A city doesn't need that to be beautiful.
Which developed over many years.Nobody is saying it does. Hence my comparison to a gorgeous woman. I was in Dublin in March, the place was overflowing with soul and character.
Nobody is saying it does. Hence my comparison to a gorgeous woman. I was in Dublin in March, the place was overflowing with soul and character.
Sorry, but that doesn't justify employing the workers under false pretenses. They are usually recruited in their home countries and told that they will be making a lot more money than they will be so that they can better support their family, and then when they arrive, they realize that they've been had. Of course, at that point, their employer has (illegally) taken their passports away from them so they can't merely just leave (if they could even afford to at that point).2) It's foreign workforce is mainly Indian workers. I don't know why everyone blames Dubai for employing them and not the shitty situation in India (caste system, economic situation) that causes them to find work outside the country in less shitty situation (but still shitty). There's also a lot of other countries that hire Indian workers.
Becoming a permanent resident isOne thing about Dubai is they're quite aware of the bad press and make strides to correct it. Most of you are going off of the negative Telegraph article from a few years back. Not saying problems don't exist, but many of them have been solved or improved. You won't really know until you visit yourself, but I meet people all the time who've been and loved it, many who are moving over there to live permanently.
You should put the 3rd picture 1st and the 1st picture 3rd.
Because otherwise they'd leave the country the moment their investment goes wrong.
Which kinda goes to tell that you probably shouldn't be investing in the nation in the first place.
Nah, but it's acceptable course of action if you end up broke, the problem is when they withhold passports from rape victims.
Oh alright, that's different.
I can see the appeal as a tax free haven, but can you really earn that much money compared to their home nation as Dubai is generally pretty expensive?
It's actually not too expensive to live over there if you get a decent job (there's many for English speaking educated foreigners out there, high paid and tax free), provided you don't have little one's you need to put through education (international esque education can be very expensive). Rent is very high if your company doesn't comp it or you insist on staying in the more affluent or luxurious areas, but again, relative to the work and pay out there for specialist jobs. You could theoretically live out there for a few years and earn some good money (tax free) and just leave after a year or two.
So some arbitrary objects and some wear and tear is what gives something "soul"? Hrm.
it has gotten much better actually
Not any more. Whilst it's not perfect, they've made humongous strides in the last few years to mend the issue and develop their sewage systems up to spec.
Sorry, but that doesn't justify employing the workers under false pretenses. They are usually recruited in their home countries and told that they will be making a lot more money than they will be so that they can better support their family, and then when they arrive, they realize that they've been had. Of course, at that point, their employer has (illegally) taken their passports away from them so they can't merely just leave (if they could even afford to at that point).Becoming a permanent resident isnext to impossiblea really difficult endeavor, however.
Do they at least have pipes now? Last I heard all the sewage was moved via trucks.
Sanitation in Dubai involves planning and managing Dubai's waste and sewage management infrastructure. In the past, due to the rate of expansion of the city, there were problems with sewage capacity and connectivity but in recent years Dubai Municipality has greatly expanded capacity and at present the entirety of Dubai is connected to a central sewage system.[1] In 2007, Dubai had 1,200 km of sewerage pipeline network.[2] An additional 80 km was added in 2011 to connect Dubai Industrial City.[3]
...As of September 2009, these queues and illegal dumping are no longer reported to be a problem.
Oh alright, that's different.
I can see the appeal as a tax free haven, but can you really earn that much money compared to their home nation as Dubai is generally pretty expensive?
This is how Dubai was in 1990. Hard to believe everything was built in mere 20 years.
Companies are a lot more reluctant to offer good package deals nowadays, though, so forsaking one's pension (in many cases) for a "tax-free salary" may not always be the best option.Depends on the package you get. There are a lot of American companies with branches there and they pay higher end American salaries + other benefits. Generally you should get 30 to 50% increase and then not pay taxes. In my sisters case her company pays for the kids schools, plane tickets home for the family twice a year I think, and some other random things. Also it's more laid back there from what she tells me. My dad used to work in Saudi when I was a kid. They paid for rent, car, tickets home, and education. So basically everything. If you can get a good deal, it can be pretty awesome.
