The United Arab Emirates (UAE)

As the title says, I am currently in the United Arab Emirates. Why? For a conference but of course! I arrived last night into Dubai (!) with my colleague Jonathan and we drove to the conference venue in Abu Dhabi.

The flight was 16 hours... and counting the 3 hours I spent on a plane getting to LAX (so I could be sure not to arrive alone) I spent the better part of an entire day on a plane. Then, count the fact that I am 10 hours ahead of Texas... and I am now missing 2 days of my life. :) Per advice on the internet, I arrived in the baggiest, most concealing clothes I could find... which turned out to be incredibly comfy for the plane, but altogether unnecessary since I've seen women in all kinds of clothes - skirts, shorts, dresses, etc.

First impression- Dubai Airport Terminal 3 is everything you would expect if you've heard or seen anything on Dubai... its like a giant Light Bright (remember those children of the 80s?)... The columns look like they are made of sugar.


Getting our rental car - a Mercedes C-class - was a bit of an ordeal, but it meant we got to see the other side of Dubai - Terminal 1... which seemed more like India (43% of the population is Indian, actually) in that it was crowded and a bit dirty. The roads are incredibly nice- the drive on the correct (US) side of the road/car and all the signs are in both Arabic/English.

We had no problem finding the hotel in Abu Dhabi,about an hour away. The Shangri-La hotel is very nice and very new... actually reminds me of Cabo a bit. We are right on the waterway and every room has a water view. The room comes with a kitchen more equipped than the barndo will be... even has a european washer/dryer in the kitchen and a full size fridge/freezer.

Hotel pics:





I went off and forgot my camera, so I'll have to get pics from Jonathan, but the room is quite nice. The air smells of petroleum, though.

A few facts...
-Seven emirates, or sheikdoms, make up the UAE- each emirate is ruled by a sheik (pronounced shake).
-Dubai is a separate, neighboring emirate. Unlike what most assume, Dubai only gets 6% of its economy from petroleum, the majority is real estate and tourism.
-Abu Dhabi on the other hand, has an economy based on petroleum so they are two very different cities just 120 km apart.
-Dubai is apparently the Las Vegas of the East, while Abu Dhabi is more the Detroit.

An important point, I have yet to feel uncomfortable here - it is very Americanized and American-friendly. English is spoken everywhere and all signs are in both Arabic and English. Someone said to me recently that they think travel is good because it helps you understand what others feel when they visit our culture-- since everything is said/written in Arabic first here, I get what that person means on a certain level. (Even Google.com defaults to all Arabic, right justified text.)

Getting a cab back to the hotel after today's conference session was an adventure, though... kind of like trying to hail a cab directly on the interstate (which is why I let Jonathan do it ;)

Most of what I read about doing business here has been proven untrue so far:
-I mentioned the dress thing earlier... even at the conference women were wearing form fitting, flashy outfits and no one seemed to mind or stare.
-I heard the men would not want to shake my hand because it is viewed as the same level of interaction as kissing, which is reserved only for female family members, but every UAE national has not faltered in shaking my hand (thought I'm still careful not to offer it first.)

Ooooh- I am hearing the call to prayer right now. It happens like five times a day, so I expected it early this morning, but never heard it. It is actually quiet faint compared to what it was in India. There is a beautiful mosque across the water from the hotel, though all the cranes (~70% of the world's cranes are in the UAE, I hear) detract from its beauty a bit.




More later... off to a Networking Dinner at the Le Meridian hotel...