so…SA…or AS…if you are readin this…pardon me…cause i really didnt have anything else to write…

its been 12 months for the ATK team here at Dubai…and we realized that its been quite a learning experience. a new country shall always come with its share of typicalities…and adjusting to those can be quite a task.

here is our version of the

Dubai Survival Kit

  1. Emirates will serve you good food. Air India will serve you food. Emirates has some really nice entertainment. Air India doesn’t believe in the concept. Emirates will fly on time. Air India will love you so much it just wouldn’t want you to leave the craft. Ever. FLY EMIRATES
  2. You arrive at the airport and the lady immigration officer is quite pretty. She has applied make up and you can actually see her face. And she even smiles at you. That doesn’t mean you can stare at her.
  3. When flying back to Dubai from India, you have to reconfirm your flights. Ofcourse the fact that you paid the entire amount for the flight and also got a confirmed seat doesn’t mean that you are interested in flying…does it?
  4. When in a team of more than 4, appoint someone who decides where to eat out every day. Change the person every week…to minimize the physical damage from other team members.
  5. Do check out the desert safari. The oasis comes in form of belly dancers at the end of it all.
  6. You are staying at the Crowne Plaza. Just by yourself. And at 2 in the morning you hear a knock. Do(n’t) open!
  7. Dubai is full of olives. And they look a lot like black grapes. They are not.
  8. Pepperoni is beef. Just because you have it everyday and like it a lot, doesn’t make it pork!
  9. Some people think that seafood is vegetarian. Most of these people stay in Dubai
  10. If your office is far from the main city, remember the route. You shall have to explain it EVERYDAY to the food delivery guy
  11. Don’t get overwhelmed by the grandiose nature of high-end Lebanese restaurants. Their attitude towards food is the same as that of Paris Hilton’s towards money. Waste it.
  12. For dinner there are two extremes. The AED20/person Sukh Sagar and the AED 200/person Burj. One will make you burp like you have never burped before and one will leave you hunting for that chips pack at midnight. Which one…is your guess.
  13. There are some things in Dubai that money cant buy. For instance an airconditioner when you are out at 12.30pm in august looking for an ATM.
  14. Hospitalization in Dubai is very expensive. Emergency treatment is free though. However, at a speed limit of 120km/hr, ‘emergency’ acquires a whole new meaning. Get yourself a medical cover.
  15. Ofcourse you love your wife/husband. And the worlds knows that. They don’t need evidence…definitely not in public.
  16. It’s a beautiful country and you would want to click incessantly. Control that emotion when attempting to click women in the national dress.

life’s good…

~a