It has been a hectic week. Setting up for Gitex 2009 in Dubai followed by five fully packed days. I have been wanting to write here but I am so tired by the end of the day, I just fall on the couch and sleep. Even now, it is 3 a.m. in the morning but I wanted to quickly upload some photos of my trip so far. I did fall asleep when doing this last night. So here’s the first upload of photos from Dubai 2009. Not much really. But it should give you a glimpse of Dubai – of what I have seen so far.

I had been to Dubai to attend Gitex from my company. I must admit that I am impressed by the place. Considering what they have done with what they’ve got. And acquired (literally everything is imported there). Here is a list of things that I enjoyed there, that I miss in India:

1. Order in traffic. I just enjoyed the rides there. No complications. Drivers follow lanes. No cuttin red signals. They’ve cameras in place literally everywhere and hefty fines if you break the rules. (and it’s obvious that you can’t bribe your way out of it!)
2. The malls are big and they’re open till very late in the night.I was able to finish my work and still enjoy a good time at the mall. The supermarket opposite my hotel was open 24hours. That was very convenient, even during the month of Ramadan.
3. The roads are really good. Highways have ten lanes! You can drive at 120km/hr and not worry about the next pothole.
4. Taxi meters. Seriously. They’re cute. Touch screen. With GPS. At the end of the journey, a bill is auto printed. Even the taxi light above the car is controlled by this meter. (Note: taxis can be difficult to get at peak hours, especially during Gitex.) The other advantage is that there is no haggling when hiring a taxi. I hate Chennai auto rickshaw drivers for this. There is always a waste of time and energy before every auto rickshaw trip I take in Chennai. In Dubai, the only problem you will face is finding a taxi soon enough.
5. Food seems relatively cheap. A subway beef sandwich (beef is unavailable in Indian Subway) is just 10 AED and a McDonalds BigMac is 15 AED (including drinks and fries). You may be able to get something cheaper or at the same price in India but there is more purchasing power available to the people there.