Dubai: In the land of the day after tomorrow
- Bernd
- Apr 22, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 22, 2024
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was founded in 1976. The UAE consists of 7 emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm al-Qaiwain and Fujarah.
Capital of the UAE: Abu Dhabi
Population: 9.4 million
Currency: UAE Dirham
There is hardly anything more sobering than a country that seems to consist of a single construction site, a gigantic sandpit. I have the feeling that in the 2000s a third of all the construction cranes available in the world were in Dubai. In this sense, I was a witness when the Dubai Marina and behind it the Jumeirah Lake Towers were built. I stood lost on an oversized construction site. Concrete stumps, skyscraper skeletons, future apartments, hotels and offices, rose into the sky. Within just a few days, these projects were completely sold out well before they were completed. Some apartments changed hands several times with a corresponding premium. An El Dorado for real estate sharks and speculators. Like a magnet, people and goods from all over the world streamed into the region, while the surrounding Arab states rubbed their eyes in amazement. Long live gigantism!
Getting to and from Dubai is extremely straightforward. Germans receive a visa on arrival for 30 days for a tourist stay. Requirement: The passport must be valid for at least 6 months when you leave the country. Anyone who is not approved for a visa on arrival needs a visa before entering the country. Information can be obtained from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Dubai is one of the safest countries in the Middle East. There is hardly a place that is not monitored by video. Violations of the rules and laws are consistently prosecuted. Dubai is a cosmopolitan country with a multicultural population and international tourists. But it is also a Muslim country with clear tolerance limits.
Money for nothing
I travel to Dubai regularly. On the way to Asia, I prefer to stop there to take care of my two properties. I purchased them in the mid-2000s. There was a gold rush atmosphere.
The government of the Emirates began setting the course for a post-oil era as early as the 1970s. When Sheikh Rashid had the first 5-star hotel, the InterContinental Dubai, built on the Creek in 1975, he was met with skepticism. Who would want to voluntarily vacation here? Surrounded by sand and a few rocks, surrounded by nothing. Undeterred, he invested in the country's infrastructure and in the education of the population. The success confirmed his political and economic foresight.
When I bought my first apartment from the English company Bonnington before construction began, the sales manager told me that I was the first and only German to have invested. “Germans want to see what they are buying,” she said with a wink, alluding to German Angst. There was almost nothing to see on the construction site, just desert sand. In this respect, German fear is not entirely unfounded. I'm not a speculator. There were numerous offers from reputable and less reputable real estate agents. Properties often changed owners several times before they were completed. That seemed too daring to me at the time. A premium was therefore out of the question for me.
I had absolutely bad and disastrous experiences with an Indian construction company and a German real estate fund. I soon stopped paying in installments with the Indian company. The German G.R, a former employee of the Tax Office, who set up the Dubai 1000 fund together with his lawyer and girlfriend, turned out to be incompetent and criminal.
The man embezzled 143 million euros in investor capital. This is a good way to live. “Screw the German arrest warrant!” he must have said to himself. This is also true: before you earn money from an investment, you have to risk something. The left-wing populists of our self-righteous parties often ignore this.
The Shadows of Big Money
From this point of view, I have experienced many fluctuations in Dubai, the land of the day after tomorrow. My German lawyer, who lived and worked locally, told me over dinner that enormous amounts of black money were being laundered in Dubai. However, those who bring a lot of money into the country are not standing at the counter in the waiting halls of the banks. They sit with their lawyers and tax optimizers on the top floors of the trusted banker. As he said, my lawyer distanced himself from certain Russian investors so as not to slip into a dubious and shady scene. Also out of consideration for his physical integrity. That was the 2000s, folks.
Why so snarky?
The bank teller became rude to me because I simply didn't understand what she was mumbling to me behind the bulletproof glass window. She looked past me, or through me at best, rolling her eyes. I knew what I wanted: Simply withdraw something from my account and, if possible, be treated with respect as a customer.
The voluptuous, corpulent African mother sat motionless behind her glass window like a Madonna. Racism worked the other way too. And those who have less money are treated less courteously. Especially the many dark-skinned guest workers. Maybe I should sing her the song “Sugar, sugar Baby, oh-oh, sugar, sugar Baby, oho, be nice to me!” in the style of Peter Kraus or Elvis Presley from the 60s for general amusement. But with the condescending way she looked at me, I had to assume she was going to the basement to laugh.
