Dubai

[Prubangboy]

Will have a stopover there en route to Brazil for a vacation. It's the only way to fly premium-economy to Brazil.

 

Have you been, would you go? It never pops up in retirement alternative destination discussions here.

 

'Doesn't look like there's much there to interest me. Two small old areas with some souks, a mall or two, some fake beaches.

 

I was surprised that Abu Dhabi, the nicer part of Dubai with a Louvre branch is 3 hours away from the main airport. 

[susanlea]

Every city is worth visiting at least once if given the chance. Definately yes. There is bound to be a unique restaurant experience or something that is different.

Edited June 22 by susanlea

[Prubangboy]

When I went to Oman, I dealt almost entirely with Bangladeshi's, the Omanis being too posh to work. I expect Dubai will be the same.

 

ME food is my fave, but I can hop on one foot to decent hummus in Chiang Mai. I have experienced the endless sand dune thing twice this year. Call it 4 days, including a day tour to see The Louvre, which won't be great like the real Louvre.

 

The only rational layover places between here and Brazil are Istanbul (been 3 times, it's OK) and Addis Abba (curious, but there's the getting hit over the head-factor there).

 

Google tells me that escorts are $300 for short time, and that's the low end. You can go African for $200, and Russian (or someone pretending to be Russian) for $500.

[sandyf]

29 minutes ago, Prubangboy said:

I was surprised that Abu Dhabi, the nicer part of Dubai with a Louvre branch is 3 hours away from the main airport. 

Abu Dhabi is not part of Dubai, it is a separate Emirate, the airport for Etihad.

I haven't been back to Dubai, other than staging, since I was stationed at Sharjah in 1970, lot has changed since then. In those days they were called the Trucial Oman States and Dubai was nothing more than a shanty town. The oil came along, the British pulled out and the rest is history.

[scubascuba3]

Total fake place, I'd avoid it

[susanlea]

Just now, scubascuba3 said:

Total fake place, I'd avoid it

Thailand has several fake places.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

Finding Thailand too hot as a potential retirement destination though Koh Chang is nice and today in Jomtiem is nice. That part of the world is ridiculous unless you want to live indoors. 

[susanlea]

3 minutes ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

Finding Thailand too hot as a potential retirement destination though Koh Chang is nice and today in Jomtiem is nice. That part of the world is ridiculous unless you want to live indoors. 

Pattaya is only 31/32 today. April is far worse.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

Just now, susanlea said:

Pattaya is only 31/32 today. April is far worse.

Yeah today is nice as I say. No pollution too. Nice breeze. If everyday like this happy. Might need to get used it a bit longer  but some days hard to do much outside except morning and late afternoon unless inside. Not used to it I suppose. 

[susanlea]

Just now, Fat is a type of crazy said:

Yeah today is nice as I say. No pollution too. Nice breeze. If everyday like this happy. Might need to get used it a bit longer  but some days hard to do much outside except morning and late afternoon unless inside. Not used to it I suppose. 

11am to 2pm is generally hot in Thailand and you just adapt. 3pm to 10pm are the best hours in Thailand. Breakfast, gym, pool then stay in aircon to 2.30pm then go out do things. That's the way to live.

[marin]

1 minute ago, susanlea said:

Breakfast, gym, pool then stay in aircon to 2.30pm then go out do things. That's the way to live.

Generally the hottest part of the day here is 2-430pm. 

[Kinnock]

Everything happens in malls, with the exception of the pleasant Marina strip and the beaches in winter.  Ramadan is a difficult time as all the restaurants and cafe are closed or covered during the day.

 

There's nobody on the streets as it's too hot and dusty - so no street vibe, stalls or anything.  Taxis are all driven by South Asians with no navigation skills or sense of direction.  The 'skytrain' is good, with AC everywhere.

 

OK if you have (lots) of ex-pat expenses and a good salary.

[susanlea]

2 minutes ago, marin said:

Generally the hottest part of the day here is 2-430pm. 

1pm is the hottest part of the day generally everywhere.

[scubascuba3]

23 minutes ago, susanlea said:

Thailand has several fake places.

Yeah like the Floating market in Pattaya, I'd avoid that too

[marin]

7 minutes ago, susanlea said:

Breakfast, gym, pool then stay in aircon to 2.30pm then go out do things. That's the way to live.

Generally the hottest part of the day here is 2-430pm. 

 

On a day where rain is coming. I am not going to get into it with you. Judging by your posts of the last few weeks you know everything, and spend all day letting people know that. 

[susanlea]

Just now, marin said:

Generally the hottest part of the day here is 2-430pm. 

 

On a day where rain is coming. I am not going to get into it with you. Judging by your posts of the last few weeks you know everything, and spend all day letting people know that. 

