. Lots to do around here besides malls if you go looking for it.
Some of the largest unexplored caves in the world just across the border and if you are into climbing at all its very good here as well. Diving in musandam (bout 2.5 hours from dubai) is very good as well. Don't expect red sea visibilites but the corals and wildlife are world class.
The key to keeping happy here is to do exactly what you suggest...stuff on your days off. I do most of the things on that list, some more expensive than others, some cheap compared to NA typical costs. Keeps it interesting. Lots to do around here besides malls if you go looking for it.
Some of the largest unexplored caves in the world just across the border and if you are into climbing at all its very good here as well. Diving in musandam (bout 2.5 hours from dubai) is very good as well. Don't expect red sea visibilites but the corals and wildlife are world class.
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: United Kingdom
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The main reason most of us are here is for the money. It cannot be denied that EK pay fairly well though they demand much labour for their shilling.
As a company they are generally decent.
However, the pay is only relevant in context of what it costs to live. The rest you ship home to pay for one thing or another. You could spend it on local investments but recent events have proved that to be a fool's erand.
So given these basic objectives one must look at the cost of living and the ability to get funds out.
Cost of living: For the past few years this was completely out of hand. However while the rest of the world has in fact cut this back, Dubai has not worked out the necessity to do this. As their profits fall (largely driven by the amount of people leaving or cutting expenditure), they find other ways of extracting money. From actually raising borrowing rates (go figure) to daily schemes to indirectly tax individuals (with more to come) you face an ongoing barrage of overcharging. Salaries are unlikely to rise this year or next. There is little recourse to dispute what you may have be forced to pay, so you pay it or face penalty.
Until Dubai substantially cuts the cost of living the appeal to move here to work will decline as will the economy.
Getting funds out: So far no problem. In fact they are offering up to 6% to keep your money here pegged to the USD. However that in itself tells a story of how anxious they are that there is no massive flight of capital.
But there is! With the Dirham strong many ship their funds out. People are liquidating assets here on a massive scale as they call it a day or lose their jobs.
Banks have a strange way of changing rules overnight with a new "policy". They could make it very difficult to move cash. Recent rumours of currency purchase limits and more paperwork to do it (under the guise of certifying origin) suggest that they may take measures to curb the outflow.
Fine if you want to spend your salary here. But as you cannot remain here forever that is generally not the objective.
So to anyone who plans to come I say; consider the economic status not simply the maths on salary and other enticements. You will be stepping into a failing economy, and no safety nets. So think carefully before making the move
As a company they are generally decent.
However, the pay is only relevant in context of what it costs to live. The rest you ship home to pay for one thing or another. You could spend it on local investments but recent events have proved that to be a fool's erand.
So given these basic objectives one must look at the cost of living and the ability to get funds out.
Cost of living: For the past few years this was completely out of hand. However while the rest of the world has in fact cut this back, Dubai has not worked out the necessity to do this. As their profits fall (largely driven by the amount of people leaving or cutting expenditure), they find other ways of extracting money. From actually raising borrowing rates (go figure) to daily schemes to indirectly tax individuals (with more to come) you face an ongoing barrage of overcharging. Salaries are unlikely to rise this year or next. There is little recourse to dispute what you may have be forced to pay, so you pay it or face penalty.
Until Dubai substantially cuts the cost of living the appeal to move here to work will decline as will the economy.
Getting funds out: So far no problem. In fact they are offering up to 6% to keep your money here pegged to the USD. However that in itself tells a story of how anxious they are that there is no massive flight of capital.
But there is! With the Dirham strong many ship their funds out. People are liquidating assets here on a massive scale as they call it a day or lose their jobs.
Banks have a strange way of changing rules overnight with a new "policy". They could make it very difficult to move cash. Recent rumours of currency purchase limits and more paperwork to do it (under the guise of certifying origin) suggest that they may take measures to curb the outflow.
Fine if you want to spend your salary here. But as you cannot remain here forever that is generally not the objective.
So to anyone who plans to come I say; consider the economic status not simply the maths on salary and other enticements. You will be stepping into a failing economy, and no safety nets. So think carefully before making the move
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Somehwere on the planet
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Jinglied.
Caves across the border in Oman in various locations. Lots available on the net if you are interested. Climbing is also good in oman, or closer to home around musandam and RAK.
Caves across the border in Oman in various locations. Lots available on the net if you are interested. Climbing is also good in oman, or closer to home around musandam and RAK.
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Courchevel
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If you like going out for a few drinks forget it. I've just spent 84 Dhs on two pints of Belgian beer in blue bar! That's an exponential increase from my last visit a year ago.
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: UAE
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Quite contrary to the Count I think drinking here is one of the real plus points. Of course it is not cheap but by and large you are sipping your juice in 5 star surroundings with the option to sit outside by the sea or at a roof top bar.
If you want value for money lots of Hotels do all you can eat and drink buffets starting from about 30 quid and if you like your drink in less celubrious surroundings there are plenty of Aussie,British and Irish bars like any other city in the world.
For sure there is a lot of red tape to cut through sometimes but if you are patient and friendly things can happen much more smoothly than you`d expect. Dubai is what you make of it and if you come here expecting it to be just like home you haven`t done your homework. I realise that with the changing T`s and C`s currently happening it is a stressful time for many but my opinion is that a lot of the people who are not happy in Dubai are not going to be any happier no matter where they are.
If you want value for money lots of Hotels do all you can eat and drink buffets starting from about 30 quid and if you like your drink in less celubrious surroundings there are plenty of Aussie,British and Irish bars like any other city in the world.
For sure there is a lot of red tape to cut through sometimes but if you are patient and friendly things can happen much more smoothly than you`d expect. Dubai is what you make of it and if you come here expecting it to be just like home you haven`t done your homework. I realise that with the changing T`s and C`s currently happening it is a stressful time for many but my opinion is that a lot of the people who are not happy in Dubai are not going to be any happier no matter where they are.
