November 28, 2006

Burj-o-rama Baby - #89


OK, ok... a panoramic tourist's eye view of one small part of Dubai. You've seen a view of it before, but here's a new one...

I need to move on to bigger things soon. That's out the system for a while again...

10 comments:

None YourBusiness said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
None YourBusiness said...

Photo looks amazing once you click on it to enlarge.

It looks like an "oasis" in the desert. Which, I suppose, it is!

I have an acquaintance that recently moved from the U.S. to Dubai with her husband (for his job). Where are you from?

I have read about how horrible the construction workers are being treated: many are basically slave labor, passports are taken, wages are withheld, living in cramped camps, and it is illegal to form unions. Sad, sad, sad.

From some other Dubai blogs I've seen, it seems that other Middle Easterners who move there are going "hog wild" as we say where I'm from! Drinking until blackouts, strip/sex clubs, you name it! That's what coming from repression will do I guess. One extreme to the next.

Do you find it to be a "Las Vegas" of sorts?

DXBluey said...

Louz - Wow, thanks. Your comment means a lot, nice words from a blogger I respect. Thanks!

Susan - Hi, how are you doing? Nice to hear from you. Me, I'm from Scotland originally and have never been to Vegas.

You ask a lot of valid things as these are aspects that people certainly percieve from a far and I believe some do from here too...

There are well documented abuses of "workers" and there are also recent high profile rulings leaders to grant them more rights.

There are economic reasons for people to come here and work and yet there are safety, legal and moral rights abuses that says thay should not...

Which way to jump? Up to the individual I hope but maybe not unforunatley...

With the vices you mention I'm not personally aware of the extremes you mention - it is a more liberal / tolerant environment than other places, yet still (we hope) deferential to our hosts. I guess there are people and places that abuse these tolerances but that is human nature...

What are your views on this?

Anonymous said...

so cosy photo, with that famous hotel.
:))
and really no ideas about those socail problems which susan mentioned. i think just look at our country i also could see those problems.So, sad sad sad?? No, that is the inevitable phenomenon during the developing country.Some human nature...i think.
we what can do? education i think.

jing
www.shanghaidailyphoto.com

None YourBusiness said...

I don't have the answers for the expat construction workers in Dubai. They are between a "rock and a hard place." That is why it is so sad.

There are only two ways for people to have civil rights: 1. Government realizes it (through international pressure) and changes course thus granted civil rights or 2. People take it through revolution. Those are the only ways (unlike invading a country to give it to them (Iraq)...that won't work and is ridiculous (and wasn't done for those reasons anyway but that's another topic).

None YourBusiness said...

And I hope to visit Scotland someday soon...my ancestral homeland as it were! Can that explain why I love GREEN so much...can it be in the genes? LOL

Anonymous said...

I watched Craig Ferguson on late night TV tonight (do you know him? He's is Scottish...I love him and his accent!) and he was making a joke about something similar.

He was saying how he stopped over in Bahrain once and people would come over from Saudi (where it is against the law to drink) to Bahrain and go "hog wild" as Bahrain is like Vegas on steroids! Too coincedental! Anyway, the reason I asked you if people were wild there is because I followed one of your links a while back to another Dubai site which led me to a list of other dubai blogs and so many people were talking about really wild stuff...kind of shocked me! So, I was just wondering if that was the norm or isolated.

Lisi said...

Hi Bluey, are those apartment buildings on the right? nice contrast in style and colors of those buildings! btw, your Nov 26 photo is beautiful too!

Lachezar said...

Coming from you, I'll take a tourist photo and enjoy it any time

Cheers!

Meg said...

This is fantastic.