# Aussie about to move to Dubai with a few different q's



## Fitzymate (May 3, 2010)

G'day everyone

Moving to Dubai in two and a half weeks and this site has been great to get my head around a few of the big questions ie where to live, laws, transport etc.

I have a few questions of my own, bear with me coz they might seem a bit odd?

1. Coffee - is there any good coffee in Dubai ie not Starbucks/instant/american style. I come from Sydney and I don't think i could survive without a good cup every morning.

2. What are some things that people did not bring over from their homeland that they wished they did?

3. What are some things that people did bring over that they are happy that they did?

4. Are any aussie beers available at any of the drinking haunts?

5. Is there any surf in any of the beaches nearby?

Cheers guys, I might have a few more later on if you don't mind.


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## Guest (May 6, 2010)

Fitzymate said:


> G'day everyone
> 
> Moving to Dubai in two and a half weeks and this site has been great to get my head around a few of the big questions ie where to live, laws, transport etc.
> 
> ...


1. Coffee is important to me too! I don't know what you mean by American style, though? I personally like Second Cup cuz it's Canadian, better IMO than Starbucks. There are plenty of coffee houses around, i.e., Cariboo, Costa, etc. but I don't know what they're like

2. Clothes, especially warmer ones as the nights can get cool here in the winter. I also wish I had brought at least 1 smart outfit, as I have had to go to a couple of functions & had to buy something as I only brought casual clothes with me

3. Barbeque - used it endlessly since I've been here

4. I don't hang out much at drinking haunts, but I do know that Nezesaussi (sp?) in the Al Manzil hotel in the old town has Aussie beer. They also have a lot of Aussie sports on TV there, e.g Australian rules football, rugby, etc. I don't know how they get it - maybe slingbox?

5. Don't think you'll find surf nearby here as I think the waters are too calm - could be wrong though. I don't surf so I can't say I really know

Good luck with the move!


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## Fatenhappy (Jun 23, 2009)

Fitzymate said:


> G'day everyone
> 
> Moving to Dubai in two and a half weeks and this site has been great to get my head around a few of the big questions ie where to live, laws, transport etc.
> 
> ...



G'day everyone

Moving to Dubai in two and a half weeks and this site has been great to get my head around a few of the big questions ie where to live, laws, transport etc. G’day and welcome aboard !!

I have a few questions of my own, bear with me coz they might seem a bit odd?

1. Coffee - is there any good coffee in Dubai ie not Starbucks/instant/american style. I come from Sydney and I don't think i could survive without a good cup every morning. Plenty of good coffee outlets about, particularly in the malls etc. As base line there’s Costas, Mary Jeans, Starbucks etc etc but there are also good speciality places about.

2. What are some things that people did not bring over from their homeland that they wished they did? Hmm, probably with few exceptions you can buy just about everything here that you can in Oz. (.. from outlets such as Spinney’s, Lu Lu’s or Geant just to name a few) The easiest way to address this is bring along what ever your special favorites are. As a guide, we always bring back Bundy rum, Violet crumble bars, Fountain tomato sauce, Darrell Lea licorice and a few others.

Conversely, a lot of what is at a premium at home can readily be bought here … classic example of course is export grade steak/meat. Kiwi and Oz meat here is exceptional value…. Tim Tams are even available at a reasonable price.

3. What are some things that people did bring over that they are happy that they did? Vegemite, as it’s a ridiculously price in the Middle East. Our 4 burner Webber BBQ, as anything even vaguely like it here is ballistic in price. (We were supplied with a full removal - 40’ container, so bulky items were no problem)

4. Are any aussie beers available at any of the drinking haunts? 500mm cans are standard size for this part of the world, and Fosters is everywhere … dunno what you normally drink so I can’t give you a comparison … I’m sure you’ll find something to “adopt” …

5. Is there any surf in any of the beaches nearby? Hmm … IMO, being an old surf head and without sounding at all demeaning, definitely not like home. Occasionally there is a bit of a swell running where it might get to 3 to 4 feet at best, but that’s it! Still nice to cool off in on a hot day though! If you’re going to bring anything along that line with you, probably better off with a body board rather than a surf board…. ( … others will probably argue the point)

Cheers ...

