abu dhabi anyone been recently?

[vetran]

The fact that Dubai is the least worst doesn't mean it's lovely.

Totally this, you see white pleasure girls in limos, open drinking & gambling but you know the clerics are gnashing their teeth and if you upset someone important it will be you going to jail.

Part of Dubai are beautiful but I prefer more honest societies like Brunei.

[northernladuk]

oh and if you aren't married NO DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION OR SHARING ROOMS they turn a blind eye in Dubai if its not too blatant but elsewhere in the UAE they get very unpleasant.

But even then you are playing a game of chance. It's much less enforced yes but you are playing a game of luck with the people around you. Plenty of stories of people being arrested for it and they are just the ones that hit the news. While I've been there I've seen people asked to calm it down in popular restaurants. You'll get away with it as long as the religious police aren't around and the locals in the establishment you are in don't mind. Get the wrong crowd and you'll get a stern warning so it's a matter of if you are feeling lucky punk...

That being said these tend to be the type that land in a country and then expect to act as they normally do without giving a proverbial about local laws and cultures. The influencer/wannabe wealthies are a perfect example. Showing a bit of respect for the customs and you'll generally be fine.

[NotAllThere]

Just asking in case. Plan to visit soon.

My teenager only had one jab and they ideally want you "fully vaccinated" to visit public places etc
Plus you got to PCR on arrival and Day 6 I think.

Any feedback on the ground? - on the use of the local covid app in public places?

Thank you.

My son is going with his wife and family to meet friends. One jab isn't fully vaccinated (unless you've take on of the one-jab options). The local authorities are very strict. Don't kiss anyone in public.

Good money though.

Personally I'd avoid any UAE country on their human rights record. The fact that Dubai is the least worst doesn't mean it's lovely.

[agentzero]

That's why it's cheaper. Nobody is thinking of going there really... Might be ok by the end of the year. Generally Dubai is where it's at right now.

"At" meaning: a cultural backwater dump. Having been, I wouldn't bother going back. Only Oman is duller, although at least they have some tourist hikes to get away from the weird cities.

[saptastic]

I always ask what's the difference between Dubai and Abu Dhabi? The answer is the people in Dubai don't like the Flintstones, but the people in Abu Dhabi dooo!

[GJABS]

I always ask what's the difference between Dubai and Abu Dhabi? The answer is the people in Dubai don't like the Flintstones, but the people in Abu Dhabi dooo!

[vetran]

Brother in law & sister in law worked & lived over there a decade ago. They always suggested that Abu Dhabi was one of the least westernised countries in the region.

In Dubai the Nationals were allowed to do what they liked (within reason) and visitors / immigrant workers didn't count they just put a gloss on it for western observers. That is the enlightened Dubai chasing tourism & commerce. AFAIK Abu Dhabi still likes bribes and women to be silent.

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/202...arab-emirates#



Nice.

oh and if you aren't married NO DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION OR SHARING ROOMS they turn a blind eye in Dubai if its not too blatant but elsewhere in the UAE they get very unpleasant.

[vetran]

Brother in law & sister in law worked & lived over there a decade ago. They always suggested that Abu Dhabi was one of the least westernised countries in the region.

In Dubai the Nationals were allowed to do what they liked (within reason) and visitors / immigrant workers didn't count they just put a gloss on it for western observers. That is the enlightened Dubai chasing tourism & commerce. AFAIK Abu Dhabi still likes bribes and women to be silent.

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/202...arab-emirates#

For a woman to marry, her male guardian must conclude her marriage contract; men can unilaterally divorce their wives, whereas a woman must apply for a court order to obtain a divorce; and a woman can lose her right to maintenance if, for example, she refuses to have sexual relations with her husband without a lawful excuse;. In 2019, the authorities introduced amendments to the personal status law that revoked a provision that had obliged women to “obey” their husbands.

Nice.

[d000hg]

Strange its not all the same across the UAE.

Not really. Many things vary.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

Booked a long time back and cheaper than Dubai. Strange its not all the same across the UAE.

That's why it's cheaper. Nobody is thinking of going there really... Might be ok by the end of the year. Generally Dubai is where it's at right now.

[saptastic]

Any reason you are choosing that over Dubai? AD has had a lot more restrictions since Covid and nobody went there unless they needed to. Don't recommend it due to the additional tests and hassle you will have to undergo.

Booked a long time back and cheaper than Dubai. Strange its not all the same across the UAE.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

Any reason you are choosing that over Dubai? AD has had a lot more restrictions since Covid and nobody went there unless they needed to. Don't recommend it due to the additional tests and hassle you will have to undergo.

[saptastic]

Just asking in case. Plan to visit soon.

My teenager only had one jab and they ideally want you "fully vaccinated" to visit public places etc
Plus you got to PCR on arrival and Day 6 I think.

Any feedback on the ground? - on the use of the local covid app in public places?

Thank you.