Archive for the ‘UAE’ Category
Wedding
Thursday, March 4th, 2010Wedding Planning
Monday, November 23rd, 2009We are currently planning our wedding and were checking the beach hotels in Dubai for their menues, prices and services. As we will do the ceremony in the Sri Lankan Consulate in Abu Dhabi, we decided it would be too far to drive all the way to a Resort in Fujeirah, as this would probably waste 4 hours of our wedding day.
Though the hotels in Dubai are not really doing well, but their prices are still quiet high. I think with round about 50 guests, my wedding reception is far too small compared to Indian and Arabic weddings with several hundred of guests. One hotel even asked for a minimum spend of 45,000 Dhs. (=9,000 EUR)! A good friend of mine works in a hotel and offered me a really competetive price for a wedding party on their roof top terrace. I know I can have a beach wedding in Sri Lanka as well, but this is our special day and I don’t want to be stingy, I just want it to be really special and enjoyable!
As usual I just needed a little bit of luck. Nayan was abroad at my birthday, so I decided to join some friends in Ras al Kheimah for a desert barbecue. There I met a lovely girl, who is a Sales Coordinator for The Cove Rotana, a newly opened beach resort with that very special touch of nubian style bungalows along a man-made cove with stunning beach.
Nayan and me visited her one day and she took us around everywhere showing us several rooms and villas from inside as well as their Spa. She invited us for lunch to try their delicious buffet and enjoy the view and fresh air. Of course a wedding here is not the cheapest option, but compared to what other hotels offered for that price, we get a much better deal here. They’ve set up a special BBQ menu and added some German delicacies and a huge variety of salads and desserts. They will put the buffet next to the beach, with the dining tables and dancefloor right into the sand. So we can dance without the uncomfortable wedding shoes.
The most important thing though is that our familys and my best friends from Germany, Sri Lanka and Dubai are attending our wedding. We really look forward to a great beach party with great people making this one of the happiest days of our life. The lucky couple gets a complimentary villa and massage, too, so now we only need to negotiate the rates for friends and family.
Flu
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009Though weather in the UAE is very pleasant from October to March (besides the strong winds and a few rain showers in December and January), it becomes overbearingly hot and humid during the summer months. In July and August day time temperatures are usually between 42 and 46 degrees with humidity levels above 80%, during the nights temperatures are usually around 36 to 38 degrees, so still quiet sticky. During the summer months there is not much outdoor activities, everyone just gets from the house into the car and straight away into the next air-conditioned building.
The problem is that inside the buildings the temperature is usually well below 20 degrees, in our institute for instance the temperature in the office is 16 degrees only. So the body goes through a temperature shock of 30 degrees difference between inside and outside temperatures and the car is usually heated up to 60 degrees when parked in the sunlight. In the office I have to wear two sweaters and still feel cold, thats why I rather work from home, where I can set the thermostat to 24 degrees. In the students villa I also have a problem with the AC, even if I put the fan on low, the wind is constantly blowing through my room. on the other hand are the walls so badly isolated, that the rooms heats up quickly if the AC is switched off. No wonder that I get a cold freuently in the UAE. During my ractical term I fell sick four or five times within 6 months and was taking far to much antibiotics. So in April, just about 3 weeks after my arrival in Abu Dhabi, I found myself back in bed with headache, sore throat and fever. This time I avoided to take antibiotics but rather let my immune system fight it. After a few days I was feeling better and though once in a while I had a bit of sore throat or headaches again, I did not fall sick again in the coming months. Swine flu of course was discussed frequently, as I have so many cabin crew friends and many people in the UAE travel during the summer months. Maybe I was lucky, or the infection was very mild and my immunity system still activated to fight it instantly. Anyway, all who need to visit UAE during the summer, please do not forget to pack warm sweaters for indoors.
UAE philharmonic orchestra
Friday, May 29th, 2009The UAE has one philharmonic orchestra and the musicians are all volunteers as they have all normal day-time jobs. They gave two concerts, one in Dubai and one in Abu Dhabi. The entry was free (donations welcomed) and seats needed to be booked in advance via email. We went to the concert in the auditorium of the American University of Dubai (AUD), which is in a beautiful building in Marina area.
