Grimps

I actully had one on order a couple of years ago but it took that long I ended up getting a mercedes AMG , My mates was all calling me a wanker too so that was part of the reason I was backing out.


Don't worry I'll get a shit car while im in the Emirates , I've drove in Saudi before so I have some experence of Middle eastern driving

DXBtoDOH

You're bound to be disappointed. It's nowhere as extreme. Just fast.

mission

wanker and porsche do kinda go hand in hand lol

reddiva

You can include lexus, Audi and BMW drivers in that too. Oh and any large 4x4 drivers with full tint

Grimps

I did a year up and down the Jubail Highway so I'm sure I can handle what the UAE has to offer.


I leanrt to expect the unexpected , I can always rememebr thinking to myself "this idiot is about to cut across four lanes of traffic and try and make that turn off' then seconds later he would.
You kind of get a sixth sense for it after a while , seeing burnt out Saudis on the side of the road was just part of the commute

reddiva

It is the same here, however the standards have got a lot better. There are cameras everywhere now and everyone now uses their indicators as they get a 500 dizzer fine if then don't. They do not do the MSM though and just bang their indicators on and swerve lanes

scrubbedexpat141

Amen to that pal. My Mummy was impressed with my 'evasive' (for want of a better word) driving skills and ability to predict the highest levels of ****-wittery.

csdf

Defensive driving here is a matter of accurately estimating how much of an idiot each driver in your vicinity is likely to be.

DXBtoDOH

Mildly curious.

Why do people with very expensive cars drive them so carelessly?

mission

ahem..i would have to beg to differ...but as for the rest mentioned, i wholeheartedly concur

ExpatAl

Driving out here is definitely an eye opener... as long as you don't develop bad habits, it does make you a better driver on the whole!

Kudos to a thread that's given optimistic advice about moving here (but tbf, if you have cash and single, Dubai would be a paradise)

mrkjd

A lot of positive comments on here to encourage you but my recent experience is a little less so! I have a similar background to you - oil industry / rotations / shit-pits. Actually met my wife here so I guess working in the ME worked for me but.....

I am in the UAE at the moment consulting. I have considered a number of residential jobs in the past but the bunch of clowns I am working for at the moment has made me glad not to be directly employed by them. The CEO regularly cancels approved vacations to his guys at short notice, micro-manages with an ineptitude that is truly staggering, and office wallahs work late - probably with no pay. Not the local elements of course, every second one of which is at least a VP!

Now this lot might be a worse-case example and I'm sure there are far more professional and welcoming set-ups but it made me think that when you apply for that ressie job for Al-Camel Services you really don't know what you're going to get! Maybe its different in your case. Moving out here and getting all the paperwork in place rent etc means you will be stuck here for at least a year if it turns to rat-shit unless you take the financial hit and just offski. So I guess I'm just saying that a year of the daily grind can be a long time if you were unlucky enough to land with a piss poor mob. Luckily - being on rotation - I just do my best to divert the shit-storm on to my Opo then grab a couple of pints made all the sweeter in the knowledge that the anguish caused by exposure to those f****ards has time to heal!

And, personally, I now find Dubai and AD a bit limp - full of shandy-suited recruitment monkey types who think they've hit the big time when they rent an apartment with a polished floor and it's sunny for more than 3 days in a row. You can spot them a mile off - happy-hour-hopping, giant phone preloaded with bars on google maps desperately trying to avoid the £8 pint and trying to remember what a real pub looks like.

Grimps

Yeah to be honest I've not given much thought to the job , I'd be working as a contractor for a large international company so I'd expect them to keep thier side of the bargain.
I have money in the bank and I wont be pulling any trees up in this new position , I couldnt really give a toss what they throw at me because if it gets too much I 'll just sling my hook and go back to a 28-28.
Living in the UAE has always been something Ive wanted to try , if it doesnt work out then I guess it wont be to much of a problem.

I'm going to treat this as a working holiday , I'll be doing as few hours at work as possible and I'll just try and make a good social life.
I'll buy a small studio and a shit car then if I have to do a runner theres nohing here I cant walk out on

mrkjd

Well good luck with it - I wish I was as set up as you seem to be! Just watch you don't get yourself blacklisted if it goes tits up and you pull out! Or am I just paranoid!

Grimps

Ive not got any plans to cause any trouble , I'm just hoping to have a good time and chill out for a year or two.

Ive been looking at places to stay , Al Bandar in Abu Dhabi or Dubai Marina are my preferences at the minute .
Al Bandar looks nice and isnt far from my place of work , The Marina has more going on and more nightlife but will mean I have an hour each way to drive.
I think I'll have to try a few weeks in hotels in each area first and see how I get on