Dubai walks a tightrope between tradition (sharia law) and modernity (materialism.) The stark contrast between the two make it such a fascinating place to observe and an intriguing place to visit. Before 1950, there wasn’t even a single building in Dubai, which puts into perspective just how rapidly it’s grown. To look at its skyline now, you’d think it came from a sci-fi movie. Here are some quirky facts about the ‘IT’ destination of the moment that might tempt you into going…or do the exactly the opposite. We’ll leave it up to you.
1. You can get fined for having a sandwich
During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims cannot eat, drink or smoke from sunrise until sunset. Although malls are open for business, restaurants and cafes will be shut during the day. And forget taking a packed lunch. If you’re caught eating it in public, you could be hit with 2000 AED fine…that’s around 350 British pounds.
2. You can eat camel
That’s the thing, you have the choice. It’s by no means common but there are restaurants throughout Dubai that serve camel burgers. Apparently, it tastes very similar to any other red meat.
3. Pet Cheetahs aren’t common, but do exist.
You might have seen blogs that depict having cheetahs and lions as pets as being a common thing in Dubai. It’s not. It’s illegal, dangerous and only a small minority keep wild beasts as domesticated pets. There have been incidents of cheetahs riding shotgun on the motorway on a 4x4 but it’s certainly not a common occurrence.
4. You can pay more for a phone than a car or a house
There is a telecommunications company in Dubai selling a mobile phone for…wait for it…£127, 000. It’s made of 18K solid white gold and 1639 n (well you could hardly just have 1638, what would be the point?) But don’t worry if you’re a few grand short, they do a much cheaper version. It’s only £21,000 (Bargain!)
5. Nobody knows their own address…because no one has one.
If you ever find yourself in a Taken situation where Liam Neeson is determined to find you and kill you a la, our advice is to move to Dubai. It’s hard to find anybody there because they don’t have addresses. You tell people where you need to go by describing it, and its proximity to more famous streets and landscapes. It’s no wonder online shopping hasn’t taken off here.
6. The police drive Ferrari’s…or Lamborghinis…or Aston Martins.
These luxurious motors which cost upwards of £300, 000, the most expensive of which is an Aston Martin one-77 £1.14 million. Gulp. Apparently, the reason behind the flash cars is to project an image of class to tourists. No, it doesn’t look wasteful, or excessive AT ALL.
7. Only 15% of the population are actually citizens
Yip, a mind-boggling 85% of people living in Dubai are expatriates from across Europe and South Asia, many of whom are Indian and Filipino. It is notoriously, nigh impossible to gain Emeriti citizenship and for that reason many people go there solely to make money, and leave again.
8. A day at the races is a bit different…
Camel racing is a lucrative sport in Dubai, but it’s not so much the camels that are interesting so much as it is the robot jockeys that ride them. Controlled by their owners on the sidelines and installed with whips and a GPS, the robots are a welcome alternative to using children which was the case up until a few years ago when children from poorer countries like India were used as jockeys.
9. A quarter of the world’s cranes are here
That one cites has 24% of the cranes of the world says a lot about the rate at which Dubai continues to grow. Tell someone you know in construction about this fact. It will floor them.
10. Despite having the best roads in the world, they have one of the highest levels of road deaths
This is due to a lethal cocktail of fast cars, young drivers and ironically, great roads. Speeding is the number one cause, and although steps have been taken by the government to improve the situation, it remains the number one cause of avoidable death in the country.
Dubai Airport transfers
If you need an airport transfer to your Dubai accommodation, but quite need a million pound Aston Martin to get there, book in advance with Hopparide and we’ll get you to where you want to be safely, reliably and at a reasonable cost.
1. You can get fined for having a sandwich
During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims cannot eat, drink or smoke from sunrise until sunset. Although malls are open for business, restaurants and cafes will be shut during the day. And forget taking a packed lunch. If you’re caught eating it in public, you could be hit with 2000 AED fine…that’s around 350 British pounds.
2. You can eat camel
That’s the thing, you have the choice. It’s by no means common but there are restaurants throughout Dubai that serve camel burgers. Apparently, it tastes very similar to any other red meat.
3. Pet Cheetahs aren’t common, but do exist.
You might have seen blogs that depict having cheetahs and lions as pets as being a common thing in Dubai. It’s not. It’s illegal, dangerous and only a small minority keep wild beasts as domesticated pets. There have been incidents of cheetahs riding shotgun on the motorway on a 4x4 but it’s certainly not a common occurrence.
4. You can pay more for a phone than a car or a house
There is a telecommunications company in Dubai selling a mobile phone for…wait for it…£127, 000. It’s made of 18K solid white gold and 1639 n (well you could hardly just have 1638, what would be the point?) But don’t worry if you’re a few grand short, they do a much cheaper version. It’s only £21,000 (Bargain!)
5. Nobody knows their own address…because no one has one.
If you ever find yourself in a Taken situation where Liam Neeson is determined to find you and kill you a la, our advice is to move to Dubai. It’s hard to find anybody there because they don’t have addresses. You tell people where you need to go by describing it, and its proximity to more famous streets and landscapes. It’s no wonder online shopping hasn’t taken off here.
6. The police drive Ferrari’s…or Lamborghinis…or Aston Martins.
These luxurious motors which cost upwards of £300, 000, the most expensive of which is an Aston Martin one-77 £1.14 million. Gulp. Apparently, the reason behind the flash cars is to project an image of class to tourists. No, it doesn’t look wasteful, or excessive AT ALL.
7. Only 15% of the population are actually citizens
Yip, a mind-boggling 85% of people living in Dubai are expatriates from across Europe and South Asia, many of whom are Indian and Filipino. It is notoriously, nigh impossible to gain Emeriti citizenship and for that reason many people go there solely to make money, and leave again.
8. A day at the races is a bit different…
Camel racing is a lucrative sport in Dubai, but it’s not so much the camels that are interesting so much as it is the robot jockeys that ride them. Controlled by their owners on the sidelines and installed with whips and a GPS, the robots are a welcome alternative to using children which was the case up until a few years ago when children from poorer countries like India were used as jockeys.
9. A quarter of the world’s cranes are here
That one cites has 24% of the cranes of the world says a lot about the rate at which Dubai continues to grow. Tell someone you know in construction about this fact. It will floor them.
10. Despite having the best roads in the world, they have one of the highest levels of road deaths
This is due to a lethal cocktail of fast cars, young drivers and ironically, great roads. Speeding is the number one cause, and although steps have been taken by the government to improve the situation, it remains the number one cause of avoidable death in the country.
Dubai Airport transfers
If you need an airport transfer to your Dubai accommodation, but quite need a million pound Aston Martin to get there, book in advance with Hopparide and we’ll get you to where you want to be safely, reliably and at a reasonable cost.