Cheers guys, I might have a few more later on if you don't mind.


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## Fitzymate (May 3, 2010)

Fatenhappy said:


> G'day everyone
> 
> Moving to Dubai in two and a half weeks and this site has been great to get my head around a few of the big questions ie where to live, laws, transport etc. G’day and welcome aboard !!
> 
> ...


Good stuff. 

Another question was going to be about where to watch AFL/rugby games but that was kinda covered. Any other comments on this.

Sounds like my barbie has to come over with me, don't think I can live without my WebberQ. 

What is business attire over there like to purchase ie shirts/ties etc. Better to buy here or there? 

What's the internet like ie if i wanted to stream an AFL game on my computer?

I read somewhere that bringing CDs/DVDs over can be dangerous. I want to bring some TV series/movies over that may be regarded as 'unseemly' ie Tarantino/The Wire/Californication etc. any tips on getting these over?

Cheers


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## Gavtek (Aug 23, 2009)

Fitzymate said:


> I read somewhere that bringing CDs/DVDs over can be dangerous. I want to bring some TV series/movies over that may be regarded as 'unseemly' ie Tarantino/The Wire/Californication etc. any tips on getting these over?
> 
> Cheers


Yeah don't worry about that, unless it's something like a graphic porn DVD case, it's not going to give you any trouble whatsoever.

It's not uncommon to see bare breasts on some of the movie channels on an afternoon.

Violent movies/shows are fine here. They didn't seem to cut any of Inglorious Basterds when I went to see it at the cinema here.


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## Fatenhappy (Jun 23, 2009)

Fitzymate said:


> Good stuff.
> 
> Another question was going to be about where to watch AFL/rugby games but that was kinda covered. Any other comments on this.
> 
> ...


Good stuff. 

Another question was going to be about where to watch AFL/rugby games but that was kinda covered. Any other comments on this. Orbit and Showtime satellite channels have amalgamated a few months back with a lot of what’s on being crap even though there’s 600 odd channels .. hard to believe I suppose. One of the up sides is that Oz sport is particularly well supported with AFL, NRL and Super cars being delivered live and repeated just in case you missed it the first time.

Sounds like my barbie has to come over with me, don't think I can live without my WebberQ. They do have those small baby round Webbers here but that’s all I have seen in the Webber line … They also do have large other brand BBQ’s here, but they are ridiculously priced. Make sure you bring over another (Spare connection hose for the BBQ) that fits your BBQ .. Back in Oz you can get a cheapy that will do the job from somewhere like Bunnings. You’ll need this so you can connect your BBQ to the regulator that fits the local gas bottle connection here. You also need to ask for the regulator when ordering your gas bottle here … these guys have trucks hovering about and deliver 7 days a week and within 24 hours

What is business attire over there like to purchase ie shirts/ties etc. Better to buy here or there? Really depends on the quality of fitment that you’re after. You can get reasonable everyday shirts here fairly easily starting from probably $10 – 20 AUD from places like Carrefour (they are akin to a bigger better version of BigW back in Oz) There’s also all manner of mens outfitters about, once again, depending on the quality of what you want. Having said that, there are a large number of elitist targeting stores here which I think just throw a coin in the air to see how ridiculous a price can be supported … as I said it all comes down to you, but if it was my call I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to “stock up” on clothes before you come over. 

The exception to this would have to be reasonable quality comfortable shoes … say Windsor Smith, Floreshime etc as back in Oz. The range here seems to be quite limited and when you do find something appealing the price is ridiculous with the quality generally fairly crappy by what you’d be used to in Oz, especially for the price. 
*
My wife has also given me similar reports of her shoe requirements, but I am sure there are probably some ladies on the forum that may be able to advise further.*

What's the internet like ie if i wanted to stream an AFL game on my computer? Should be no problem but will depend on which provider and plan you use!

