obama '08

So we're trying to stay in touch with all the politics back home....even if it means getting up before dawn. Here's a shot of Obama's historic acceptance speech around 6am Friday morning.

We plan to do the same for the upcoming presidential debates and election night with the local chapter of Democrats Abroad.

For those of you in the US, enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

4x4 trip

Here are some pictures from a Wadi (dry riverbed) excursion from last weekend. We went about an hour and a half northeast of Dubai through 4 of the 7 other emirates: Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah.

drivetime radio

For those familiar to Texas, Dubai is similar to Houston, with lots of overpasses, wide roads and traffic everywhere. A metro line is being built, but isn’t scheduled to open until late 2009. That means most people drive their own car or take (reasonably priced) taxis to get from A to B. The driving style is a bit aggressive and impatient, with indicators being used sparingly or for a split second during a lane change.

The main thoroughfare is called Sheik Zayed Road (SZR) which is a tollroad that goes north-south. Although road names exist, they’re never used: when you get in a taxi, you tell the driver the nearest landmark (usually a hotel or tower) and direct them from there. Traffic can be absolutely horrendous, with a 15-minute drive taking 1.5-2 hours during peak times.

Getting a driving license apparently is a nightmare for some and people have been known to fail the test more than twice (kind of like NL). Luckily, for a US license, it’s a 1-to-1 automatic conversion.

move over, bacon....

The variety of food available is very impressive—it ranges
from the ultra-expensive at the Burj Al Arab (the world’s
first “7 star” hotel) to dirt cheap in Bur Dubai (Little India). Not to mention that American chains run rampant, including KFC, Pizza Hut, Hardee's, Applebees, Cinnabon, Tony Roma’s, Macaroni Grill, etc. Sorry for those in NL, but surely a FEBO is in the planning stages ;) Although the names and menus are more or less the same as in the US, you can taste a bit of difference, especially when you’re offered beef bacon.
The other noticeable difference is that most of these restaurants are unlicensed—so no margs at Chili’s, only a range of mocktails. Only restaurants/bars that are attached to hotels can serve alcohol, which means for a drink after work, you’d head over to a Le Meridien, Hyatt or Sheraton. Since most hotels are on the high-end, and alcohol taxes are steep, prices are outrageous for alcohol, with a pint of beer costing around €6 or $9. Ouch!

Most grocery stores cater to the large expat population and are just like those in the US—huge with aisles and aisles of options. We bought Eggo waffles, All laundry detergent and Tollhouse cookies on our first run to “Safestway.” Most of fruit and veg are imported from outside the UAE, e.g. Driscoll’s strawberries or tomatoes from NL, but you can get local/Indian limes, cucumbers, apples at a considerable discount. By the way, this ain’t no Albert Heijn where you pack your own groceries.

Pork is actually available in the back of some grocers—under the heading of “NON-MUSLIMS ONLY” and is pretty pricey (€4 for Oscar Mayer bacon). Imagine the adult-video section at the back of a video rental store.

the rent is HOW much?!?!

We’ve settled into our temporary housing at Chelsea Tower (‘temporary hotel apartments’) on the 20th floor. We were supposed to have a 1-bedroom apartment, but since one was not available, they gave us 3 bedrooms (+ maid’s room), and locked 2 of them. This leaves us with a long walk down the hallway from our living room to our master bedroom. It also means we have 4 bathrooms, which is perfect for those times when we have another couple over and all four of us need to go at the same time.

We started the search for our apartment. PwC has a relocation consultant (Simone) that is available to us to help us through the apartment search, as well as about anything else we need to get settled in. She’s also the wife of one of Jon’s colleagues, which makes it more personal. We’ve spent about a day and a half last week looking at apartments in a few different areas. We’re starting to know where we want to be, and now it’s getting down to the specific building and apartment. Some of the key factors include:

Location: The location is of course important, especially with the amount of traffic. A lot of cities’ traffic patterns roughly go from outside the city into the city in the mornings, and vice versa in the evening. Dubai’s layout is more of a long stretch along the coast, and since Dubai rents are so high, most people live in the neighboring emirate, Sharjah. So in the morning, traffic goes from Sharjah to Dubai (south) and vice-versa in the evenings.

Cost: The costs for renting and buying in Dubai are outrageous. There is of course a wide range, but in general, we are looking at renting a 1 or 2-bedroom apartment in a desirable location in the range of 140-200K Dirhams per year ($38,000-$55,000 per year, or $3,100-$4,500 per month). Renters also have to provide a year’s worth of rent up front in 1 check. Fortunately, companies provide a living allowance that covers or mostly covers these costs. They also provide an interest-free loan equivalent to your living allowance to cover this payment, and then deduct money from your monthly paycheck so the loan is paid off in 1 year. It is definitely not a renter’s market. In many cases, you are not guaranteed the right to renew after 1 year. Also, places go quickly, so if you like an apartment, you have to be ready to pay within a few days and the contract will likely start within a week. Most buildings are only partially occupied (maybe 20%), yet the owners are not renting the units.

Quality: Almost everything is new. Most places are in good condition and spacious (especially coming from Amsterdam), and kitchens often include washer/dryer, refrigerator, freezer and oven.

Construction: Another factor in the search is the amount of construction nearby. The whole city is being built. It’s hard to get a feel for what that means without seeing it, but literally, construction is everywhere. Some areas are mostly completed, with just a little construction remaining, but most of the popular areas have major projects nearby. There are apartment buildings with 40 floors being built all over the place. Two big malls (including, of course, the largest mall in the world) are under construction and expected to be completed within a few months.