After my first meeting with this country, I was left with an ambiguous aftertaste. Everything is expensive, there is sand all around, in other words - luxury Egypt. We had not planned to fly there at all if my wife and I had not had our flight to the Maldives canceled due to the lack of PCR testing results according to the rules introduced in September 2020. Then, in order to fly somewhere rather than return home, I took other tickets in the departure area, moved the Maldives forward a few days and made the trip to Dubai the middle link in the planned trip.
At that moment, I did not understand why for many compatriots Dubai is fashionable, glamorous, and prestigious. Well, Dubai and Dubai, the world is full of interesting places, less artificial, with cleaner air and interesting nature, I thought. The first impression is often deceptive, especially considering the fact that initially people are wary of the minuses, in other words, they are critical of everything and are not able to consider the pluses even if they are given a microscope. This is what happened to me with Rome in Italy, where at a certain moment in my mind the city turned from a “construction dump” into one of the most delicious and romantic places.
By coincidence or fate, we made our second visit to the Emirates from the Maldives, at a time when in 2022, due to certain circumstances, we were in no hurry to return home. Having spent a month on the island then, I wanted to break into the bustling life of the metropolis. When I arrived in Dubai, I didn’t think that in addition to opening a company in the UAE, we would spend 8 crazy months there, rent 40 sports cars, live in 15 of the best hotels and apartments in the city, make new interesting acquaintances, give birth to our son there, and me in the evenings with a view of the sea I will practically write my first book.
The new Emirates in a renewed consciousness is a country where you feel as free and easy as possible. It's a good place to think, work, and relax. A higher quality standard of living allows you to look at yourself from above, not from below, to dream and see new possibilities.
The UAE is one of the safest and richest countries in the world. Let's list some impressive facts that, roughly speaking, are difficult to ignore.
- An oasis in the desert created by desalinating an incredible amount of seawater.
- A man-made island in the shape of a palm tree, visible from space.
- The tallest building with a height of 828 meters and a music and light fountain show located nearby.
- A shopping center the size of 157 football fields with the world's largest aquarium, which occupies an area of three floors.
- Trains without drivers and a ski resort among the hot sands.
But most importantly, more than 150 different nations of the world live in the Emirates at the same time, observing social, political, religious and cultural absolute neutrality towards each other. Travel to most popular countries takes no more than 4 hours of flight time, and the government wants to double the economy in 10 years. Here they don’t know the word “impossible” and, apparently, it’s true.