Sex And The City – Not in Abu Dhabi!

I have to make this blog posting because of my rights given to me by all the Sex And The City DVDs I own. Contrary to perception, the upcoming SATC2 movie (trailer here) will NOT be featuring a single scene from Abu Dhabi, even though the name is mentioned all over the place. All the scenes were shot in Morocco.

So how did this all happen? Well, how should I put this kindly. It seems there is a beauty competition for international tourism spotlight. Somehow AD decides to let its prettier neighbor to do the catwalk bearing its name - All in the name of boosting tourism! Ironically given the first SATC movie was pretty much banned in UAE, I doubt the new one will get shown here.

Don’t get me wrong, the city has its own charm – just not what is portrayed in the movie! Will the real Abu Dhabi please stand up?

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.