First impression upon arrival to Dubai

Oh my god!!!!

I had been in this region many decades ago in 1970s, but my eyes could not believe the amount of growth this city has taken in such a short period of time. I let the picture from the airport speak for itself. Maybe I should buy that Porche right from the airport to save money on taxi fees.

But first thing is first. Go to an ATM and get some cash. Local ATMs are my prefered way of exchanging money. ATMs converse in English, or the local language and at the same time you exchange money automatically at a bank rather than an exchange rate office. The "Derham" is the UAE curency and the exchange rate is $1 to 3.6 Dhs. Make a note of this because I'll make some references about how much things cost in the future.

Now, testing the phone for data, then signal. Everthing works!!! :-)

There is opportunity to swap the SIM card for your phone with a local SIM card to allow the local company to take over the communication process.

Also if you decide to swap SIM cards, there is a need for the locals to "unlock" your phone system from your local providers control to accommodate the new SIM card. There is an additional fee for that process sometimes the cost is as much as $50.

but considering the cost and the short stay I decided against that. Even though it would save money on calls and data transfer. here is what I will pay thanks to ATT setup.

• Phone calls from Dubai to US: monthly fee $5.00 and a roaming charge of 30 cents per minute. Ouch!!
• Data communication such as text and email: $20 per month pro-rated for the time used. So one week of use should be just $5. That's a great deal.

Now I am ready to catch my ride to the hotel, but first I have to find my ride. No problem, there is 100s of folks waiting to great you to the shuttle bus for each given hotel. Provided you have made the prior arrangement before arrival. The airport is very busy and the trafic outside the airport puts New York to shame. Exhausted from the trip I checked in at Ibis Hotel and went straight to bed. Going rate for the hotel is 565 dh per night. I discovered later that hotels in Dubai are not cheap.