A Tale of Two Cities

Map of the United Arab Emirates

I have lived in Abu Dhabi for almost two years and I am quite acclimated to my new home, but recently I had the opportunity to visit the famed Dubai. 100 KM's to the north.

I will have to admit something very embarrassing. It was my first trip to Dubai. A mere two hours drive away and I had never visited one of the world's most famous cities. I guess it boils down to my not having a concrete reason to go there. I am kind of strange that way. And I tend to be lazy. I grew up in a Florida resort town on the beach and never visited some of the most popular tourist attractions. 

Anyway, a fellow local blogger offered to show me around her domicile city of Dubai. We drove out to the end of Palm Jumeirah, you know, the artificial islands built out in the Arabian Gulf.  The Atlantis resort is there is absolutely marvelous!

Palm Jumeirah

There is a monorail that runs the length of the islands and it afforded some good photographic opportunities.

Monorail, Palm Jumeirah

Atlantis, Dubai

Atlantis, Dubai

The Atlantis sported a very nice aquarium. Very high-end stuff. Rooms were over $400/night.

Atlantis Aquarium, Leopard Rays in formation

After the Atlantis, we drove down the JBR Walk. As it was Friday, it was as empty as the below photo depicts. Apparently on other days of the week, this cobblestone street is bumper-to-bumper with Ferraris, Maseratis, Lambourghinis and the odd Corvette. It is the equivalent of Main Street U.S.A. where the folks drive up and down the street stylin', profiling, and birddogging chicks.

JBR Walk

Chrysler Building Lookalikes near JBR..

The real one in NYC is owned by the UAE. This is my favorite building. Art Deco at its best!

This street is lined with high-end eateries and retail outlets.

Next was lunch at a hotel sports bar. I had the fried hammour. Similar to grouper.

Then coffees curbside in front of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. 

The Burj Khalifa

I enjoyed my time in Dubai. It is very "Western Style" there and it is real easy to forget one is in the Middle East. There are a lot of things to do there and I was amazed at the overt consumerism. Not that this is bad in itself, but I felt somewhat inadequate as I was not piloting a bright red Ferrari while wearing a 24 karat gold Rolex. Los Angeles comes to mind.

After my trip to Dubai, I realized I am more comfortable in Abu Dhabi. Things are slower here and AD just seems more genuine, more exotic and well...Arabic. I am good with that!

Dubai has had its troubles lately and it has been said that Abu Dhabi has provided assistance, hence the last minute name change of the tallest building in the world.

Abu Dhabi has the wealth and many plans for the future. I am convinced that AD's conservative and measured growth will see the city being the prominent venue of the U.A.E. in a few years.

Dubai is cool, but her dowdy sister to the south is finally waking up.

Abu Dhabi Skyline

Abu Dhabi Environment

Abu Dhabi Waterfront, Al Raha Beach

Abu Dhabi Sunset

Abu Dhabi Sunrise

I think I will stay put for awhile! I "heart" Abu Dhabi! Life is a bit more relaxed here and that suits me just fine.

Khalifa City

As mentioned in some previous posts, I live in a bedroom community about 25 kilometers (that is approximately 15 miles for my readers in the United States, Myanmar and Liberia, the only countries on Earth where the metric system is not recognized) Northeast of Abu Dhabi city proper. The suburb is named after the current president of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, son of the founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Sheikh Zayed is the photo with the red background.

I don't know that much about Sheikh Khalifa but he seems to be doing a good job running the Emirates. The late Sheikh Zayed is responsible for the creation of the UAE and is considered the father of his country. I have researched his history, he has my admiration and respect as a man who had nothing but the best interests of his countrymen in mind. He was a kind, charitable man who on occasion used to drive large Chryslers out on the sand dunes, my kind of guy! The US could use men like him in the government! Here is the Wikipedia site for Sheikh Zayed


Anyway, Khalifa City is divided between A and B and according to yet another Wikipedia Site there is a New Khalifa City planned. I live in KCA and I have joked about it being a desolate moonbase, but there is a lot of activity out here and soon it will be a cultural and social center for Abu Dhabi.

This is an actual photo I snapped from my back window today. Although I took liberties with some photo editing software, you can see what I mean when I say this area is in the "development" stage. The Moonbase tag is not too far off the mark!

