Why is it so difficult for people to just respect the local cultural/social mores? And the laws? Death is not a punishment that is doled out lightly here. Most people who break the law are imprisoned and then deported afterwards (even the gay ones). And there are a LOT of gays here who keep under the wire, are…

Thank you for saying this. :)

The writing is orientalist to the core. Its text book bad writing when you speak or ‘wish to speak’ for other cultures. I know how the US visa officials treat you. They also ‘peer into your soul’ and give you ‘a gruff grunt of disapproval’ as well. I have stood in hour long lines with screaming children and aging…

That’s a lot of fucking assumptions there.

I’ve been to Dubai and I absolutely loved it.

pretty fucking orientalist article if you ask me, especially your description of the airport with the “dismayed” [white] British tourists, a *gasp* “gruff man” at immigration who “peered right into my soul” and a “disapproving frown.” To top it all of, a man with a falcon! How third world!

It literally took me 30 minutes to transfer my license to a dubai one. In 10 years I have never gotten a traffic offense. Follow the laws, don’t go 22 km/h over the posted limitlimit (cameras snap then) and you’ll be fine...

I think you came into this with a negative attitude unfortunately. Dubai isn’t as bad as people make it out to be. I’ve travelled and lived between Dubai and Canada a few times now over the past 10 years. I feel like the western media creates a paranoia about the UAE because it’s Arab.