Sometimes it is hot from 1pm 7pm but it isnt going to be cool at 1pm and hot at 4pm. That just doesn't happen. Peak temperatures are usually hit around 1pm and can last a few hours or last longer. This can be looked at on weather sites. If you have alternative evidence that is significant then post it.

[susanlea]

4 minutes ago, marin said:

know everything

What a very immature response. I'm taking my bat and ball and going home. 

[Upnotover]

1 hour ago, Prubangboy said:

Will have a stopover there en route to Brazil for a vacation. It's the only way to fly premium-economy to Brazil.

 

Have you been, would you go? It never pops up in retirement alternative destination discussions here.

 

'Doesn't look like there's much there to interest me. Two small old areas with some souks, a mall or two, some fake beaches.

 

I was surprised that Abu Dhabi, the nicer part of Dubai with a Louvre branch is 3 hours away from the main airport. 

It's fine for a few days.  Plenty to see and do to keep amused but nothing is cheap.  It's not 3 hours to Abu Dhabi, more like 1.5-2.  If I had enough money to retire there I wouldn't, I'd be somewhere more naturally attractive.  Good food can be had everywhere and Lebanese and Indian at good prices.  Girls are expensive and the Russians are not much fun, best if you can find a Filipina working there doing a bit of sideline at night.

[susanlea]

Dubai reached peak temperature at 10am

 

 

[scubascuba3]

31 minutes ago, susanlea said:

11am to 2pm is generally hot in Thailand and you just adapt. 3pm to 10pm are the best hours in Thailand. Breakfast, gym, pool then stay in aircon to 2.30pm then go out do things. That's the way to live.

Personally i do most things early as do many people. Get back before it gets proper hot

[susanlea]

3 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Personally i do most things early as do many people. Get back before it gets proper hot

Thai streets are quiet early as many shops open late. Good for running or bike riding though. 

[ravip]

1 hour ago, Prubangboy said:

Will have a stopover there en route to Brazil for a vacation. It's the only way to fly premium-economy to Brazil.

 

Have you been, would you go? It never pops up in retirement alternative destination discussions here.

 

'Doesn't look like there's much there to interest me. Two small old areas with some souks, a mall or two, some fake beaches.

 

I was surprised that Abu Dhabi, the nicer part of Dubai with a Louvre branch is 3 hours away from the main airport. 

Last January, visited Dubai for 2 weeks. At that time the weather was good, quite cool but windy. Most of the places I visited was all built up, clean. Did a trip to Abu Dhabi by bus - comfortable and good. Did a desert safari, just for the heck of it - nothing to complain about and all was meticulously planned and arranged.

Yes, I would go on a longer visit again.

 

Very rarely would you see or meet a local - mostly foreigners.

 

The most unusual observation I made was, seeing the most number of Bentley, Lamborghini, Maserati, Porche, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Ferrari etc., all in one place, in a big car park of a rental company - all available for rent!

 

Nothing comes cheap there!

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

Abu Dhabi is rather quiet and has fewer attractions for foreigners, although the Louvre should be good to visit, but I can't say from experience as it was opened after I left the UAE. The Yas Circuit is a great venue for motorsports if you can time your visit to coincide with an event. 

 

Dubai has by far the most attractions. Dubai Mall and the Burj Khalifa are worth a look if you can appreciate large malls and tall buildings. Your wife will enjoy shopping in the malls. Mrs. Shrdlu liked Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates best, the latter having indoor skiing.

 

This time of year it is quite hot, so outdoor activities might only be feasible early mornings or late afternoons. Jumeirah Beach is ok and you can visit the Burj al Arab, but probably can't go inside without a reservation for a room or restaurant.

 

If you have kids, they will love the water parks. My son couldn't get enough of them. Aquaventure was his favorite and second was Wild Wadi with Yas Waterworld in Abu Dhabi third.

 

Lots of golf courses, too, but this time of year it may be a bit hot, although I played throughout the year there.

 

My family also enjoyed a program of desert dune-bashing followed by dinner in a faux Arabian setting in the desert. Fun for the family if you have time.

 

Don't expect to experience much of Arabian culture. The population of Dubai is about 90 percent foreigner. Also, everything is fairly expensive.

 

I found the UAE to be quite a good place live and work and I have positive memories of my time there. I've attached a photo showing the view from my office at the top of Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai.

 

 

[Prubangboy]

54 minutes ago, ravip said:

 

 

Nothing comes cheap there!

A hundred bucks for a cheap room.

 

And yeah, it's too hot. It's too hot to wait outside for an Uber.

