third Dubai update
Today some more images from our trip to Dubai. Now I think a lot of people are wondering about my experiences in Dubai, so I will give you some things that really caught my attention.
Let me first state that I’ve never visited this side of the world, I’ve visited most of Europe and some states in the US but never got further that Greece. And to be honest I feel sorry that I did not visited Dubai before. Without any doubt it’s one of the best places I’ve ever visited and for the following reasons:
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1. The people.
They are incredibly nice, helpful and very interested in you as a person. And they do care for your well-being.
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2. Photography.
If you’re into photography Dubai is a BLAST.
The people are very willing to be your model and it never was this easy to get some great street portraits. Before Dubai I always stated that New York was my favorite street photography place, but…. I have to admit I’m gonna say Dubai from now on. And don’t get me wrong, in about 2 weeks we will be in New York again and I can’t wait to start shooting there, but what you see in Dubai is just so different from what we’re used that it’s incredibly interesting.
If you’re into photography Dubai is a BLAST.
The people are very willing to be your model and it never was this easy to get some great street portraits. Before Dubai I always stated that New York was my favorite street photography place, but…. I have to admit I’m gonna say Dubai from now on. And don’t get me wrong, in about 2 weeks we will be in New York again and I can’t wait to start shooting there, but what you see in Dubai is just so different from what we’re used that it’s incredibly interesting.
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3. Luxe or old.
Now I have to admit I don’t care about the shopping malls, the ski track in the middle of the desert etc. Well we of course visited the Dubai mall, and I was not bored, loved it actually but after about 2 hours I had seen enough and I wanted to go back to the gold/textile market area where I shot almost 70% of the shots you have seen in my albums. But if you’re into the luxe stuff or the beaches you will have a ball in Dubai.
Now I have to admit I don’t care about the shopping malls, the ski track in the middle of the desert etc. Well we of course visited the Dubai mall, and I was not bored, loved it actually but after about 2 hours I had seen enough and I wanted to go back to the gold/textile market area where I shot almost 70% of the shots you have seen in my albums. But if you’re into the luxe stuff or the beaches you will have a ball in Dubai.
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4. The food.
I’m not really a food lover, but I love good food that’s healthy.
And yeah I know most we eat on trips are terrible for my diet, but a few years ago I decided that during our stays at home I will stay between 1800-2500 calories and sport 6 days in a week for at least 40 minutes. On trips I will try to sport but I will eat what I want, and because I’m so strict while at home it all works out fine, having said that… I love meat and in Dubai you can get some very very good Kebab, actually we ate some of the best I ever had in a little place very close to our hotel, we visited that several times over the week.
I’m not really a food lover, but I love good food that’s healthy.
And yeah I know most we eat on trips are terrible for my diet, but a few years ago I decided that during our stays at home I will stay between 1800-2500 calories and sport 6 days in a week for at least 40 minutes. On trips I will try to sport but I will eat what I want, and because I’m so strict while at home it all works out fine, having said that… I love meat and in Dubai you can get some very very good Kebab, actually we ate some of the best I ever had in a little place very close to our hotel, we visited that several times over the week.
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5. The students.
I’ve taught in many places, and everywhere the students are great, I really love you guys. But in Dubai the response was a bit different, we had great conversations about our country, their country, their ideas and believes, the clothing and of course the way they approach photography, not only the students learned a lot but I also learned a lot about culture and let’s be honest that’s the most fun when you’re abroad.
I’ve taught in many places, and everywhere the students are great, I really love you guys. But in Dubai the response was a bit different, we had great conversations about our country, their country, their ideas and believes, the clothing and of course the way they approach photography, not only the students learned a lot but I also learned a lot about culture and let’s be honest that’s the most fun when you’re abroad.
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6. GPP.
Gulf Photo Plus asked me to come over and to be honest it was something I was “waiting” for, I knew GPP from their GPP events and was hoping to be part of that one day, so when Hala contacted me I almost immediately said yes (I had to clear something very important in my agenda), the way we were treated and welcomed was much more than we expected. I’ve done many shows and exhibitions and we were never treated bad, let’s make that clear, but the openness and kindness we got from the people of GPP was great, they are not only thinking about a show but are really taking care of their instructors and that gives you a great feeling.
Gulf Photo Plus asked me to come over and to be honest it was something I was “waiting” for, I knew GPP from their GPP events and was hoping to be part of that one day, so when Hala contacted me I almost immediately said yes (I had to clear something very important in my agenda), the way we were treated and welcomed was much more than we expected. I’ve done many shows and exhibitions and we were never treated bad, let’s make that clear, but the openness and kindness we got from the people of GPP was great, they are not only thinking about a show but are really taking care of their instructors and that gives you a great feeling.