There were many people queuing up and it took quiet a while until all guests entered the hall because all registered names were written on a paper list and had to be crossed out. Even after the concert started still many people came in late, which is typical for Dubai, but in Germany entry would be denied after the concert started. I was wondering why some families came with their very young children to a classical concert and it was very natural that they started crying after a while. It was very disturbing until one lady from the audience stood up and asked that family to leave, so the father took the baby and waited outside. Other kids were jumping on the seats and quiet some people around us fall asleep.
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Though I really enjoyed the classical music, but it was a bit annoying the way people behaved. But I cannot blame them as well, because most of them would never had the chance to visit a classical concert in their home country, so how should they know the etiquette of such a formal event. I just felt little sorry for the musicians and all their efforts.
Learning Arabic with a Podcast
Monday, May 11th, 2009Before I came first time to Dubai, I learned Standard Arabic for one and a half years in evening courses at the Ulm University. During my practical term I did another Arabic course at the Berlitz Language Center to learn the Gulf dialect as nobody is conversing in Standard Arabic and so far I only learned the Egyptian Arabic, which is well understood in most Arabic countries. Because I was living in Germany and Singapore for two years, I forgot most of my Arabic vocabulary. Staff and students from MIST can attend Arabic classes at the Petroleum Institute, but as I am not in Abu Dhabi on a regular basis I did not join. Instead I found a more convenient and flexible way of brushing up my Arabic: the Arabic Pod 101. It is a podcast produced in America, where students teach basic vocabulary and conversations in Arabic. This is for free and who wants to access the Learning Center with pdf vocabulary lists etc. can opt for a premium membership.
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It is a really fun way to learn arabic, they also have videos where they show pictures of a certain topic (vegetables, body parts, means of transportation) and pronounce the words and at the end its like a quiz where they show the pictures again and one tries to recall the vocabulary.
Living conditions for construction workers
Thursday, May 7th, 2009Many people visiting the UAE are appalled by the conditions for construction workers. They have to work up to 12 hours shifts in the dusty heat and are living in labour camps outside the city. Already 2 years back the was a workers strike in Dubai, though striking is illegal in the UAE. The government then took action in improving conditions and setting minimum standards for labour camps and even closed down few of the worst.
I am not sure, if recession triggered this, but suddenly there were many newspaper articles about “the dark side of Dubai” and an undercover BBC report revealed still unbearable conditions in the labour camps. Some allegations seem exaggerated, but in case these are true stories, it would severely damage the image of Dubai. The Ministry said it will investigate the allegations and another source says that this controversial labour camp will be closed soon.
Well, it is not advised to make political statements or criticise the UAE and this is not my intention. I just reflected on the current newspaper articles and formulate my very personal opinion about the issue. I am glad that the government takes action and it should enforce the regulations it has issued. On the other hand I was asking myself, what can I do about it? Nothing much, many would say, but looking away is never an option for me. So I was asking the other Research Assistants at the institute, if we should pack some goddie bags and give it to the construction workers living next to our villas. Of course not all of them face such bad conditions as stated in the news, but the shanties they are living in do not look good to me either.
Nayan gave me plenty of his shirts, trousers and shoes he is not wearing anymore and Sherry and Laura contributed some fruits and food items. We packed everything in plastic bags and John and Amro accompanied us to distribute it to the workers. We were little nervous and did not know how they would react, as we did not want to offend anyone. They were already at work in the morning and maybe not allowed to come over to the fence. The construction supervisor came and I handed it over to him asking him to please give it to the workers. The workers were smiling and waving and I hope we made their day. It is only a little gesture, but at least it shows that we care for our neighbours.
Banking
Saturday, April 25th, 2009Well, initially my plan was to open up a local bank account to get my salary transferred to it. My main income is through my DAAD scholarship in Germany though and as the institute is providing me with free accomodation and health care we agreed on a low salary. When I was checking with different banks over here (not only local ones, also HSBC and citygroup etc.) I was about to find out that all of them in one way or the other require either a minimum income or minimum balance of 3,000 up to 10,000 Dhs or otherwise they will charge a fee. Even the saving accounts were subject to strange policies and I am just not willing to pay bank charges for banks that offer online banking without TAN numbers etc. while having great and free banking with DKB in Germany. So I asked my institute if it would be possible to transfer my salary on my fiancès bank account, which initially they said they could do, but actually because of auditing purposes it is not possible to transfer salary on another name. That makes sense to me, but at least they agreed on issuing cheques to me, which I then can go and cash-in at the bank.