 

Call it a day to travel. BKK flight leaves at 9:30 AM, gets in at 7:30 PM. Two days to mall-walk and visit some souks when it cools off. Another day to go to the so-so semi-Louvre. And the big mosque. On average, I'm good for about 10 minutes -if it's a major mosque.

 

On the way back, maybe I'd book a two nights at the beach. But at quadruple Thai rates for a much less good beach experience.

 

15 hours to São Paulo, Brazil, BTW. 6 hours further to BKK. Flying from BKK to SP with a short stop over in Dubai is only 24 hours, so I'm rethinking if the juice of laying over is worth the boring-mall squeeze and paying triple for hummus.

 

The diff between a 15 hour flight and a 24 hour one is basically 1 extra mg of Xanax.

 

Dating fun facts: 3-5 men for every single woman in Dubai. Mostly, you'll be hooking up with Filipina's. Strong gold digging vibe (per Reddit). The Arab local women bring you into honor-killing territory. I am psyched that I'm not looking.

 

São Paulo, Brazil is a mecca of big-bottomed, very intellectual women (per my friend). Downside: little English spoken, you must speak Portuguese. 

 

 

[susanlea]

18 minutes ago, Prubangboy said:

A hundred bucks for a cheap room.

 

And yeah, it's too hot. It's too hot to wait outside for an Uber.

 

Call it a day to travel. BKK flight leaves at 9:30 AM, gets in at 7:30 PM. Two days to mall-walk and visit some souks when it cools off. Another day to go to the so-so semi-Louvre. And the big mosque. On average, I'm good for about 10 minutes -if it's a major mosque.

 

On the way back, maybe I'd book a two nights at the beach. But at quadruple Thai rates for a much less good beach experience.

 

15 hours to São Paulo, Brazil, BTW. 6 hours further to BKK. Flying from BKK to SP with a short stop over in Dubai is only 24 hours, so I'm rethinking if the juice of laying over is worth the boring-mall squeeze and paying triple for hummus.

 

The diff between a 15 hour flight and a 24 hour one is basically 1 extra mg of Xanax.

 

Dating fun facts: 3-5 men for every single woman in Dubai. Mostly, you'll be hooking up with Filipina's. Strong gold digging vibe (per Reddit). The Arab local women bring you into honor-killing territory. I am psyched that I'm not looking.

 

São Paulo, Brazil is a mecca of big-bottomed, very intellectual women (per my friend). Downside: little English spoken, you must speak Portuguese. 

 

 

Argentina and Chile would suit me better. Brazilians are up themselves.

[Prubangboy]

30,000 baht extra to do it as two round trips (BKK-Dubai/Dubai/São Paulo) instead of 2 miserable long hauls in premium economy.

 

Call it 7-8,000 baht a day on the ground, so call it 60,000 baht for the seven day of layovers, coming and going.

 

90K baht buys a better week in BKK. Or more than all of my land costs in São Paulo.

 

Dubai is Euro-prices for a sub-par Las Vegas experience, a Vegas with no gambling and $15 beers.

[Raindancer]

3 hours ago, sandyf said:

Abu Dhabi is not part of Dubai, it is a separate Emirate, the airport for Etihad.

I haven't been back to Dubai, other than staging, since I was stationed at Sharjah in 1970, lot has changed since then. In those days they were called the Trucial Oman States and Dubai was nothing more than a shanty town. The oil came along, the British pulled out and the rest is history.

Amazingly small world.  I was also stationed in Sharjah Apr to Dec 1970🤣

[RSD1]

4 hours ago, Prubangboy said:

Will have a stopover there en route to Brazil for a vacation. It's the only way to fly premium-economy to Brazil.

 

Have you been, would you go? It never pops up in retirement alternative destination discussions here.

 

'Doesn't look like there's much there to interest me. Two small old areas with some souks, a mall or two, some fake beaches.

 

I was surprised that Abu Dhabi, the nicer part of Dubai with a Louvre branch is 3 hours away from the main airport. 

Been there a number of times. I don't rate Dubai at all. Zero local culture. Another place like Vegas in the desert with flashy hotels, expensive restaurants, and nothing of substance. Foreigners make up something like 80% of the population. The place is like one big airport business class lounge. 

[sandyf]

1 hour ago, Raindancer said:

Amazingly small world.  I was also stationed in Sharjah Apr to Dec 1970🤣

Certainly can be. Take it you were at the army garrison, I was  in the RAF there from Jan 70 till Dec, got early repat as they started to close down.

Think the Queens Own left in April 70 but can't remember who replaced them.

[Andrew Dwyer]

2 hours ago, susanlea said:

Argentina and Chile would suit me better. Brazilians are up themselves.

Clearly you have never been to Argentina, they are the most conceited of the South American countries.

Brazilians don’t come close, even the Cariocas.