Reply to: Once Booming Dubai Goes Bust

[dinker]

Dubai is great if you like sweating.

[Stan.goodvibes]

I think many go there for the prostitution

Really? I thought it was for the religious freedom

[BrilloPad]

Corporal punishment may be off the agenda, but Dubai's insane anti-drug laws are enough to put me off going:

"In one of the most extreme cases, it reported a man being held after poppy seeds from a bread roll were found on his clothes."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7234786.stm

Potential four years in prison for stepping on a bread roll at Heathrow

"Possession of painkillers like codeine and some cold and flu medication could result in a mandatory four-year prison sentence, Fair Trials International said."



I wonder what they make of tramadol?

[swamp]

Actually, prostitution is a boom industry there. The lashes scenario simply won't happen as Dubai is trying to 'Westernise' itself to attract investment in expensive property and tourism. The couple that were caught having sex on the beach got off relatively very lightly in the end, which certainly did not surprise me.

Corporal punishment may be off the agenda, but Dubai's insane anti-drug laws are enough to put me off going:

"In one of the most extreme cases, it reported a man being held after poppy seeds from a bread roll were found on his clothes."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7234786.stm

Potential four years in prison for stepping on a bread roll at Heathrow

[Cyberman]

Yea right, people who don't mind getting 100 lashes.

Some probably go for the camel racing though - I hear they've started using robot jockeys now instead of young kids, because some elf-n-safety busibody campaigners had them banned.

Actually, prostitution is a boom industry there. The lashes scenario simply won't happen as Dubai is trying to 'Westernise' itself to attract investment in expensive property and tourism. The couple that were caught having sex on the beach got off relatively very lightly in the end, which certainly did not surprise me.

[OwlHoot]

I think many go there for the prostitution

Yea right, people who don't mind getting 100 lashes.

Some probably go for the camel racing though - I hear they've started using robot jockeys now instead of young kids, because some elf-n-safety busibody campaigners had them banned.

[Cyberman]

I think many go there for the prostitution

[backlight]

I’m surprised your brother and cousin enjoy it so much. I've been there on several occasions for business and thought there are allot of other places in the world I would rather spend my time.

There is nothing really to do, except maybe go from hotel to hotel, resort to resort to eat, drink and sit by the pool, all well and good if you like that but all somewhat boring in my books. The beaches are sub par from a global perspective, too hot in the summer, traffic gridlock, high prices, and seeing the slave labour is somewhat disconcerting. Moreover you are in the smack in the middle of the Middle East, you can’t really go anywhere with the exception of other UAE Emirates, unless you want to fly for a few hours that is.

I personally just can’t see the attraction… Even if you do earn a living tax free, but then money is not everything..

[cailin maith]

I was there in May 2006 : my gf was bought up there (but attended boarding school in England : her father was an airport fireman). Almost nothing was left from her childhood - the local houses get knocked down after 20 years as so badly constructed!

I was there in 1999 - I really enjoyed it but then, I adore the sunshine and would lie on the beach all day if I could

My brother is working there at the moment and he loves it as does his g/f. My cousin is there with his family too.

We are going to visit them in March, I hope. Right when the Dubai Rugby 7's is on!

[BrilloPad]

I went a couple of years ago, for a holiday.

There was a real wild-west / gold-rush atmosphere.

In the hotel lobbies there would be countless business meetings being conducted, mostly westerners but also a few locals. You could feel it in the air - the westerners did not know what they were doing, but they believed that if they got it right that they could make their fortune.

It seems to me that they are doing the right thing with their finance servicing business - taking their time. Everything else goes up in one hell of a hurry there, but financial services need trust and confidence which you will not get overnight.

I was there in May 2006 : my gf was bought up there (but attended boarding school in England : her father was an airport fireman). Almost nothing was left from her childhood - the local houses get knocked down after 20 years as so badly constructed!

[Gonzo]

Dubai has very little oil : its prosperity built mostly on trade. I think they will do well medium term as a country : but individual property buyers will be creamed. Too many flats there : I believe 50% of buyers are British.

I went a couple of years ago, for a holiday.

There was a real wild-west / gold-rush atmosphere.

In the hotel lobbies there would be countless business meetings being conducted, mostly westerners but also a few locals. You could feel it in the air - the westerners did not know what they were doing, but they believed that if they got it right that they could make their fortune.

It seems to me that they are doing the right thing with their finance servicing business - taking their time. Everything else goes up in one hell of a hurry there, but financial services need trust and confidence which you will not get overnight.

[bogeyman]

Put Up Or Shut Up Atw

[minestrone]

What's the point of going there? I mean you can't even go for a pump on the beach.

[Cyberman]

... and aircon must cost a fortune

[BrilloPad]

Dubai has very little oil : its prosperity built mostly on trade. I think they will do well medium term as a country : but individual property buyers will be creamed. Too many flats there : I believe 50% of buyers are British.