Archive for the ‘Dubai’ Category

Getting a driver’s license in Dubai is no easy game !

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

Yaaay !! Passed my driving test in the first go - Now I hold ... on Twitpic

But its really over hyped and if someone like me can get it within 1 month and on the first try, so can you. :)

When I moved to Dubai, the one thing I was worried about more than anything else was getting a drivers license. I mean, that’s one thing people always warned me, it was a nightmare as many told. To cement off the rumors there were examples of people who tool upto 15-20 tries before they got theirs. I had to assume that it should take atleast some 5-10 tries for me. I don’t consider myself an expert driver, but I love driving, especially long drives with my folks. And I’ve driven across most parts of south India, big time, but that’s no qualification for a Dubai driver. The roads were confusing at the first look, and the testing authority guys were nothing less than “attrocious” as many told.

But I enrolled with a learning agency called Belhasa, and with my friends recommendation enrolled with a well mannered instructor, I think that helped a lot. He was a big help, and promised me that if I get the basics right, he’ll get me my license in the shortest possible time. Of course, unlike in India no bribing/recommendations can happen here, so you had to perform well, or try again later, ok tata bye bye.

I cleared all the preliminary tests with ease, honestly they were no big deal. The one crucial thing I learned was that before you started driving, you had to “unlearn” a few things. I mean if you were a long time driver, you had to unlearn all those driving habits of your’s. Like driving with one hand resting or using your fingers to turn the steering. ;) My instructor taught me all the basics right and I had to keep repeating them however awkward it was. let me list out some of them for ya.

- Hold your hands on the steering wheel, above the first half. (Hope you understand whatever that meant.)

- While switching lanes, always look first to the rear middle mirror, then to the side mirror, then the blind spot and then back to the rear mirror.

And a plethora of other stuff. Most of them were awkward and you had to “act it out” in order to be a driver :D

The final test is scary, many say but I think that is the whole thing. There is no reason to get scared here actually. Its where you have to be natural. It is tough because there will be three more guys with you in the car excluding the officer. And you get anything from 1-3 minutes to take the test. The officer mostly is an Arab officer from the RTA and not very “friendly” I should say. But that’s not the point. The point is whether you get tensed or not. If you get tensed, one can easily make it out even before you start driving when you search for where the hand break is and get clumsy with the gear  (like one guy with me in the car did). Just play it cool and don’t get clumsy, think like you’re driving with someone in your family and drive along, that’s all. The major point is keep passenger safety as your first priority, and not showing your “driving skills”.

Anyways, I got the license in less than a month and am proud of it, also considering me lucky and fortunate enough to get a good instructor. If you are someone who’s appearing for a driving test in Dubai, do let me know and I can give you his contact, if you’re interested.

13 Amazing Facts about Burj Dubai – The World’s tallest building

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

Burj Dubai – Is the tallest man made structure on earth as of today, January 4th 2010, when it is being inaugurated. Dubai was recently in news for its economic crisis, but even amidst all the chaos the Arabs have made it happen. Opening the Burj Dubai (Meaning the tower of Dubai) to the world. And when Dubai does something, it does it overwhelmingly well, and this one is no different. Read about the Burjj Dubai facts here.

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1 – US$800,000,000.00 was pumped into building this architectural marvel.

Now, who’s talking about economic crisis.

2 – The Burj Dubai Adress – P.O Box No. 1, Burj Dubai, Dubai

Easy to remember, is it not ?

3. How would it look, had Burj been in the US ?

burj-dubai-in-new-york

4. Building consists of 57 elevators, 1,044 residential apartments and 49 floors of office space.

5. An office space costs US $4,000 per square feet.

6. Giorgio Armani opens his first ever Hotel chain in Burj Dubai.

7. The building is 818 m tall but can be reached at 60 seconds by elevator

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8. The entire building consists of 162 floors.

9. Burj Dubai is said to have used 330,000 cubic meters of concrete, which would be equal the weight of 100,000 elephants.

10. 293 2.93 Eiffel Towers should be stacked one after another to match Burj Dubai’s height.

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11. From the top of Burj, a total of 80 Kilometres can be seen around it.

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12. 28,261 Glass panel cover the entire outside panels.

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13. The Burj Dubai design is based on a flower called Hymenocallis a.k.a Desert Flower

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Image courtesy – Dubai Tower