A Day in the Life: Taking the Metro

Now that I've become more familiar with the city, I feel comfortable taking the metro several times a day: from home to work, work to my boyfriend's work, my bf's work to Mall of the Emirates, etc.

Price: It's a real $$ saver (between 0.50 and $2.50 per trip depending on distance) compared to taking a taxi (between $2.50 and $10 per trip). LA's subway costs $1.50 regardless of distance and taxis are $10-$20 per trip. 

I go from Dubai Marina to Nakheel when going from my work to my bf's

Time: 10 min walk from my house to the metro station, 5 mins to traverse the station, 1-2 minutes for the actual trip, followed by another 10 min walk from the station to my work. It's about a 30 min trip overall; waiting for and taking a taxi is in the same time range but is unreliable as it depends on traffic.

2 stories high

She took a midnight train going anywhere...

Speed: The metro is actually faster than a taxi since there's construction going on by my work and I bypass all the resulting traffic. RTA (Road & Transport Authority) has also circumvented the issue of who enters/exits the compartment first by clearing outlining how to enter/exit the cabin.

Well defined boundaries. How refreshing.

Safety: As an added bonus, transit authorities have extended the women- and children's-only carriage to earlier in the morning & later in the evening. While I wasn't able to snap a picture of the non-physical divide between the regular and special compartments, men usually respect the women's need to a safe space.

LA vs Dubai: Compared to Los Angeles's metro, Dubai's metro is the clear winner. Guards are located outside and inside the metro station. LA uses "tap" cards while Dubai uses "nol" cards but they can both be used for subways and buses. Nol cards up the ante though by offering various cards depending on your needs: gray (anonymous), blue (personal), gold (VIP) and red (tourist) offer different benefits whereas LA uses a "one-size-fits-all" policy. Plus in LA you're guaranteed to wait 15 minutes between trains while in Dubai it's a max 5 minute wait. In all fairness though, it seems that Dubai planned their roads better. 

See any traffic? No? That's what I'm talking about. 

Regardless, LA needs to get its shit together. 

Weather in Dubai

Have you ever wanted to strangle someone when it's hot out? The heat cooks your brain, raises your blood pressure... and actually makes you more murderous (http://tinyurl.com/nkedjs3). Luckily it's past midnight here and a cool 91 degrees F ;)

                                        

                           Al Shatha Tower, behind Media One Hotel, where Dubizzle's offices are located 

What's most interesting about Dubai's weather and scenery is that you're able to get a little bit of everything: hot sand, lush greens, sparkling seas, frigid snow. In California you can see the same, but in different cities (e.g. San Bernardino vs Santa Monica vs Yosemite).

Taken at a park in Al Satwa

Yes, I recognize that a ski resort in the middle of the desert isn't biologically natural, but the snow inside the resort is 100% real, made via snow machines. There's also snowmen and snowballs and colorful lights! What's not to love?

 Ecological footprint? What's that?

Dubai Marina is truly a sight to behold; I would compare it to my bf's eyes but that would be unfair to my bf. It almost feels like I'm back in Silicon Beach... without the litter, marijuana and dreadlocks. 

Google image of Dubai Marina since I haven't taken a photo yet

We ought to be going out more this weekend and during that time I'll take more pictures so you can get a better, personalized feel for the place. Is there anything or anywhere in particular you'd like to see? Any suggestions for my next post? Please share in the comments below! :)

            

                            Bonus shot: one view from my work in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT)

The Move to Dubai Marina

My boyfriend and I moved into our new furnished apartment! We're on the 12th floor with a balcony looking over Dubai Marina on one side and the rest of Dubai on the other (pics to come). Originally we wanted to stay within the 8k AED price range and this apt was just outside of that range, but after factoring what we would have been paying for bills/utilities, we actually ended up saving money. +2

Previously my bf and I have been taking taxis to and from work but now that we're close enough to the Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) metro station, later this week we will be attempting the 500m walk in 95+ degree heat to the station. Gas is $1.81/gallon and the average taxi to and from work costs $10 so taxis are cheap in Dubai compared to Los Angeles ($20 on average) but we'll be saving even more by taking the metro. 

Inside the metro, there are cabins specifically designated for women and children. These female-only cabins aren't separated from the regular/mixed cabins by any physical barrier, just a posted sign indicating their status and faith that others will respect that space. 

It's still too early to make a firm judgment but being a woman in Dubai is interesting to say the least. I get special treatment (exiting an elevator first, hotel staff flagging down taxis for me) and I also get a lot more men looking at me. Men outnumber women 3:1 in Dubai and the staring has less to do with what I'm wearing and more with the fact that I remotely resemble a woman. You can wear a hijab or a bikini and the men will look either way. 

Dubai is an Islamic country and their law is based on Sharia law (quite different than actual Sharia law) which basically translates into dressing respectfully wherever children may be present (malls, playgrounds). The feminist I am, I anticipated being forced to change how I dress based on someone else's interpretations of modesty, and I was gladly mistaken - I wear the same clothes I did in Los Angeles with different variations based on temperature and work requirements. We'll see if/how my perception of dress changes with time. Until then, thank you for reading this far, and I hope you'll keep traveling with me!