Hello everyone,
I am sorry I took a while to to post anything here. I had a nice 2.5 weeks stay in Dubai, although I wasn’t as nostalgic about it like I thought it would. I have lived in Sharjah/ Dubai for about eight years. I was visiting Dubai after a hiatus of eight months, and guess what, I was so glad I moved out!
I found Dubai so artificial, a cliche I know, but it really is artificial. There is no charm in visiting a souk. There is warmth when you are driving down any road. Traffic jams was getting a lot worse. Salik, the road toll system, didn’t really help the roads a lot. I was still encountering lots of traffic. The taxis have become a lot worse. They don’t even take you into Dubai when it’s rush hour. Finding a taxi became a headache. I won’t even talk about the bus system, and calling the toll free number was utterly disappointing as I would get the same feedback: bleease wait sir, bus come right now!
However, I don’t want to dismiss Dubai. There is lots happening for it. I am really excited about Six Flags theme park coming up there. I am equally excited about Universal Studios opening up there. I was pleasantly surprised to visit the Outlet Mall, where I did find some good bargains (was heavily disappointed with Gap there!) The shawermas were still as delicious as ever! The beach was a lot of fun. Dubai is so dichotomous in nature, you tend to have a love/hate relationship with it.
I am glad I moved out from there as Dubai’s rat race is not my kind of thing. I have however purchased property there and got my residency visa. I think if I move back, it would be after all the major constructions have been developed and realized, sometimes around 2015-2020. Hopefully by then, the public transport system would have been organized, rents stabilized, abundance of taxis available, cost of living stabilized. Right now Dubai is growing, and is going through bumps along the way. One day, Dubai will prove its worth.
Personally for me, Dubai is one big theme park, with a lot of commercialization. It’s all about money at the end of day. People go there to make more money, and end up spending it on leading lavish lifestyles. Or people go there, make money and remit it home. It’s extremely difficult to save money while in Dubai!
Ok, enough of my views on Dubai, not that it matters to anyone. I did some shopping for myself there as well. Bought a new iPod Nano 8gb, a Sony cybershot digital camera, lots of clothes from Gap, chocolates and gifts for everyone (as well Arabic music for myself!)
I hope to post here on a regular basis now.
Mansur
