Beirut, November 2012
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at 16:15 by Globalti.
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SimonS1ParticipantI must say Becky your posts do have a certain entertainment value.
Whoever has been feeding you the information on Dubai is well out of date. I’m on my 16th trip here this year and there were plenty of good Halloween parties the last 2 nights with plenty of people the worse for wear. Many unmarried couples as well.
I would recommend checking it out for yourself rather than relying on some spotty travel agent who doesn’t know how far it is from Cairo to Tripoli (it’s almost 1,300 miles)…..
3 Nov 2012
at 13:53
BeckyBoopParticipantCraig and Simon,
No i am not kidding.
http://uk.travel.yahoo.com/ideas/arrested-dubai-070000866.html
http://www.siasat.com/english/news/british-couple-arrested-dubai-having-extramarital-sex
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/14/kiss-dubai-britons-public
and if this isn’t enough on another thread someone pointed out they fund terrorism and treat migrant workers very badly. The latter I saw on a tv documentary.
Despite all this you still opt to go there and fly Emirates… disgusting quite frankly.
3 Nov 2012
at 14:31
SimonS1ParticipantOK. So:
The first and fifth links involve having sex in the back of a cab – would you and your bf expect to carry on like that in the UK and get away with it?
The second link involves a spurned lover episode, always unpredicatable and likely to attract Police interest.
The third/fourth involves kissing in public, not recommended but in my experience (which includes 7 years living in the region) is quite untypical and you could go to Dubai Mall any day of the week and see many people holding hands, kissing on the cheek as a greeting etc. I notice the article refers to the ‘short skirt and heels’ she was wearing, presumably she was unable to comprehend the many signs in English asking people to dress modestly in respect of local culture??.
Funding terrorism? Do you have evidence to support that?
Treating migrant workers badly – has been an issue in the past I agree, however I could show you migrants in the UK living in pretty shabby conditions.
I don’t see what your last sentence is intended to imply? Many airlines fly to Dubai and many people do legitimate business here.
Sorry to say I do sometimes find your comments a bit naive, and with respect the Beirut/Tripoli bit suggests perhaps your grasp of the geography of the MENA area is a bit shaky too.
3 Nov 2012
at 15:05
BeckyBoopParticipantSimon,
How do you know the Dubai authorities didn’t take the whole thing out of context because some local who has issues with westerners?
1. As for sharing a taxi with my fella if we have been out and we get a cab home its late, i am tired cold, i want to snuggle up in to him followed by a bit of an embrace and perhaps a kiss?
2. It was more of the issue of having sex with people who are not married. Not great if i am sharing a hotel room and we both not married.
3/4. So its ok for locals to hold hands and kiss etc but not visitors?? As for her dress code i couldn’t comment unless i saw her but you can still wear a short skirt and heels and still look elegant plus you are in a very hot country dont forget
5. i will look for the thread later if i get time.
6. Its usually the illegal migrants in this country that may have bad living conditions certainly not legal ones and i am sure Bucksnet can find you some great examples
7. You are throwing more money to a county that doesn’t need or deserve it especially how they treat visitor instead of supporting the UK and British companies. Flying EK is a great example just because you can get a better premium product.
8. I got my facts wrong I got confused with Libya and Lebanon both have cities called Tripoli. Go to google maps and gradually zoom out from Beirut and you will see it slightly NW of the city and like Bruce has already pointed out:
“Tripoli (Lebanon) is 52 miles to the north of Beirut and IMHO is unsafe, due to entanglement in the Syrian internal conflict. Avoid.”The whole place is a scam
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/4355228/The-a-dark-side-to-Dubais-glamour.html
3 Nov 2012
at 15:41
TerryMcManus24ParticipantLast visited Beirut way back around think about1980 and although bit of conflict seem to remember that you could go from lying on the beach to ski-ing in the mountains in about 20 minutes.