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7. Feeling safe.
Several people told me stories about how safe Dubai was, but I did not believe most of the stories (and I still have some doubts to be honest) however I did feel incredibly safe and never really worried about my gear. According to our contacts/fellow instructors you can just let your camera/phone/laptop sit on your table while you go to the restroom and when you come back everything will still be there….. well ok I believe it but will not test it out, but if someone would tell me that in New York I would probably think he/she was “crazy” somehow I believe it for Dubai, the whole city/people give you that feeling.
Several people told me stories about how safe Dubai was, but I did not believe most of the stories (and I still have some doubts to be honest) however I did feel incredibly safe and never really worried about my gear. According to our contacts/fellow instructors you can just let your camera/phone/laptop sit on your table while you go to the restroom and when you come back everything will still be there….. well ok I believe it but will not test it out, but if someone would tell me that in New York I would probably think he/she was “crazy” somehow I believe it for Dubai, the whole city/people give you that feeling.
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8. Prices
We expected Dubai to be expensive but in reality it’s not. The taxis are very affordable, the drinks you buy in for example the hotel are not priced ridiculously high, although it’s still weird that a bottle of Coke is much cheaper than a bottle of water.
We expected Dubai to be expensive but in reality it’s not. The taxis are very affordable, the drinks you buy in for example the hotel are not priced ridiculously high, although it’s still weird that a bottle of Coke is much cheaper than a bottle of water.
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Now are there things we did not like?
Yeah of course.**
Yeah of course.**
On the textile/spice market the sales persons really drove me insane.
“Hey Friend/Mr John/Mr Bond/Brother (no really?) wanna buy watches, rolex, silk, we have dresses in your size, please come in” and whey you ignore one the next one (not 2 mtrs further) will take over and you literally can’t walk without being “bothered” by the salespeople. I have to be honest we finally bought in a small store where the sales persons were just standing outside and smiled at you, somehow I felt much better buying from them.
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Also if you go to the old part of town make sure you don’t have to go to the restroom…. for a you know what I mean.
Finding a restroom that is clean is a task on it’s own, but finding one with toilet paper seemed almost impossible, so if you’re afraid you will have to go bring some toilet paper with you. all the restrooms have a “shower” and no toiletpaper. When you go to a restaurant or more western hotel there is no “problem” but they are not so widespread were we were walking.
Finding a restroom that is clean is a task on it’s own, but finding one with toilet paper seemed almost impossible, so if you’re afraid you will have to go bring some toilet paper with you. all the restrooms have a “shower” and no toiletpaper. When you go to a restaurant or more western hotel there is no “problem” but they are not so widespread were we were walking.
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When we visited the heat was not that bad bit it still was around 33-34 degrees celcius, but this is a very comfortable heat, it’s still hot and I was wearing shorts most of the time but it’s not bad. However during the “summer” it can get up to 47 degrees and to be honest I think if I would visit during that time I would just stay inside…..
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Also the cabs are a bit “funky”.
The cab drivers are often very friendly and know their ways, but getting a cab can sometimes mean you have to wait for 30-45 minutes because they are not passing by very often, so don’t expect to just haul a cab and drive away when you want it.
The cab drivers are often very friendly and know their ways, but getting a cab can sometimes mean you have to wait for 30-45 minutes because they are not passing by very often, so don’t expect to just haul a cab and drive away when you want it.
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Overall we were VERY impressed with Dubai.
It’s not only a great place to visit for photographs but there is a lot of different options to have a great vacation and the people are great. And …. it’s not as expensive as you would expect, taxis are cheap, food is good and not expensive and also the drinks are more than affordable, we actually expected it to be much more expensive. So if you’re in doubt if you would visit Dubai….. make sure you do you will love it. We fell in love with Dubai and it’s people. We will be back 😀
It’s not only a great place to visit for photographs but there is a lot of different options to have a great vacation and the people are great. And …. it’s not as expensive as you would expect, taxis are cheap, food is good and not expensive and also the drinks are more than affordable, we actually expected it to be much more expensive. So if you’re in doubt if you would visit Dubai….. make sure you do you will love it. We fell in love with Dubai and it’s people. We will be back 😀
Frank; are there any WOMEN in Dubai?
without any doubt, but I did not shoot many.