When you are just about to go to Dubai, you usually watch dozens of videos about this city. It was the same with Oleg and Elena Likhach, but most of these videos were from travel bloggers and dealt mainly with a few basic topics: luxury, the beach, the desert, and the main places for tourism.
Surprising fact, but none of the videos viewed did not reflect the real picture of this city. If you are a tourist and visit this city for the first time and for a few days, then perhaps such a debriefing will be useful, but if you are suddenly going to connect your life more closely with Dubai, you will not learn anything at all.
Below, Oleg and Elena Likhach, who have vast experience of living in another country, and know what to look for – after all, they themselves live in China, gave some interesting facts that will help you better imagine life in this region.
- Not Dubai alone
This is probably the most obvious of the points that we can talk about. Dubai is definitely one of the brightest tourist centers in the UAE, but far from the only one.
In total, there are seven emirates in this country: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Al-Fujairah. Almost all of them are self-sufficient and have their own attractions.
And this means that not always, when you buy a tour to Dubai, your hotel may be located in this emirate: it is quite possible that you will only arrive at the city’s airport, and skillful travel agents will take you either to Sharjah or even further – to Fujairah.
Almost the same applies to living in the UAE: many expats work in Dubai but live in other emirates. For example, in the same Sharzha or Abu Dhabi, where the cost of living is noticeably cheaper.
- Sharia law
If you have ever seen the posts of an average travel blogger about Dubai, then you have probably heard about luxury clubs, nightlife and everything else that can be associated with this. This is here, no doubt, but with one caveat: the UAE is a Muslim country whose laws are based on Sharia norms.
2020 has been declared the Year of Tolerance in Dubai, however:
- Alcohol is allowed for sale and consumption only in places that have a special license for this. Not all hotels sell it, just like not all emirates allow alcohol in principle.
- If you are a tourist, then arriving with your soulmate, with whom you are not in a formal relationship, may not be a problem. However, living with another person on a longer basis is a completely different story that needs to be formalized.
- Moderate dress code. If we take the summer season in Russia and the CIS countries, then we dress as an example of the opening of the average resident of the UAE. This applies not only to women, but also to men. For example, we were not allowed into one institution because Elena was wearing long shorts. And this at a temperature of almost 40 degrees!
- Most residents are expats from Asia
Perhaps this is the most common fact that is misinterpreted by bloggers. Most of the tourists, workers and residents are Hindus, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis (which used to be one big British colony). The second point is Thailand and the Philippines, and then the rest of the Arab countries.
Each culture has its own characteristics, customs, passions, and, in general, attitudes towards life and its various aspects. In the UAE, in addition to the city-forming nation, a lot of things are tailored specifically for countries located on the Hindustan peninsula.
It is also important to mention that many bloggers unwittingly present these nations in an unfavorable light, focusing on the fact that Indians and Pakistanis are the backbone of the low-skilled service and construction industry. This is not entirely true. The fact is that Indians and Pakistanis, as well as other listed nations, occupy absolutely all posts and positions, including leadership ones. By the way, most companies run by UAE citizens are run by Indians.
- The main means of transportation is a car
The first thing you notice in Dubai when you are here is the huge distances. A basic set of attractions, such as the Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa and Atlantis, for example, can still be visited using public transport.
But if you want to shop, go to the movies, or deviate even a little from the basic tourist route, then you will find distances that cannot be covered on foot, especially with temperatures of 35 – 40 degrees in May-August.
If you want to get to know Dubai and the UAE, then there is only one choice – rent a car. Here it is both an affordable luxury and a means of transportation.
There is public transport here, but it will not take you anywhere in Dubai, as, for example, the Moscow transport system can do. A Strensall Taxi can be a good alternative and not to be feared for one-time businesses, but you should consider the cost difference of a local taxi to a car rental.
- Renting is the main way of life
You’ve probably seen a lot of pictures of people lighting up the nightlife in their Ferraris and Rolls-Royces. If this is not a citizen of the UAE, then this person must have rented this car.
Almost everything is rented here: apartments, cars, furniture and even clothes. It is the access to the product, not the possession of it, that is the basis of life in the UAE. It is this lifestyle that is dominant for most residents.
