Du-buy or not Du -buy

So this is officially my first blog and I wanted it to be informative and thrilling, so I'm writing about my experience working abroad in the UAE. I left to Dubai  in January 2009 for 6 months. I contracted at an audit firm for the duration of the stay. So like a keen traveller, i did my research and I thought I was well prepared for my trip.... or so I thought. I got there ( with 3 other peeps) and was welcomed by a number of men in long white robes and turbans ( traditional dress of the local men in Dubai). I started wondering why there were no women, but just shrugged it off. Driving down the highway - Sheikh Zayed ( they drive on the right hand side of the road - unlike Cape Town)  I was impressed by the tall buildings and amazing architecture. Also, the place looked so Clean! Everything appeared surreal I suppose, but eventually I got into the swing of things and discovered that in Dubai was only one telephone network - Etisalat (like our Telkom) and while I was there Du came into the market (kinda like how Neotel came into ours). Funny things is, they are the only providers for the local telephone network, cellphone network and internet services.  They in serious competition with each other. I also discovered that to own a business in Dubai you have to have a partner which must be a local resident owning 51% of your business. If you cant find a partner, you have to open your business in what they call "the freezone".

The free zone is called "Jebel Ali" and its located quite far away from the main city. I went there a couple of times to do audits, wasn't really that pleasant. It looks like very industrial. Another thing i noticed about Dubai, there names of places are quite.....well odd. Like in Cape Town, we have suburb names like Wynberg and Claremont, etc. In Dubai they have places called " Internet City, Media City, Knowledge Village....etc" and its exactly what it says.
Like in Media city (also a "freezone") there are companies like CNN, BBC, showtime Arabia, Sony to name a few -all related to media. Knowledge city houses the universities and colleges ,etc.  So to me, that's quite smart. I mean if you looking for a university - just go to knowledge village. Makes sense.

Enough about the facts.... lets get onto the more fun stuff. The nightlife....
So Dubai has a very well established night life. I managed to experience a number of clubs around Dubai. Women generally get in for free because there is a shortage of women that go clubbing in Dubai. If you a guy, they generally wont let you in without a woman. So all the single men out there ----- find a woman to go with you. The club closes at exactly 3am ( I mean the lights go on) because they have to prepare for Fajr Salaah. Alcohol and booths are very expensive in Dubai. To book a booth in a club for about 10 people would cost you in the region of about 5000 Dirhams ( approx R15,000). So its really pricy.

While I was in Dubai I managed to see Armin Van Buuren, DJ Tiesto and saw Coldplay Live in Abu Dhabi. So yes, there are loads of performances coming to Dubai. I recall John Legend being there as well.

Shopping in Dubai is relatively cheap. I mean they house a number of Souks ( like markets) that holds "genuine fake" clothing , like Prada, Gucci, Catier, Ed Hardy, to name but a few. But.....after going to the souks a couple of times, i was approached by by men that ask you if you want good brands. If you say yes, they lead you into these rooms, filled with branded bags and watches. Im talking serious merchandise. The stuff looks so genuine. But alas, i cant do fake hey. Its either the real deal or nothing at all. If you not into the whole "Souk thing" Dubai houses a number of malls..... like the Dubai Mall ( the biggest mall in the world), IBN Battutta mall, Dubai Festival City, Mall of the emirates. I must say, when me and a friend went to Dubai mall, we were so tired of walking, and we only saw a quarter of the mall! We were sitting having dessert outside the mall, when we discovered that we were watching the most beautiful dancing fountains outside the biggest mall in the world, next to the tallest building in the world ( Burj Dubai). Its quite remarkable how they have the biggest and best est of everything. I mean, they even building land that's shaped like the moon and the star as well as the planets. Quite Bizarre.

I stayed in an apartment sharing with 4 others. The place was called Jumeirah Lake Towers and it had the most awesome pool and jacuzzi on the top. With a gym inside. Im not talking small gym - I'm talking a kick ass gym with a panoramic view of the city. Ok, rent ain't cheap. I think our rent for a 2 bedroom was about 16000 dirhams a month ( R48,000). I mean, you can stay in a penthouse in Camps bay for that Price. In Dubai, you cant pay your rent month to month like here in Cape Town. You have to pay a year in advance. Its quite daunting to part with so much moola so quickly.

Is Dubai very conservative? Well , kissing and holding hands in public is generally frowned upon. But people do it anyway. I remember being there and a woman from the UK was arrested for having sexual relations with a man on a beach. Naughty naughty...

I never mentioned the weather.... Its extremely humid in Dubai. I swear, if you put your washing out to dry - its dry in less than 5minutes. people generally stay indoors as it is too hot to really walk outside.

So the experience was generally educational - I managed to survive. Would I work in Dubai again? Probably not. But if you wanna go shop....... then Dubai is Du - buy!!