Buying and registering a car in the UAE
Monday, April 6th, 2009Because of the recession and many people leaving the country, the car market in Dubai offers a lot of good deals for used cars, but it is a bit more hassle to buy a car in Dubai and register it in Abu Dhabi.
Step 1: Find a car
I had no particular model in mind, it should be size and performance wise in the range of a Nissan Tiida, which I drove in the UAE as my company car before and I was very happy with. Fuel efficiency was also a major aspect, though petrol prizes here are still incredibly low (55 Dhs = 11 EUR to fill up my tank).
Places to look for cars are:
- Websites: www.autodealer.ae , www.autosouk.com
- Classifieds: www.khaleejtimes.com , www.bazaar.ae
- Auctions: www.goldenbellauctions.com , www.dubaibid.com
- Used Car Market: Al Aweer Used Car Complex Dubai
I became a member of the German Emirates Club and used their forum to look for a used car below 30.000 Dhs (~6000 EUR). I was lucky, when someone offered a Ford Focus 2004 model (5 doors, hatchback) in silver-blue for 16.000 Dhs (~3200 EUR). Though it had 94.000 km already, I called the German guy to view the car and check its condition. I rented a car and we met at the weekend in Dubai. I went for a test drive and immediately fell in love with the car, it’s just fun to drive it, it has a nice design and was very well maintained with only few minor scratches. So we sealed the deal and we will do the transfer next weekend, before he returns to Germany.
Step 2: Car insurance
I took a copy of the current car registration card and went to the Abu Dhabi office of AXA insurance. There I filled out the form and chose the options of the insurance plan. Now they offer many services like quotes etc. online as well. Documents and information required:
- Vehicle details (e.g. Make, Model, Type, Engine No, Chassis No, Seating Capacity, Colour, Engine Capacity )
- Value of the vehicle
- Registration No; (if available)
- Drivers name, Date of birth, license number and issue date for each person to be listed on the policy
- Passport/ID No
- No claims certificate (if available, or a statement has to be signed)
- Bank name and address if the vehicle is financed
- Visa or Master Card or cash for payment
The insurance covers a period of 13 months, as the car registration has to be renewed every 12 months with 1 month grace period for the re-registering. I decided for the Motor Pefect Package and had to pay about 2200 Dhs (~450 EUR), if I do not make any claim under this policy I will get a certain no-claim discount upon renewal next year.
Step 3: Transferring ownership of the car
Few days later we went together to the EPPCO Tasjeel Service Center (a joint venture with the Road and Traffic Authority) in Al Quoz Industrial Area next to Emirates Mall. It’s a one-stop vehicle testing and registration service. The staff do all the vehicle testing and document typing other related services. The average processing time is between 30 to 45 minutes. We took the Al Sayara Express Service which cost me 150 Dhs extra. The vehicle testing costs 50 Dhs and 90 Dhs fee for the RTA, so overall 290 Dhs (~60 EUR). They did all the paperwork and fixed blue export number plates which are valid for 2-3 days. The previous owner only has to pay off any outstanding traffic fines, remove his Salik tag from the windscreen and cancel his Salik subscription. We signed the papers and then I received the key for my first own car.
Step 4: Registering the car in Abu Dhabi
Next evening I was back in Abu Dhabi and went to the Traffic and Licensing Department (same place were I got my driving licence from). First I had to go through the inspection again and queued up at ADNOC test centre, just down the road. I went inside and paid the 60 Dhs (~12 EUR) test fee, I gave the paper to the inspection guy, they checked my car and after 5 minutes I got it back. He gave me the paper to go back inside and get the results printed out. I stopped by the auto-shop to ask them to removed my export number plates (5 Dhs). Then I went to the Traffic Department and submitted the following documents at the counter:
- Valid passport with residence permit
- Employment certificate (issue date should not exceed one month)
- UAE Driving licence
- Car insurance policy for 13 months
- Vehicle technical test result
- Vehicle ownership transfer certificate
- Export number plates
- Fee: 200 Dhs (~40 EUR)
The lady processed my documents and entered everything into the system, 5 minutes later I received the vehicle registration card and a paper to get my number plates.
