Off to Dubai!

11 July 2008 915 views No Comment

In the last few days, I had my VISA approved, tickets booked and Hyatt reservations confirmed. We’re off to Dubai tonight and be back after 4 nights. I’m sooo excited! My future sister in law wrote me an email to say “Bring home that diamond!”

I’m really happy about two benefits from this trip: One, as we applied for a joint bank account with HSBC, we opted for the HSBC Plus account which has free travel insurance. We pay about 12 pound a month together, and the fee makes up for the insurance we would have to buy if we went traveling. Also, the HSBC Plus account allows us to draw down money with the debit card without incurring the pesky 2% fee. We have taken out money on vacation before and no doubt we will use the money on this trip.

Also, I was trying to secure air miles on our trips and I found a deal with Virgin Airlines and Hyatt Hotels from 1 July to 1 September 2008 whereby if you stay at the Hyatt, you earn double miles for that flight on Virgin. Yay! Although we spent about 800 pounds for our hotel, we are getting the equivalent of a 1,000 pound flight. I’m really hoping to collect enough miles so that we can go to India for free over Christmas.

Kiran from Cara Jewellers even called me on my home phone to say that I should give him a call when I arrive in Dubai. He says he’ll send a driver to pick us up from the hotel and drive us to the hotel. Our first task in Dubai is to order my diamond as it takes almost 2 days to make the ring. I cant wait. Kiran has also promised to keep aside some diamonds for me. I’m looking for some around 1 carat size.

My fiance warned me that I cannot hold his hand in Dubai as we are not married yet. In the past week, two Britons have been arrested in Dubai for having sex on the beach. One of two tourists facing a possible 6 year jail setence is from London. They have been charged with indecency and drunkenness after ignoring a warning from a police officer to stop romping.

I found some “Dubai Rules” that might be useful:

* DRINKING ILLEGAL. Drinking alcohol is illegal. Many expats have to apply for a licence to drink at home.

* HOMESEXUALITY ILLEGAL. Authorities have a US-Army style “Dont ask, dont tell” policy on homosexualiy but same gender hanky-panky is prohibited and carries a prison sentence.

* PROSTITUTION LEGAL. Prostitution is remarkably popular but takes place in hotel bars rather than on the street.

* DRUGS ILLEGAL. Drug possession carries a four year prison setence. A Briton was jailed for carrig 0.003 g of cannabis into the country.