Comparative characteristics of the emirates or which emirate to choose for a vacation?
Traveled with Lik Tour and their host Best Time Travel. We were lucky with the guide, Andrei Gorbach, opened his eyes to this country. He lived in the Emirates for 17 years, and despite the fact that neither he nor his children born in the Emirates enjoy the benefits of UAE citizenship, Andrey speaks very warmly of the government. During the trip, we met a lot of foreigners. Someone lives for a year, someone for 8 or 10 years, but everyone definitely does not want to return home. Moreover, these people are not from Bangladesh or the Philippines, but from Germany, Italy, Spain, that is, the developed countries of Europe. The UAE is very similar to the US in terms of free enterprise. Here, the chances of earning a million honestly are much greater than ours. Or simply to provide yourself with a normal standard of living is quite easy, since the salaries of skilled workers are high, there are no taxes.
Women say that this country is the safest country, children are loved here and women are respected. Having been in the Emirates, you will definitely see the other side of Islam, not the one shown on TV. No one observes religious rules as strictly as we think, no one rushes at women in revealing outfits.
Everything is tolerant, respectful, peaceful and hospitable. It is understandable, because the UAE is built by ambitious sheikhs and hungry foreigners. Of the 9 million population, only 950 thousand people are indigenous Arabs. Highly skilled as well as unskilled jobs are performed by foreigners. Locals prefer public service.
Interesting Mr. UAE device. 7 emirates form the federal budget, the communist principle “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs” operates here. As a result, 89-90% of the budget is contributed by Abu Dhabi, 8-9% by Dubai and 1-2% by the other 5 emirates.
This is probably why, since the founding of the federation, the ruler of Abu Dhabi has always been elected president, and the vice president, who is also the prime minister, the ruler of Dubai. Elections are held by voting of all 7 sheikhs. The sheikhs of the emirates can be respected only for the fact that oil revenues make up only 36% of the country's income. Remaining faithful to religion, they stopped blindly following the dogmas that hinder the development of other Arab countries.
If I were faced with the issue of emigration, I would choose the UAE. Because the heat, the sea, the multicultural and multiethnic society, the dynamic economy, which allows you to find a suitable job and quickly provide a normal standard of living, the police, who simply check the rights will never stop.
The disadvantages of the UAE, I would include censorship, lack of freedom of speech and freedom of the Internet. Lack of competition in the telecom market, as a result of which the tariffs are quite high.
I used to think that Dubai is developing solely on petrodollars. It turns out that Dubai began to develop back in the 50s, while oil was found only in 1958, and then on the territory of another emirate, Abu Dhabi. Dubai was founded in the 19th century by people from Abu Dhabi.
The ruler of Dubai has relied on free economic zones, attracting foreign investment through the abolition of taxes, minimum tariffs and loyal business conditions. As a result, Dubai is now the most developed emirate, with a high concentration of skyscrapers, expensive shops, and a lot of the “best” entertainment. To attract tourists, such a policy is carried out when in any object they look for a characteristic to call it “the best”. That is, they not only built the tallest building in the world, they made the largest singing fountains in the world, they will soon build the largest Ferris wheel.
But the area around the Burj Khalifa is also called the most expensive square mile, they built the subway in record time, or, for example, when they built a hotel in the style of Louis in Abu Dhabi. It has been called the tallest classicist hotel of the 17th century : )
Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE, the oldest and richest emirate. Although in the dynamics of development it is inferior to Dubai. Actively began to develop after the discovery of oil here. We must pay tribute to the sheikhs of Abu Dhabi, they are investing income from oil in culture and new technologies. Abu Dhabi seemed to me a city more comfortable for life than Dubai. There is not such a dense and high building, more green areas. It is a pity that there is no metro and tram like in Dubai.
But when the “cultural district” is completed, where for the first time in the Emirates, there will be an opera house, a Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art, a branch of the Louvre, this will be a significant reason for a tourist to replace a hotel in Dubai with a hotel in Abu Dhabi.
As the locals say, "Dubai is for the young and ambitious, Abu Dhabi is for families, and Sharjah is for retirees. " If I chose where to live in the Emirates, I would choose Sharjah. This is also a modern city, unlike Dubai, there are no ubiquitous construction projects here. It is green, spacious, there are many historical and cultural sights. In Dubai, they build only what can then be sold at a high price, i. e. housing and offices. And in Sharjah, on the contrary, they are demolishing newly built houses off the coast to rebuild the old city. There will be a huge cultural district of museums, galleries, cafes and shops. All buildings are restored in the traditional way of construction, i. e. exactly as they were built in the 18th century.
For this project, the ruler of Sharjah has great respect. Yes, in Sharjah you can not drink and smoke, even a hookah, but only in public places. Nobody comes home to check. And you can buy any alcohol in another emirate, in 20 minutes. ride.
Ajman is a small but also rapidly developing emirate. In terms of the quality of emotions, Ajman eclipsed all the memories from other emirates. This happened because we visited the Sheikh's stable, where the most beautiful and expensive horses in the world live. This stable is run by the heir of the ruler of Ajman. There, horses are groomed and bred to take part in the most prestigious “horse shows”. That is, such competitions where the most beautiful horse is chosen. And of course, the multiple winner of the most famous Paris Salon under the patronage of the King of Morocco lives in this stable. This white stallion is worth 7 million euros! He never went under saddle. A doctor was discharged to him from Brazil.