I read somewhere that bringing CDs/DVDs over can be dangerous. I want to bring some TV series/movies over that may be regarded as 'unseemly' ie Tarantino/The Wire/Californication etc. any tips on getting these over? We brought over a couple of boxes of CD’s DVDs and CD’s …. IMO and experience as long as they are handled discretely and not straight out porn, its all good. This stuff would just be packed by the removalists and included with all the other boxes wouldn’t it? Don't forget this is an Islamic country !!!


Cheers


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## stewart (Jun 21, 2009)

You can get plenty of VB here actually imported from Aus in the normal size can as home.
Price is same if not cheaper than Aus.


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## stewart (Jun 21, 2009)

As for aussie rules games they are live on showtime sports channels.


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## stewart (Jun 21, 2009)

Fatenhappy said:


> Good stuff.
> 
> Another question was going to be about where to watch AFL/rugby games but that was kinda covered. Any other comments on this. Orbit and Showtime satellite channels have amalgamated a few months back with a lot of what’s on being crap even though there’s 600 odd channels .. hard to believe I suppose. One of the up sides is that Oz sport is particularly well supported with AFL, NRL and Super cars being delivered live and repeated just in case you missed it the first time.
> 
> ...


Go to ACE, they have the bigest webber I have ever seen in my life.


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## Fatenhappy (Jun 23, 2009)

_You can get plenty of VB here actually imported from Aus in the normal size can as home.
Price is same if not cheaper than Aus.
_
Where can you get VB by the slab Stew?


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## katiepotato (Apr 29, 2008)

Fitzymate said:


> 1. Coffee - is there any good coffee in Dubai ie not Starbucks/instant/american style. I come from Sydney and I don't think i could survive without a good cup every morning.


Hi and welcome to the forum

Think the guys have covered the rest of your questions but wanted to chip in re: coffee. The best I have found here is the espresso blend from Segafredo in WAFI - it's an Italian brand, much nicer than any of the others we've tried. I think there is only one outlet and they don't deliver, so we buy the bags of ground for the machine at home. 

Good luck with the move!


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## stewart (Jun 21, 2009)

Fatenhappy said:


> _You can get plenty of VB here actually imported from Aus in the normal size can as home.
> Price is same if not cheaper than Aus.
> _
> Where can you get VB by the slab Stew?


A&E
Barracuda (sometimes)
Abu Dhabi National Hotels
A take away in Ajman but I can not remember the name, AC would definatly know the name of it.


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## Fatenhappy (Jun 23, 2009)

katiepotato said:


> Hi and welcome to the forum
> 
> Think the guys have covered the rest of your questions but wanted to chip in re: coffee. The best I have found here is the espresso blend from Segafredo in WAFI - it's an Italian brand, much nicer than any of the others we've tried. I think there is only one outlet and they don't deliver, so we buy the bags of ground for the machine at home.
> 
> Good luck with the move!


Thanks for that Katiep from the _ "little lovely"_ ... She is going to love u as she drives me mad with trying to get the perfect blend! .. :clap2::clap2: .. PS Thanks from me too !


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## Fitzymate (May 3, 2010)

Great tips guys, thanks.

Would a good quality coffee machine be reasonably priced over there?


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## stewart (Jun 21, 2009)

Fitzymate said:


> Great tips guys, thanks.
> 
> Would a good quality coffee machine be reasonably priced over there?


To be honest mate I dont find much difference in the prices tan oz on most things, they just look more exspensive when priced in Dirhams.
This is in general.
Some items are and some are not.
I came with nothing and just bought everything I needed here, so now I am set up in both countries.

Hope to see you soon and welcome to the dust bowl when you get here.


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