Pros and cons of Dubai

by The Flamingo

Dubai is one of those cities of the world that people have on bucket lists. It’s one of those places you either love or hate. And there’s no in between…or so I’ve heard people express their feelings about it. Well, Flamingo is in between and I’m going to share with you my thoughts about Dubai and maybe, after I finish writing them down, I will have a clearer picture in my head.

The main questions that people ask me every time the Dubai topic comes up are “can a Westerner adapt?” and “is it safe?”. I have trouble with these questions every time, I don’t know the answer to myself. It’s a place of contrasts, a clash between East and West, between wealth beyond measure and poverty at its peak. Here are some of my pros and cons:

Pros:

1. Dubai is a very clean city, the buildings sparkle on the inside, on the streets there isn’t even a cigarette bud to be seen, the parks are neat and perfectly “manicured”, the playgrounds are washed every single day and the public transport is spotless.
2. All the buildings, bridges, highways, metro stations, everything that is developed here is simply amazing (80 story high buildings with enormous apartments the likes Europe has never seen; the metro is completely self driven; the bridges have unique architectural designs; the lighting at night is one of the fortes of this city; the colours used are soft and warm, everything in the shades of the desert, so you won’t see a green house here and a pink one there). The style is unique, they have succeeded in combining the old with the new, creating this unity, that you rarely see in other metropolis. 
3. It’s very safe in the tourist and residential areas, everywhere you look there are security guards and police. 
4. It’s very easy to live in. In the residential areas all the buildings have supermarkets, nurseries, gyms, spas, drugstores, clinics, dry cleaning, restaurants and playgrounds. The supermarkets and drugstores are open 24/7, you can even take the shopping cart with you in the apartment and after you’re done emptying it you can leave it in front of your door, somebody will pick it up and bring it back. All shops and clinics are open until late. 
5. The people working in services are very polite and helpful. Here you are always called “sir” or “ma’am”, literally in every sentence they use. They put the groceries in the bag, they will carry it to your door if you ask them to, they will move heaven and earth just to find a specific item that you requested. 
6. The delivery is outstanding. You don’t need to ever leave your house, if you don’t want to. Everything is delivered to your doorstep, and by everything I mean everything. There isn’t a restaurant which doesn’t deliver (you can have Chinese one day, then Italian, Japanese and Lebanese the next, all in maximum one hour). You can even get a nose spray in 10 minutes after calling the drugstore.
7. Taxis are very cheap, nice, clean and very spacious, you’ll always find two or three waiting in front of the apartment towers. Boats are also available for those living close to the water, they come very cheap and take you to the city center or just on scenic rides.
8. The woman carriage in the metro is a really civilized thing to have, it’s a security measure I took plenty of advantage of, while living there.
9. Dubai tries really hard to rise above the label that the western world puts on this area. The Emirati are more tolerant than all of their neighbours, especially the ones living in this city. Respect must be shown for their rules, their dress code and the reserved attitude (which I find perfectly acceptable being an expat and living in their country), but they do not exaggerate. So it’s ok in some tourist areas to dress more revealing, you can buy alcohol in specific places (overpriced) and you can also find pork in some supermarkets.

Cons: 

1. 75% of the Dubai population has low income and when I mean low income, I mean the minimum wage. Those 75% are from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Philippines and are working in services. The minimum wage here is very low for how expensive rent and food is. More people rent a single room in the cheapest part of the city and they sleep together in one bed. Conclusion? The contrasts here are very extreme.
2. 70% of the total population is male. As I said before, residential and tourist areas are safe, but what about the others? There are a lot of groups of 4-7 young men everywhere you go, who look like they haven’t seen fair skinned women before, and maybe they haven’t. Although they are not allowed to take pictures of other people, especially women, you would be surprised of how often they do it, at the beach, in the metro, on the street. 
3. Driving here is like taking a rollercoaster everyday with no seatbelt on, hoping you won’t fall off your cart and die. There are traffic rules, but few people obey them. The speed here is crazy and cutting in front of somebody is a common act. If you are a pedestrian then tough luck, you don’t have priority crossing the street on pedestrian crossings, even if you have a stroller and 10 babies hanging around your neck. 
4. Attitude towards women? It’s definitely better than that of other countries in the area, but there is still a long way to go. I will not elaborate on this subject, there are some famous cases of injustice that alerted the press in the West. Not only towards women, let’s say that as long as you don’t anger somebody who is somebody, you’ll be safe.
5. The elevators in the metro stations are NOT for disabled people and parents with strollers and small children. Although it says so on the sign above… Well, let’s say you have to wait to let 10 young men go first, and then squeeze in with another ten next time around. Mind you, there are working escalators and stairs in every metro station. 
6. The bureaucracy is awful. More so than in my own home country. It’s not only problematic in the direct relationship with the state, but also with the private sectors. For example: do you need something fixed in your home? The word “right-away” doesn’t exist. First you need to write a request mentioning your problem, then submit it to the administration. Maybe if you’re lucky they will send a man to look into it the same day. Then, the man scans the problem and in two-three days files a report explaining the problem and the costs. Then you need to pick up that report, pay it, expect to get an answer from the administration that they received the money and at last they will send a crew to fix your problem. The whole process takes about a week at the least. If a pipe exploded, then tough luck. This is my experience in my building, every building has a different system, so you never know what you’re gonna get. 
7. Although there aren’t any income taxes, not yet anyway, you will pay for all other services twice or thrice than in other expensive cities like London and Tokyo. The fact that here they request the rent for an apartment four to six months in advance plus a guarantee is not ok.
8. Lack of cultural life is a big problem for people who want to do a bit more than shopping and brunching. They do have a great opera, where sometimes shows from Broadway are played. It’s improving though, they have more and more shows and concerts every year. Let’s not forget that Dubai started developing just 20 years ago. I’m sure in another 20, things will be done differently.

After listing all pros and cons, I’m still at a loss. I think, if you would stay in your bubble, in your perfect tower apartment, going to the beach or pool every day, having a driver with an 4X4 to take you to the mall and wait for you while you do a six hour shopping spree, then life must seem pretty amazing and very civilized. If you don’t look left or right and focus just on how mesmerizing Dubai is and how easy you have it, then it’s the greatest city in the world. Then again, being civil means caring for others, whatever the race, colour or social status. Also feeling safe in any situation is the most civilized goal a person could have, or so I’ve learned after living in Switzerland for the past two years. 

Photo by Nikhil Kurian from Pixabay.