The people in the bank waiting rooms were mostly small workers and white-collar workers. They brought a lot of patience but little money. Everyone drew a number at the entrance and waited until it flashed on the scoreboard before asking for their money. I didn't feel like it that day, after waiting for almost an hour. Much to the chagrin of the lady behind the counter, I abandon all submissive politeness. I asked loudly and clearly, so that the others could hear, whether she knew that she was only sitting here and working because people trusted this bank with their hard-earned money. This is the money of the people who are patiently waiting here. And she is a service provider, not the other way around. Life immediately returned to her dull eyes and I got what I was entitled to. As I left, some of the people waiting gave me benevolent looks.
No! Not built on sand!
I was sitting in one of the countless hotel bars with an alcohol license, meaning beer, wine and other alcoholic drinks are served here. A man sat next to me and introduced himself as Richard. He worked as a civil engineer on one of the many construction sites. Apparently he had already had a few Guinnesses that evening, which noticeably loosened his tongue. With a sweeping wave of his hand, he said: “It’s all built on sand!”, as if he wanted to wipe away all the skyscrapers in the area with just a swipe of his hand. “This can’t work! In 10 years everything will collapse!” That’s very German, I thought to myself. Our engineers are involved in the realization of demanding projects like here in Dubai and yet are consumed by self-doubt. At home in Germany - in our own country - we are paralyzed by bureaucratic pessimism. The Toll generation no longer dares to do anything.
Welcome in the future
15 years have now passed. The towers are still standing. Even more: the metro, the Burj Khalifa, Jumeirah Palms, the Future Museum, new districts and the Expo have since been added. In recent years, Dubai has also been grounded somewhat by economic crises in the region, and projects have been canceled or postponed to a distant future. But the UAE is now also involved in space travel. Your pride in your own achievements is justified and remarkable. They perform a balancing act between modernity and tradition. Clear rules and structures ensure order between different nations, including different religions.
Here no one dares to shoot fireworks at, physically attack or spit on police officers, firefighters or rescue workers. After such incidents in Germany, politicians appear contrite again and again in front of the journalists' cameras, promise to clarify the matter and solemnly vow to take action with all the severity of the state. Whenever they don't know what to do, they mumble the ever-popular politician phrase into the cameras: "We'll take a close look at it." What's it like to look at something hard? Do they then stare at a piece of paper with police statistics for hours? A week later everything is as before.
Our media tends to narrow the focus on the poor wages and working conditions of workers in Dubai. But that doesn't do this country justice. Don't get me wrong: there's a lot to complain about here too. But where not? For many of the guest workers, Dubai (the other Emirates) is a springboard for social advancement in their countries of origin. I spoke to countless taxi drivers, construction workers, service staff in hotels and malls. For everyone, Dubai is the promise of securing the existence of their own family in their countries of origin through hard work. Most of them told me that they were setting up a small business at home, building or at least finishing a house to spend their retirement there.
Fill it up once, please
It always surprises me how creative and imaginative people are when it comes to reinterpreting exaggerated religious rules. In this case in Islam. In the age of global media, even arch-conservative Saudi Arabia will have to present its young generation with solutions to outdated religious dogmas because they have been scientifically refuted. Sexual and social pressure will find its way into each individual like water after heavy rain. Here too, Dubai is breaking new ground. Public order must be guaranteed, private life is (almost) private.
For Arab sister states, Dubai is an outlet to escape the constraints in their countries for a short time.
Licenses for serving alcohol in hotels, exude a bit of French flair with a Bordeaux, awaken the Mexican spirit with tequila, complete a good meal with Italian grappa or awaken the attitude to life of the American dream with whiskey. You can buy almost anything with money. Word of this has also gotten around among ultra-rich Saudis.
Not that they can't jet off to anywhere in the world. But a small supply in the living room at home can't hurt. With “Fill up once, please!!” This does not mean the tank of the luxury car but the trunk.
You pay with your credit card through a slot in the window. At the same time, an employee discreetly fills the trunk with alcohol so that he can then drive back to Saudi Arabia. Nobody is perfect.
Dubai is..
My balance sheet for what I have invested in Dubai, after deducting all losses, is ultimately positive. I appreciate that because at times things looked bad for me. This is the essence of (modest) success. I invested in Dubai out of conviction because I was convinced by the concept of the city, the emirate and the emirates.
Dubai is the realization of a utopia. Skillfully and planned with clever political foresight. Dubai is indecent. Sleepless. Sometimes lustful. Dubai is cult and culture. Dubai is a dream. The last instance. Dubai is... a cosmopolitan city.
Link to my unit in Dubai
Die Wohnung befindet sich in Dubai, Jumeirah Lake Towers. Informationen und Buchungen über:
Comentarios