Dubai?

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by speeder

Why TF would anyone want to go there?

I agree. I can see all the stuff a lot of money can buy in Houston plus Goodson's is there as well the Cadillac Bar.

Astroturfing, 90% non-nationals and a supercar graveyard (in video). The Palms projects were huge blowouts among many other reasons..

Go traditional. Amsterdam, Copenhagen, mediterrainian as mentioned.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by RNajarian

On January 1, 2003 a young Canadian medic was returning back to Dubai from Abu Dhabi where he had transported a Canadian soldier for emergency surgery the day before. The soldier received the surgery and was stable. Despite being absolutely exhausted from the entire ordeal the medic decided to return to Dubai at 3 am. Being physically exhausted and likely malnourished he weaved a little on the highway. An Emirati law enforcement official seeing this pulled him over for DUI. He had NOT been drinking and passed the field sobriety test (breathalyzer and the Walk and Turn test) with no problem. Unsatisfied with the result, the LEO returned him to the hospital where they drew blood to see his blood alcohol level. While they waited for the results he was put in jail. His blood alcohol level came back 0.0. Despite NOT being intoxicated they charged him with reckless driving, the trial was three days later where he was found guilty and sentenced to 9 months in jail. The Canadian Government was in a pickle because they needed access to the base they were using in Dubai to support operations in Afghanistan. After 3 months in the harshest of prison conditions the Emiratis agreed he would be released if he received 25 lashes. The soldier agreed, however, after the 18th lash he passed out from the pain and was unconscious for the remaining 7 lashes. The Emiratis decided since he was unconscious for the final 7 lashes he did not comply with the agreement and they returned him to prison to finish the remainder of his 9 month sentence. At this point the Canadian Government became more firm with the Emiratis and demanded the soldier’s release. After a month the Emiratis agreed and he was released. He developed scars all across his back from the lashes. I’ve got a photo I can dig out if anyone is interested.

These stories are not meant to in anyway demean or offend the Emiratis or their culture. Just remember, “You’re not in Kansas anymore.”

That story is really horrific, especially considering that they got "scientific proof" that they were wrong/not justified, but chose to ignore it and go forward. It's almost like they were concerned with losing face so couldn't back down or just wanted to fuch with the foreigner or enjoy their power or something.

I'm guessing the videos that we've all seen of Arabs drifting down public roads must not be in Dubai. I guess those are in Saudi or one of the other countries in that region.

[3rd_gear_Ted]

The whole region is a fake, the offroad race known as the Dakar is being ran over there.
The Saudi Arabian desert is far from Senegal but the money involved says it is the same.

The offroad racers I know found out how long beer lasts in fuel drums. The Saudis bought the story about keeping race fuel cool at all times.

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Bit of a sweeping statement to say the whole region is fake

For sure the glitzy new cities are fake but scratch below the surface of less developed counties you'll find plenty of genuine reality, charm, warm hospitality and more rich history than you'd ever find in North America or Europe

I'd put Oman and Jordan in my top 5 best places I've visited in the world

[RNajarian]

Originally Posted by RNajarian

I spent quite a bit of time flying in and out of Al Minhad Air Base.

The stories (good and bad) I could tell . . .

One thing we taught the young troops is “You’re NOT in Kansas anymore.”

One young airman flew in with me commercial to Abu Dhabi. While going through customs the guard flagged his green military “C” bag because his wife had put hot pink scarves on the handles for easy baggage identification. The guard thought the young airman had obviously stolen the “C” bag from a women because of the hot pink scarves. The airman got angry, belligerent and began to make a scene. I grabbed the airman and reminded him if he didn’t calm down and cooperate he would rot in an Emerati prison since we didn’t have a Status of Forces agreement with the UAE.

On January 1, 2003 a young Canadian medic was returning back to Dubai from Abu Dhabi where he had transported a Canadian soldier for emergency surgery the day before. The soldier received the surgery and was stable. Despite being absolutely exhausted from the entire ordeal the medic decided to return to Dubai at 3 am. Being physically exhausted and likely malnourished he weaved a little on the highway. An Emirati law enforcement official seeing this pulled him over for DUI. He had NOT been drinking and passed the field sobriety test (breathalyzer and the Walk and Turn test) with no problem. Unsatisfied with the result, the LEO returned him to the hospital where they drew blood to see his blood alcohol level. While they waited for the results he was put in jail. His blood alcohol level came back 0.0. Despite NOT being intoxicated they charged him with reckless driving, the trial was three days later where he was found guilty and sentenced to 9 months in jail. The Canadian Government was in a pickle because they needed access to the base they were using in Dubai to support operations in Afghanistan. After 3 months in the harshest of prison conditions the Emiratis agreed he would be released if he received 25 lashes. The soldier agreed, however, after the 18th lash he passed out from the pain and was unconscious for the remaining 7 lashes. The Emiratis decided since he was unconscious for the final 7 lashes he did not comply with the agreement and they returned him to prison to finish the remainder of his 9 month sentence. At this point the Canadian Government became more firm with the Emiratis and demanded the soldier’s release. After a month the Emiratis agreed and he was released. He developed scars all across his back from the lashes. I’ve got a photo I can dig out if anyone is interested. . . .

I found the photo of the Canadian Medic who was incarcerated in the UAE and punished with 25 lashes. The photo speaks for itself, it was taken in a hotel room after he was released.

[Eric 951]

It's been several years, but there were a lot of beauty parlors and lingerie shops. I asked my contact what the deal was, he indicated that is for the men--since the women are covered head to toe all day, when they are home with their man, the men want them to look their absolute best for their eyes only.

[Cairo94507]

No desire to go there and support that culture at all. Shame, because I am interested in their architecture.

[matthewb0051]