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Monday, September 21, 2015

I Think I’ll Skip Dubai


I Think I’ll Skip Dubai




 Dubai is often talked about as the place to vacation in the Middle East.  It has modern buildings and hotels, relatively low crime rate, a welcoming populace, entertainment and a relaxed atmosphere…compared to Tehran.

I see photos of golf courses and swimming pools, beaches and smiling faces that make Dubai look like a fun vacation destination.  Then I just read a piece on 12 things not to do in Dubai.

This article starts with a brief description of why Dubai is such a great place to visit, and then adds as a caveat a few things to avoid as a tourist.

1.    Do not do drugs.  This sounds easy enough except apparently what you may not think is a drug, they may disagree in Dubai…so you might want to skip the Claritin, it is better to just sniffle and sneeze.

2.    Don’t drink in public.  You can imbibe in certain hotels if you obtain licensed permission, but do not take a drink in public, and do not leave the hotel if you are intoxicated…like people who are intoxicated would remember this little tip.

3.    Watch what you wear, or don’t wear.  Do not go topless; even dudes must wear a shirt on the streets. 

4.    Do not smoke, eat, or drink anything in public during Ramadan,  which I believe is from sunup to sundown in any month with an “R.”

5.    If you smoked marijuana in the last several weeks, stay out of Dubai, you will fail a drug test and face incarceration.

6.    Do not cheat in golf.  Failure to charge yourself a stroke for grounding your club in a hazard is disrespectful and subject to floggings.

7.    The left hand is considered dirty.  If you are left handed, you need to learn to learn to use your right hand in public.

8.    No public displays of affection.  This does not just mean sex or heavy petting, a peck on the cheek or holding hands can land you in trouble.

9.    If you are gay, this is frowned upon in Dubai.  You might want to learn to be straight before booking a visit.  Perhaps talk to a few left-handed people for hints in learning to make simple changes.

10.                       Watch your wallet, crime is relatively low, but I’m not sure what it is relative to.

11.                       Do not take picture of locals without permission, particularly the local women.

12.                       Do not urinate.  Urination is considered unclean in Dubai, hold it in, and plan only short stays.

I like vacationing where the climate is warm, and the atmosphere relaxing.  I hear the climate in Dubai is lovely, but I think I might have difficulty relaxing.  On the plus side, I hear their jails are the most modern in the mid-east and the floggings are relatively mild.

24 comments:

  1. I would Love to see the architecture in Dubai, but from inside a plastic bubble!!

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  2. Yeah, I won't be traveling to Dubai anytime soon. For all the reasons you list, plus the airfare for the 12 of us would render us homeless.

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  3. No.7. is a surprise. I must warn the family members who change planes in Dubai. I'd hate to see any of them locked up and flogged.

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  4. I actually know someone who lives there and loves it. Of course, her kids go to the American school and she probably only hangs with fellow Americans. She said all TV is censored so she never has to worry about her kids hearing or seeing anything even mildly profane or pornographic.

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  5. All the left handed people in my family would need a huge warning. No, i think i'll stick to vacations a bit closer to home for now.

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  6. I don't ever want to go anywhere in the middle east. Too intolerant of so many things. Talk about total control of ones life. Not for me.

    Have a fabulous day. ☺

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  7. My brother is getting shipped off to the UAE for 6 months. He plans on playing video games most of the time. I've heard it's beautiful but I would be very nervous about doing something wrong.

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  8. This is for real, right? It's so modern and gorgeous.
    I was just recently talking vacations with someone and we both
    agreed we did not like to travel. She said, "When living in Montana,
    why would anyone want to be in any other place?" Well, thank god
    not everyone agrees with that. lol

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  9. That is why I am glad I do not like to fly. I would never be tempted to visit Dubai.

    betty

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  10. One rule for blogging:
    #1 Do not use the words Skip and Dubai in the same blog post!

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  11. Dubai...I like the way it sounds.

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  12. Mercy, what a bunch of rules. Sure would hate to receive a flogging. That would smart and sounds so old world. Pretty sure the Middle East was totally off my bucket list. Now I am sure of it. Thanks for the warning.

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  13. When we lived in Europe, there were (very) brief conversations around heading off to the Middle East, particularly Dubai, as the "Company that Cannot be Named" had a presence there.
    No interest. At all. If I wanted heat, I'd go to Majorca. Much freer. But I don't even really crave heat all that much.

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  14. Hi Cranky Man,

    Being a seasoned traveller, I've been to the UAE several times and while there are certain laws to watch out for, it is a delightful place.

    It's not as bad as you portray (which hopefully was a little tongue in cheek).

    Do you want to know what is the worst thing about Dubai? That bloody huge skyscraper they have. I'm scared of heights and I went up there - and it scared me death!!!

    Oh - and I've been drunk in Abu Dhabi too.

    :o)

    Cheers

    PM

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  15. i'm thinking i'd not be too relaxed there myself. :)

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  16. I don't think I'd enjoy a city with virtually no history that sprang up overnight due to banking oil revenues.

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  17. I guess it's a matter on "When in Dubai, do as the Dubaians do."

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  18. Hey Joeh
    You left a comment on Oddball's post...about an Alpha. I had, in maybe 71, a '67 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super......a boxy-looking 4 door that'd blow the socks off any MG out there of the time. Most Porsche's too. Unfortunately, it had a bent distributor shaft, that meant keeping it under 2500 rpms, or over 3500.
    Fun car, last 'sports car' I've owned.

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    Replies
    1. Forgot....I went to a conference in Dubai in 2005....what a wretched place.

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  19. I don't think I'll visit any time soon, but for some reason Dubai is a popular tourist destination for Germans.

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  20. I'm guessing a pig toss is out of the question there.

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  21. And they have all those tall buildings!

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