There's something similar popping up next to the port where my family lives. Not like you'd need any of that to not be reminded of the explicit divisions in society. Dubai is a decent representation of the end-game of unregulated capitalism, at least. And to think that it's the closest thing I have to a place I can call "home".The "Dubai Industrial City" sounds like a good way of keeping a working class separate from the upper class.
So many growing nations are turning into capitalist nightmares.
The "Dubai Industrial City" sounds like a good way of keeping a working class separate from the upper class.
So many growing nations are turning into capitalist nightmares.
Are you sure you know what ghost town means? Just because you feel that it's lifeless does not make it a ghost town.
I thought the whole purpose of making those big buildings, hotels and leisure spots was to ween off from Oil dependency and transition to tourism-based.
you can't become a tourist hotspot with retarded islamic laws
being jailed for kissing in public, and tons of crap similar to this when you read the stories everywhere is surely gonna attract tons of tourists lol....
Dubai currently has over 10m tourists a year, and it's rising every year by solid margins. Ironically that's near enough exactly the same as Egypt, with all it's Pyramids and ancient history.
Yeah but its the tallest
Until kingdom tower gets built in (1000 something m) in Jeddah
Deserted....
yeah, i've been to dubai several times. most recently back in february of this year. the dubai mall was packed every time we went there. all of the people who lived there that i was around said that things were really on the upswing at the time (and i would imagine still are).
dubai is an interesting place. i can't say i loved it, but i did enjoy my time there. i can't agree with the people saying it should be burnt to the ground. america was built on exploitation too. is it fair for americans to say "well, we're above that now" after reaping the rewards of it?
anyway, i'd recommend anyone that has the chance to go should do it. i always felt very comfortable there as a blond-haired, blue-eyed american. at no time did i feel like i had any less rights or freedom there than here in the states and there's really a lot of fun things to do and see there.
as an aside, if anyone does make it there, i would recommend going to karam beirut to eat. fantastic hommos and tabouleh!
could you expand on this? and i would prefer something that isn't one of the 70 shopping malls there.
You can pretty much do anything lol. Races, racing, Burj Khalifa, water fountains and fireworks, desert dune buggies and 4x4 sand racing, desert encampments with feasts and shisha, belly dancing etc, camel riding, taking yachts and boats around the rivers and sea, jet ski, water ski, underwater diving, water theme park and rides, theme park, beaches, private beaches and pools, every kind of sports, golf courses, shopping, more shopping, luxury hotels and malls, every kind of restaurant possible etc etc.
50,000 people used to live here
Such an ethnocentric post. Do you believe Dubai and the emirati region in general didn't exist prior to modernization? Or Dubai culture, cuisine, music and tradition?No. Sitting in a pub that has been there for 150 years eating the same food and drinking the same drink that has been served for 150 years. Some people back in the corner playing traditional Irish music. Enjoying the culture. Talking to a guy whose family has been in the same trade for centuries.
I have nothing against Dubai. It just compares to Vegas to me.
There were amazing Bed & Breakfasts in Dublin. I doubt there is a single one in Dubai. The culture there is consumerism and lavish.
could you expand on this? and i would prefer something that isn't one of the 70 shopping malls there.
yeah, nib95 pretty much covered it. i can be a little more specific though. you can go to burr dubai (the old part of the city) and visit the open air markets and take rides on old school style boats if you want to get a sense of dubai's history. taking the tour to the top of the burj khalifa is certainly worth it. you're so high on the observation decks that the curvature of the horizon will blow your mind. the fountain show at the burj khalifa is also quite impressive.
you can go skydiving in the marina district or spend the day at the water park on the palm island. an hour and a half drive to abu dhabi will get you to ferrari world where you can ride the world's fastest roller coaster. it's build by intamin and is an excellent ride.
there's often concerts there. i saw kanye west back in february (or possibly end of january--not sure) and it was a great concert. very cool venue and i was pleasantly surprised that they were serving heineken on draft for the entire show.
i'd also recommend watching the sunset while having a drink at club 360. its a very cool experience.
i'm not going to bother rifling off all of the awesome night clubs to visit and fantastic places to eat.
I went on the desert tour with the camels, actually. A 30 minute drive out of Dubai and you're in the middle of nowhere. The contrast is striking.
To be fair the soul isn't going to happen overnight. It is something which will take time to develop. As the city comes into its own in the years to come it will have something to it.