Apart from the regular offers in the shops even real estate companies participate in the event. Here is an interesting add that I saw the other day: if you buy an apartment you get a car for free:

http://www.damacproperties.com/img/dsfoffer_slide1.jpg

According to her there are signs that indicate no eating and drinking allowed on any metro train. (I have not even noticed those signs myself yet although I have taken the metro various times). The sign does not explicitly mention chewing, but be aware now!

At least I will have to remember next time I would like to take a sip of water that this might cost me 100 AED!

Well, guess what the default accessory in any of the apartments in Burj Khalifa, currently the tallest building in the world, is……..

….. a wine cooler:

That’s especially ironic when you think about the law regarding the purchase and consumption of alcohol in this country.

BUT, some things are still for free. E.g. watching the impressive Burj Khalifa fireworks on New Year’s Eve. It did not last very long, but it was stunning. Here is one of the best videos I found on Youtube that captured it quite well:

Burj Khalifa Fireworks

So this was one of my first cultural events that I attended here in Dubai. And I must say, it was a very nice experience. There is free public screening at the beach during the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) and so I went there last night with some friends to see a Mexican classic called “Enamorada”. After the film a mariachi band was playing and it was great to feel the joy and passion of Mexican expats here in Dubai.

I only wish that the cultural calendar of Dubai would be a bit richer and offer more such events!

Somehow strange to see this here in Dubai, where you meet women in all sorts of clothing styles in public life.

However, the two cities – or the two parts of one city – are completely different. Here you can experience the big differences between the two countries. On the one side you have heavy traffic, big shopping malls, restaurants and fast food chains, tall buildings, a crowded and bustling city. On the other side, the streets have no names and often no asphalt, buildings are not taller then 2-3 floors, you have to be careful when driving on the road because of camels passing the street and you have a very impressive landscape of mountains and dessert.

Not really the best picture (but the only one that I took that day ) this is sunset over the oasis taken from the top of the highest mountain in UAE, Jebel Hafeet.

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Passing the border was a nightmare. We had to wait for about 5 hours in a line to get the Visa stamp into our passports. Probably because of the holiday season the line was extra long, but it was also extra slow!

But from then on the trip was very nice. People are friendly, the landscape is exciting, with lots of different formations of mountains, the dessert and the sea. The old part of Muscat is like a small village surrounded by mountains and the sea. You just stop directly in front of the Sultan’s palace and take a walk around. Not like a bustling capital at all. Not much traffic, not much going on in general.

Sometimes it felt like being in a small fishing village somewhere in Spain. Except, we missed the bars and cafes where you could sit outside and enjoy life by sipping a nice glass of wine.

On the way back to Dubai we stopped at Nizwa, one of the oldest city in Oman, and visited the castle there. Unfortunately it was on a Friday and again everything except the castle was closed. And we were lucky, because the castle is usually closed on Fridays we were told.

once you have taken the ferry boat to cross Dubai Creek, let’s say from Deira to Bur Dubai, you can go to one of these very small Indian, Sri Lankan or Pakistani fast food places and get a soft drink for just 1 Dirham! Air condition might be just a small fan from the ceiling, but people are very friendly.