And the food is delivered from the UK. In general, in this stable, only two horses are saddled. And the coat of all horses is silkier and softer than that of many domestic cats.
And the second place in Ajman that made me think about immigration to this country was the project of the Libyan real estate company, Alzora. Among the mangroves and bays, they began to build a residential and business area. Everything that is necessary for life will be built on a large territory, using the latest technologies to preserve the environment around. Mangrove groves are carefully guarded; not a single pink flamingo left them during the construction. I saw with my own eyes that there are hundreds of them. Since the country is small and the roads are good, it will be very convenient to work in Dubai and live in Alzor, in Ajman. Plus, Alzora will be a free economic zone, that is, without taxes and fees, with preferential tariffs for electricity and water.
Ras Al Khaimah
The sea and beaches are in every emirate, but the residents of the UAE themselves consider Ras Al Khaimah the best place for a beach holiday. Liberal regulations in the area allow the sale of liquor in hotels and restaurants. And Rixos Bab Al Bahr even works on the All Inclusive system and includes alcohol in the price. The second advantage is the price. The average room rate is several times lower than in similar hotels in Dubai.
Like Dubai, it has its own artificial Marjan Island. Marzhan is the name of a seahorse that is common in local waters. However, you need to have a rich imagination to see this fish in the outlines of the island. So far, there are only a few hotels of famous world brands operating on the island, and the island looks deserted.
Wanting to keep you busy, the emirate's Ministry of Tourism offers the following two-week program:
1 day. We arrive, we settle down.
We get acquainted with the guests and the hotel staff (by the way, there are many Russians and Ukrainians among the staff).
Day 2 City Tour
Day 3 Rides on the yacht Prince of Sea for the whole day.
Day 4 Visit to a Bedouin settlement in the desert, with barbecue, jeep safari, and possibly overnight in the desert.
Day 5 Vacation on the beach.
Day 6 Learn to fly airplanes at Aljazirah Aviation Club.
Day 7 We play Golf.
Day 8 We swim in the IceLand water park.
Day 9 Learning to sail a sailboat.
Day 10 SPA in the hotel.
Day 11 I'm going to the mountains.
Day 12 We ride horses and camels at the RAK Country Club.
Day 13 We watch falcon shows and walk in nature.
Day 14 Farewell evening, flight home.
We almost forgot about the beach : -) But now let's take a closer look.
Ras el Khaimah is not deprived of natural resources. In addition to good beaches on the ocean, the emirate has a picturesque desert with red sand. Part of the desert is a nature reserve and wild camels live here.
You can meet them if you turn off the asphalt road and drive a little deeper into the desert.
One of the attractions for tourists is visiting Bedouin camps. A copy of an ancient settlement has been restored in the middle of the desert. Tents, bonfires, carpets and hookahs...For the evening or for the whole night, you can immerse yourself in the charm of the red desert. An extra cup of Arabic coffee will surely inspire you to active entertainment. For sand-boarding (descent from the sandy mountain on a snowboard) a rather steep slope is used. The resistance of sand is much greater than that of snow, so the speed of descent is low, and there is no need to turn over. It is enough to keep your balance and choose the right trajectory ...you are guaranteed a lot of laughter, great photos and sand in all your pockets. A more traditional extreme is camel riding. Sit down and hold on tight to the handle of the saddle! However, a sharp rise of a strong animal to its feet will still take you by surprise.
Traditional food, a fire and a hookah imperceptibly bring the night closer and open up another desert above our heads - an endless sky with millions of stars.
If you get bored with a regular beach holiday, you can stay at the Banyan Tree Desert Resort. This is a famous Thai chain of luxury spa hotels. Banyan Tree Desert Resort is located in a protected area of the desert. Unusual, relaxing and beautiful stay.
Another exciting adventure in Ras Al Khaimah is flying in small sports aircraft. The flight takes place at a speed of about 100 km / h at an altitude of about a kilometer, in a small two-seater Aeroprakt-22L of Ukrainian production. According to Indian instructors, they are very reliable, unpretentious in operation, and practically have no competitors in price. The club has as many as 50 of them. There are two seats and two steering wheels in the cockpit, an instructor sits behind one, and you sit behind the other! After climbing, the instructor willingly allows you to control the aircraft in the air. Suddenly, the pilot turns off the engine and the plane glides.
Flying an airplane is no more difficult than driving a car. During a half-hour flight, you have time to see the artificial islands of Marjan Island, the entire coastline, huge hotels, luxurious villas, and the vast territory of the ceramics factory, which stretches for many kilometers. If you are lucky, you will see flocks of pink flamingos in shallow water, and huge turtles under water, the path of which passes by the shores of the emirate. All this costs 250 dirhams (approx. $70).
Four shopping malls located on the territory of Ras al Khaimah will not satisfy an experienced athlete of this sport, so I recommend shopping in Dubai. Dubai is only 40 minutes away and all hotels in Ras Al Khaimah have paid or free shuttles (usually AED 100 or $30). Taxis are also very cheap.
For children, the IceLand water park will be a great entertainment. Imagination is not shocking, and the prices are rather big.
However, it is necessary to leave for the day in the "Ice Country".
Ras al Khaimah also has the highest mountains in the UAE. The name of the emirate is translated as "the top of the tent. "
