United Arab Emirates: Dubai and Abu Dhabi

UAE is the second major destination country for OFWs in the Middle East, next to Saudi Arabia. The Middle East still remains the top recruiter of Filipino labor five decades after the first batch of OFWs was deployed to the region during a massive oil boom in the 1970s.

UAE is an attractive destination for workers mainly for the relatively many job opportunities and high salary (compared to the Philippines) with no income tax it offer, proximity to Southeast Asia, and for Dubai being an open city (which means that it’s not that difficult to get a visit visa and later convert it into a working visa).

I got the opportunity to visit Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the main emirates of UAE, for our office’s annual International Forum on Migration.

It takes about eight hours of flight from Manila to Dubai. Majority of the passengers were actually bound for Europe (a colleague said that Dubai is actually a good lay-over if coming from Manila, as it is strategically located midway).

There are many things I noticed the moment I arrived - the traditional clothing of Emiratis (parang napakapresko for men wearing kandura; and obviously all the women are expected to wear abaya and burqa), the weather comparable to Pinas maybe except during the hot season, the adhan (Islamic call to worship), the omnipresent mural of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (known as the father of the nation), and the tall, towering, curvy skyscrapers.

I stayed at Time Grand Plaza Hotel, which is conveniently located near the airport. It also offers intercontinental complimentary buffet breakfast everyday.

After our official activity, I visited my brother in Abu Dhabi. He was based in UAE’s capital for several years already. It took about two hours from Dubai to Abu Dhabi by bus, na halos puro disyerto ang view.

My brother and his wife Bes were already waiting for me at the bus station, when I arrived. I only had a day to spare, so they made sure that I enjoy the sights of Abu Dhabi.

The Shiekh Zayed Grand Mosque is the one of the largest mosques in the world.  Painted immaculate white, it is the key place of worship for daily prayers, Friday gathering and Eid prayers. It houses the world's third largest chandelier and the world's largest carpet made in Iran. The mosque can accommodate over 40,000 people.

The Louvre Abu Dhabi, the sister museum of the famed Louvre Paris, is an art and civilization museum. It was opened to the public in 2017, and became distinctly known as the very first universal, as well as the largest, museum in the Arab world. Its award winning architect Jean Nouvel designed Louvre as a “museum city” in the sea. While Louvre Paris showcases Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”, not to be missed at Louvre Abu Dhabi is “Napoleon Crossing the Alps” by Jacques-Louis David.

We also dropped by Yacht Club Marina and Corniche Beach, and watched an incredible Air Show practice for the UAE National Day. They also treated me with delectable seafood at Hook Restaurant before bidding goodbye.

Back in Dubai, I get to visit the Dubai Mall (the world's largest mall by total area, and which also houses the world's second largest aquarium) and the colourful Dubai Spice Souk, experience the amazing Dubai fountain show (the world’s largest choreographed fountain system), and see up close the Burj Khalifa (the world’s tallest building since its opening in 2010).

Dubai is indeed a city of superlatives. Even the Burj Al Arab, proudly standing on an artificial island from Jumeirah Beach, is one of the most luxurious hotels to stay in and dubbed “The World’s Only 7 Star Hotel”.

Dubai is ranked among the world’s best places to live. But just a little warning, UAE is a Muslim country and still very conservative. PDA, sex outside marriage, homosexuality are unacceptable; websites that don’t conform to the beliefs of Islam are blocked; taking photos of the locals without their consent is illegal and so is protesting in public or posting on social media anything against the government or royal family. Anakbayan or highly opinionated people won’t survive in UAE.