Lots of old MEA planes dotted about the airport and the Holiday Inn had rather too much in the way of ventilation for comfort….sad
3 Nov 2012
at 16:14
SwissdiverParticipant@Becky: Because the Sun wrote it? You are free to believe what you want to believe. That said, we can talk from real experience (I was there less than a month ago, with my wife). While it seems to me normal to somewhat adapt to a country local culture and customs (so being provocative is simply rude in my view), Dubai is quite open. None of the hotels I stayed in for instance asked for my wife ID. And some hotels are known for being binge drinking places. So this is just a great place to stay. But this is not a news that sells well for the Sun.
3 Nov 2012
at 16:47
SimonS1ParticipantOK Becky, I get it, you are very naive.
1. Clearly you equate being naked and having sex in the back (allegedly) of a cab to cuddling up to your fella. Many people wouldn’t see these as remotely similar.
2. I don’t think you would get caught out in the privacy of your own room. Personally I would think this a bit different to the back of a cab.
3/4. “So its ok for locals to hold hands and kiss etc but not visitors??”. I can only chuckle at how naive you are. Locals don’t do these things, that’s the point.
5. I await your evidence with interest about the UAE funding terrorism. Having spent some years living here I think you will find the government amongst the most strident critics of groups like Al Qaeda, just like they were of Saddam Hussein. Still, as I say, I will keep an open mind pending your evidence.
6. As I said before I acknowledge this has been an issue but if you think all migrant workers are in the UAE legally you are mistaken.
7. Clearly you are sounding off here without knowing what business I am in? None of the work I do is associated with supporting the local economy. You think I use Emirates because they have a better premium product? 95% of the time I fly economy, and chose them because they have good reliability and schedules from the UK.
8. You got confused about Tripoli. No kidding Sherlock. Most people who do business in this area of the world know the difference so why try and present yourself as some sort of expert? Yes there is a Tripoli in Lebanon but you are surely not suggesting that is what you really meant??
If you think the whole place is a scam (based on some article from the Sun) then good for you. In fact I’ve just returned an unmarried female colleague from having a few beers in Satwa which tends to prove your original expert opinion wrong on both counts.
3 Nov 2012
at 18:38
BeckyBoopParticipantSimon,
Of course i am naive i have never been there??? and i dont know jack about it apart from what i hear or read.
1. I never said we were naked and again we dont know the full story of the couple they were “accused” both denied the allegations plus apart from the cab driver how many other people saw it? it could even be argued that they were in a private minicab (if such things exist out there). Plus she had been living out there for about 12 months so i am sure she was not niave to the correct behaviour in the region.
2. Can you really trust the hotels to keep their mouth shut if they knew? Whos to say a waiter or housekeeper who got the hump with us for some reason decided to gob us in to the police.
3/4.
http://www.dubaifaqs.com/kissing-in-dubai.php
“Walking through shopping centers, especially in Dubai, it is not uncommon to see even Emirati couples (of opposite sexes) holding hands.”
Would you risk it with another guy?
5. Cant find it but I will so be paitent
6. I am sure there are so we agree 🙂 I was refering to the ones here in the UK “I could show you migrants in the UK living in pretty shabby conditions.”
7. I didnt question your biz you are in, but just giving it to EK and not UK airline. Having said that I understand why now So will let you off.
8. I never said i was an expert :p
9. The girl who was interviewed worked out there for 18 months i think she would know about these things.
Also most of the of the stories are posted on other websites other than the Sun even the Guardian and Telegraph…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/14/kiss-dubai-britons-public
SWissDiver, thanks 🙂
3 Nov 2012
at 19:22
SimonS1ParticipantBecky – there is a big difference here between holding hands and kissing in public whether you are married or not.
There are also many people out here who are either ignorant or chose to ignore local culture. Usually this is ignored but occasionally the Police will act if there is a complaint. There are signs in most places asking people to dress conservatively but unfortunately many people still go to the malls dressed in mini skirts and vest tops.
Bottom line – if you dress and behave respectfully you will be fine. If you engage in sexual activities on the beach or in taxis you will be at risk of being detained.
4 Nov 2012
at 03:29 -
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