Monday, January 11, 2010

UAE Visitors Take Note

Unless you are good at reading fine prints, avoid visiting Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Yes, you heard me. UAE is a country where vacation is to be enjoyed with caution. Here are the fine prints that most visitors are not aware:

- It is illegal to drink alcohol without a liquor license in this country, and I suspect none of the tourists would get one considering the application process is lengthy. (story link)

- It is illegal to swear in public, especially to locals. No f-word, no middle-finger, no jokingly, no moment-of-excitement. None. (story link)

- It is illegal to have sex or stay in the same room outside wedlock. And yes, that means rape victims can be charged on the same account, oh yes. (story link)

The list goes on.

Surely all these illegal activities exist among tourists and expats, but just like car accidents, they rarely happen and most people are happy with their day-to-day lives without noticing anything until something goes wrong.

Oh yeah, and if one is really unlucky and got in the way of an important local (story link), it’s a good idea to get on the very next flight out of the country before setting foot in a police station.

There you have it. UAE visitors take note.