Prior to arriving to Dubai, I had decided that I didn't want to have a car. I didn't want to worry about a car payment, getting insurance in a foreign country, or a driver's license. The gas is cheap, so that wasn't a worry, but the construction of the roads is.
Everyone told me I would need a car here, but I refused to believe that I couldn't get anywhere I wanted to go via taxi. So, I took this decision on like a mantra, dedicated to creating my life here "car free". I succeeded in many ways: I live in the building that I work in, so that takes care of the morning and evening car commute. I have a few friends with cars, so that alleviates the need for an emergency car excursion or the weekend get-away road trip.
Many people have complained that part of the need for a car is that not many taxis are available, and even when they are, they are finniky (sp?) about who they take, depending on where you are going or who you are. My blonde hair has proved to be a valuable asset in relation to this. Not only does it set me apart from the myriads of other people on the street desperate to see a taxi pull over for them, but it's something that I believe intrigues the taxi drivers.
I'm not happy to use it in this way....I'm just saying it works.
The taxi drivers are mostly from Pakistan or Afghanistan or India...a few from Egypt. They speak very broken English. Most are middle aged. They all drive like friggin maniacs. I know that if I were a taxi driver here, I would drive like a maniac also, but it's one thing to be the maniac in control of the car, and another thing entirely to just be a maniac driver that happens to be at the mercy of another maniac. It's a completely un-nerving experience to say the least.
Taking a taxi here is very inexpensive. Even to the furthest places I have gone, I don't think I've spent more than $10 each way to get there and back.
The other morning I had the most bizarre taxi experience as of yet. I was waiting for a cab, on my way to work (prior to moving into the new apt) and there were three men waiting ahead of me, seemingly not having any luck with the taxi, given the exasperated looks on their faces. When they saw me standing in the taxi queue line, it was if someone stuck a pin in a balloon.
A taxi pulled over almost immediately and drove up to me. I motioned to the other men. The taxi driver told me he would not take any of the men and that if I wanted a taxi to get in. I told him "no thanks, please take these other men--they were here fist". He sped off in typical maniac form.
The gentlemen waved a thank you to me. I said "I'm sorry". A second taxi pulled over to the exact same place. Same story--he wanted to take me--i asked him to take the men before me. He refused, then drove away. By now, ten or so minutes had passed. I walked over to the men to learn that they had been standing there for an hour! Not one taxi had pulled over for them. Another taxi driver pulled up to me, same as the others. This time, I got in but asked the taxi driver to share the ride with the other men. He refused. I asked him why he wouldn't take the men.
He said that it was rude in their culture (and against their rules as a taxi driver) to pick up a man when a woman is waiting. He explained to me further that women were "fragile" and couldn't take the heat like men could. I laughed a little inside at this. God made women to bear children but not capable of enduring some heat, huh? Anyway, I didn't completely believe this story because it wasn't that hot and I didn't believe that all of these taxi drivers were "that" noble...and still that didn't explain why the men had stood there for an hour when I had the first taxi pull over in less than 2 minutes.
Apparently, my standing there refusing the taxis had hurt the men more than it helped. I thought this was quite interesting.
So--if you ever come to visit, dye your hair blonde and dress up as a woman. Otherwise, hope for a corner free of females!