Not that this area is without some beauty. I captured this amazing sunrise from my back window last December, it was truly breathtaking to see in person. The tall structure under the sun is the Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH, OMAA) control tower and in the foreground the large crane marks the spot of the ambitious Masdar City  project.


So things are happening out here. It's kind of quiet out here in the "sticks" for now and I am bored many times, but this area will be place to be in a few years!

The Current Job Market in the U.A.E.

Many of you may be interested in employment opportunities in the Emirates as things may seem quite desperate where you currently live, which is just about everywhere nowadays. The lure of lucrative work in an exotic location, tax free income, mild Winters, palm trees and glamor/glitz can be overwhelming in these dark days.

A decade ago, this all would have been true. Fat expat salaries were made possible by demand exceeding the supply of professionals needed to build this country to what it is today. Westerners came here for a few years and made their retirement nest egg. For a country that just celebrated it's 38th anniversary last month, the transformation from a dusty trade crossroads to the modern nation it is now is nothing less than phenomenal.

But the fact is that the global economic downturn has infected the UAE too. There have been many layoffs in the last year especially in the financial and real estate sectors. Dubai has suffered the most because Abu Dhabi has revenue from its vast petroleum reserves to rely on...

I am not saying things are dire here. They just aren't this good:

And they aren't this bad:

They are somewhere in the middle.

Its a seller's market for jobs here lately so be careful if you are considering a position in Abu Dhabi, Dubai or any other of the Emirates. If you are dealing with a recruiter, be sure to read the fine print especially if you are paying a fee up front. Due Diligence is your friend! There are still some good positions to be found here, but they are scarcer and less lucrative than in the past.

Here is a link to a report from a company called Gulf Talent: Middle East Jobs Report I assume they are one of the recruitment companies in this area but I read the report and found it timely and factual. You have to sign in to get the report and I assure you I have no connection to this firm. If you want the .pdf file, email me and I will get it to you. It is somewhat a dry read but apparently they did their homework and presented an unbiased assessment of the employment situation in the region. It's worth your attention if you are considering the Big Move!

Double Down for Dubai

Dubai's financial woes have been in the news as of late. The city-state pinned its future on finance and real estate and we all know what happened to those two sectors on a worldwide scale. Unlike its dowdier but oil-rich sister to the South, Dubai has relatively few natural resources to fall back on as a safety net. Real estate values are plummeting and because of the global banking crisis, investment money is as scarce as hen's teeth.The bills are coming due and nothing short of a miracle and some charity from neighboring Emirates will ease the pain.

But wait....I have an idea!

What Dubai can do is what many financially beleaguered municipalities and governments around the world have done, legalize gaming! I realize that in this part of the planet, there might be more hurdles to jump than usual, but free-zones exempt from local laws already exist for other enterprises, why not a gaming free-zone? The World Islands would be perfect. They are offshore, currently empty and access could be easily controlled. Residents could be required to obtain a gaming license much like that for alcohol purchases. Visitors could be whisked from the airport to the casinos on the islands without ever having step foot in the city proper, their indulgences all but invisible to those that might take offense.

Dubai is a natural for becoming the Las Vegas of the Eastern Hemisphere. The original Las Vegas is also located in a barren desert bereft of natural resources, without gaming it would be little more than a desolate crossroad village where watching tumbleweeds blow across the dusty streets is the main form of entertainment. Dubai already has the infrastructure, glitz and attitude to easily cross the line. Additionally, Dubai's central geographic location between Europe and Asia and the beautiful waters of the Arabian Gulf are  advantages.

As we all know, the Las Vegas formula works. The city is a favorite destination of travelers from all over the world. These people happily drop their kid's college fund money in games that they know the casinos have the edge, but return time-and-time again because it is fun! All this activity also provides a fertile ground for support businesses such as food providers, cabbies, entertainers and such.

In fact, gaming is so profitable that the state of Nevada, where Las Vegas is located, sees no need to tax its residents' income, one of the few states in the US with this policy. Dubai seems to agree as at least two government owned businesses, Dubai World and Nakheel, are major partners in several new Las Vegas developments.

I am just free-associating here and I know it would be a hard sell to the powers that be, but allowing gaming has proven successful for curing financial woes in many other venues. Never underestimate what people will spend to satisfy their vices. I will be available for the position of Dubai Gaming Commissioner when the time comes.