So I had to drive back, because the number plate manufactory is next to the testing centre. You have to tell them, if you need long or short plates (depending on your vehicle design). I needed two long plates (30 Dhs each), a sticker (5 Dhs) and asked the technicians outside to fix them for me. A screw was broken and they were struggeling for 10 minutes to fix it properly, so I gave 20 Dhs for their efforts.
So overall I had to pay another 350 Dhs (~70 EUR) to register my car in Abu Dhabi. You think that’s it? 
Step 5: Salik Tag for Dubai Toll System
When appoaching Dubai, road signs will mention the distance to next toll gate and advise to get the Salik tag from the closeby petrol stations. I stopped at Eppco, went inside to the counter and said I want to purchase a Salik Tag, you need to give a copy of the vehicle registration card or they’ll do a copy for you (1 Dhs). You will need to fill out a form with all your details and vehicle information and pay 100 Dhs for the starter pack. This includes your Salik RFID tag, a user guide, a card to note down subscription details for top-up, as well as 50 Dhs initial balance on your account.
Back in my car I installed the RFID tag on my windscreen just behind the rear-view mirrow. Then I had to call up the hotline and tell them all my details (which I just entered into the form) again via phone. They will also ask for the T.C. number which can be found on the top of your driving license. Then you will receive your Salik account number and PIN per short message on your mobile phone. Now you can cross the toll gates and the system will deduct 4 Dhs, according to the route. The driver will be informed as soon as the balance drops below 30 Dhs, value can be added to the account via online or mobile payment or at any petrol station in Dubai.
Step 5: Obey to the traffic rules and speed limits
Reckless driving and speeding caused an incredible high rate of traffic accidents and deaths. Two years ago the government of Dubai then took drastic action to increase the safety. Now on Sheikh Zayed road there are high-tech speed cameras every 500 metres and speed limit was reduced to 100 (cameras activate at 121 km/h). After Dubai Marina towards Abu Dhabi speed limit is 120 km/h (cameras activate at 141 km/h). In the Emirate of Abu Dhabi there is the same speed limit of 120, but cameras activate at 161 km/h. Between Dubai and Abu Dhabi many drivers go fast. The problem is not, that they drive 160 km/h, but not keeping safety distance, no indication and checking sidewards before changing lanes and a rude driving style make UAE roads dangerous. But the same applies to people going on the left lanes slowly, while there are 3 lanes onto their right free for them to go at lower speed. When fast lanes are blocked, drivers are tempted to overtake on the right, which is prohibited but common practice. So please be careful while driving, don’t forget to buckle-up your seat belt and enjoy your new car
Crazy weather in the UAE
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009Usually March and April are the last pleasant months in the UAE before the heat and humidity levels rise. This year it was raining and storming so much in the end of March that I thought, I might have brought the German weather along with me. Usually it only rains a few days in a whole year, mostly during the cooler months and the climate differs between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, though its just 1 hours drive apart.
However this year there were thunder storms in Dubai hitting the world’s tallest tower the Burj Dubai and incredible photos have been taken of this spectacular event. In the south in Hilli (Al Ain) a major storm lead to floods and the winds caused lots of damage. There was also a heavy hail storm in Fujairah leaving big ice crumbs behind in the desert mountains.
Click on the image to view the album with more pictures.
German Emirates Club and Networking
Friday, March 20th, 2009As I did my internship in Dubai two years ago, I took the opportunity to visit my former colleagues again. The new CEO is a German guy and he gave me the advise to join the German Emirates Club, the German speaking community in the UAE. I got a personal invitation from him, as one can only join upon invitation of a current member. Usually I avoided networking with Germans abroad, but this platform proves to be very helpful. It is basically like the XING platform where you can search and message to other members and view their business profile and personal interests. Furthermore there is a forum and a marketplace with various sections. So when I need a doctor, legal advise or look for a second hand car this is the place to check first.
I got to know very interesting people and also through people that I meet in the Salsa club and elsewhere I always have my business cards with me in case I meet someone interesting. Also because of my job at Masdar many people approach me and I help them to find the right person to speak to within my company. One day we went for lunch with a German guy and he brought his Russian wife along, who I really like as well. She is working in the Ras Al Khaimah Freezone and was very helpful, when I wanted information on how to register my own consultancy in the UAE.
