The Dubai Expat Diaries

There’s been quite a lot of coverage as well as rhetoric in the British media of late, regaring Dubai and a possible terror threat, posed to the Palm Jumeirah and the Burj al Arab hotel. Some snippets from various media reports:
From The Telegraph:
Expats – who make up perhaps as much as 90 per cent of [...]

Please be warned! There is a hoax / false email being circulated warning of a Hurricane and possible thunderstorms this weekend in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and most parts of the UAE. Do not take it seriously!!! IT IS A HOAX. Please check weather.com or any popular site for the actual weather forecast and avoid circulating [...]

Westin ATM party draws over 2,000: Pre-ATM bash declared ‘hottest’ party of the year
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, May 6, 2008 – It was Open House at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina last night as the five-star resort flung open its doors to welcome in the world’s travel industry and give them [...]

The West End Stage Experience – Live the Dream…
Popular Productions Ltd & West End Stage Experience are seeking talented actors, singers and dancers aged between 10 and 23 to audition to be part of one of the most exciting and successful musicals of recent years – Disney’s High School Musical.
The West End Stage Experience is [...]

The Bride Show and Emirates Business 24/7 report that the wedding industry grew 20 % in 2007:
The cost of tying the knot can be anything from Dh20,000 for a small expat union to Dh500m for the most extravagant Emirati nuptials. But according to IIR – the Bride Show event organisers – the average cost is Dh300,000. [...]

Twitter has now been blocked in Dubai and the UAE! Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send “updates” (or “tweets”; text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) to the Twitter website, via short message service (e.g. on a cell phone), instant messaging, or a third-party application such as Twitterrific [...]

While rumors were flying thick and fast, the official take on the ”worst car crash / pile-up in the history of the UAE” was that 3-4 people were killed and more than 350 injured in a devastating 60 vehicle pile-up (caused by fog and reckless driving, it is presumed) on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway near Ghantoot on Tuesday (11th March 2008). The [...]

WATER BUSES READY FOR TOMORROWS OPENING OF DUBAI INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW 2008: Larger Parking Facility and Water-Based Transportation Available for Thousands Expected to Visit Region’s Most Impressive Line Up of Boats, Marine Supplies and Services. Dubai International Boat Show (DIBS) 2008 has adopted an on-water traffic solution for the thousands of visitors expected at the event opening [...]

Here are a couple of interesting and entertaining videos from the Mina Seyahi complex in Dubai (home to the popular Barasti Bar and the upcoming flagship Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi hotel). The first is of a recent show-around of the Westin hotel to 120 members of the American Women’s Association in Dubai (appropriately termed Hard [...]

2008 Maktoum Sailing Trophy hailed a success: New-format thrills spectators and competitors. The 2008 Maktoum Sailing Trophy, sponsored by Emirates Airline, has taken sailing to new heights in the UAE after a week of top class international action off the coast of Dubai. The five-day event attracted some of the world’s leading yachtsmen who competed [...]