Have been to LV and Singapore, but not UA or Dubai. Frankly wife and I have been sort of avoiding UA as just a ridiculously wealthy libertarian/ dictatorial playground built and maintained by semi-slave foreign laborers. There were posts in the Ukraine thread by Mathloom primarily that make me wonder if I was wrong. Seeking input.
I didn't like Dubai. It's a materialistic and artificial playground for people who crave status. Most social interactions I had there felt like I was being sized up by the other expat who was trying to figure out if I could be valuable to them. If you like surface level glitz, Dubai is the place for you.
I personally don't think so at all. There's still weird fundamentalist rules in Dubai that made it not feel like as much of a vacation as you'd think. I had to get this special license thing when I was there just so I could drink, and it is really hard to find places that serve alcohol, and very expensive. My wife (fiancé at the time) was treated really weird too, and it can be a little off putting being there with a woman still. Also everything seems very spread out, and a little confusing to get around. Singapore is much more of a massive city feel to me although a really cool one. I was only there about 3 days so I don't know it like the back of my hand like I do Vegas. Way different from Vegas. The way I look at it is life is short and there is alot of this world to experience. Dubai, and Singapore are cool places to visit if you are needing to be there for something like a work function, or you can stay there on a layover. However it's not something I would prioritize over many countries in Europe with rich history, seeing the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall, Eiffel Tower, etc. etc. Vegas is different for us in the US though because it's a backyard playground of sorts, and there's plenty of excuses to go enjoy it. If you live in Brussels I'd tell you there are other places in the world better worth your time than Vegas, but for us in the US, especially if you are west of the Mississippi, it's quite a treat to have available to visit for a quick weekend.
Having lived in Singapore and been to Dubai and Vegas they aren’t the same. All three are dedicated to globalism and are major tourist destinations. They also have state of the art architecture and a lot of wealth but are very different from there. Dubai was built on petroleum dollars and has diversified to be a major trading, financial services and tourist hub. It is still run by a feudal monarchy and as other posters noted still has religious based restrictions. There isn’t the vote, equal rights or many rights such as free speech. Dubai’s native population is ethnically and religious homogeneous but depends on a large pool of foreign workforce both for labor but also in the professional sectors. The percentage of foreign workers in Dubai is 91% of the population. https://gulfmigration.grc.net/media/pubs/exno/GLMM_EN_2018_01.pdf Singapore after independence was poor country which built itself up with low cost manufacturing but since then has become a major financial R&D, and tourists hub. It is a democracy but dominated by one party. There is technically freedom of speech but the government will use state media and the courts to crack down on critics. Singapore is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society with ethnic Chinese, Malays and Indians but does have a polyglot culture and since its independence has seen little ethnic strife. As Singapore’s developed it’s gotten more dependent on foreign labor and the foreigners make up about 40% of the population. Las Vegas isn’t its own country like Singapore or Dubai and as part of the US has the same political system as the rest of US. It’s more dependent on tourism than the other two and there really isn’t much of a culture that predates its development as a tourist destination. Much of Vegas’ labor force comes from other parts of the US and the world but in the last 20 years its population has grown a fair amount.
Never been to Singapore or Dubai. Singapore is too clean and expensive for me to cheap out on the experience. I'd probably stay at most 3 days, collect thoughts and fly to Thailand or Seoul. Dubai is not on my bucket list unfortunately. I can share that we all have our own cultural blind spots. You factor that with your price point and the people you travel with. It makes every experience and perception unique. For example, I considered San Francisco to be a world class city because of the food, scenery, abundant wealth/energy, and tech centric atmosphere. The vibes painted by conservative politicans and talking heads are there though. Lines of homelessness around every other block from Mission to Financial District , the bodily fluids and solids on the sidewalks of heavily trafficked areas, and the overall willingness by the better off to ignore and look past that to jump on their own hustle. I would also consider Shanghai to be a world class city from the time I visited a decade ago. It's cosmopolitan friendly with English on the street names, plenty of good food and high end stores that would rival the best malls here. The smog days, suspect food quality, and overt police presence is still there though despite the 21st century infrastructure we'd wish our cities to have (sans tofu dregs). I remember German co-workers liking and respecting the US to visit but wouldn't think of living there because they didn't like the scary attitude law enforcement had with people let alone POC. So I don't think either of you are wrong. I generally defer to Mathloom when he talks about his country even when I don't agree with his entire global worldview. It's more interesting that way and ideally the dialogue should be more curious than combative with right/wrong. Much like what a tourist should have when travelling or understanding a different land.
Singapore is expensive to live there as a foreigner and as a tourist if you stick to the tourist stuff. It is actually fairly affordable especially when it comes to food. If you’re willing to eat local you can eat at Michelin star rated food stalls for only a few dollars.
That's probably the best part of a bucket list but I don't think I'd do more than 3 days of that when I'm more familiar with Taiwan or Japan.
Seems like a misplaced Hangout thread but it’s in the D&D so: It’s like Vegas…but with 100% more debt slaves!
I've spent a good amount of time in Dubai. For taking a significant other on a vacation... ehh I mean it's okay with some nice restaurants, shopping, beaches, etc. However, it wouldn't be anywhere near the top of my list. Plus it is miserable in the summer. The best time in Dubai were bro trips when we were blowing off steam. Racing turbo charged side by sides in the dunes, driving exotic cars and race cars at the autodrome race track, yacht parties, watching your friend look like an idiot on top of a camel, skydiving (provided you already know how and don't have to jump with another dude on your back), and night time golf under the lights. I haven't been a drinker in a long time so that really doesn't matter to me. It is available at the hotels and a bunch of restaurants if that is your thing. Not a place I would want to get drunk anyway.
Dubai more like an Arab Vegas...very artificial. I was there two weeks ago. But you can get some sun. Beaches not terrible. Lots of shopping. NOT COMMUNIST ENOUGH. P.S.: What do you mean by UA?
I really was disappointed with UA and Dubai. This is just my personal opinion, but it lacked any real culture and was very “plastic”, nothing felt organic or unique. It really felt like a few rich people decided to throw a lot of money down and build a city. I guess I can see some similarities with Vegas in that way - but even Vegas is more organic, and the government and religious situation is far better in Vegas… and I say that as someone that really doesn’t like Vegas. I would personally far rather go to Western Europe or even parts of South America (not Brazil). If the region was actually safe - I would suggest parts of the Middle East like Israel or Iraq …. But in the modern climate between Islamic bullshit and US/UK destroying the stability, the only place I would consider is Jordan. Someday maybe Turkey will be better… or parts of Eastern Europe. Alaska is beautiful but the people largely suck unless they are Inuits… people from the greater 48 that move there a lot of times are running from something. Italy… Greece if you avoid the dangerous places…. Spain (prepare to watch your back) is great, Portugal…. Ireland, England… all great… Scotland is beautiful but half the people are great and the other half are bigoted monsters. Finland is boring outside of outdoor stuff. Germany is solid…. Amsterdam? Cool but the residents will hate you almost as much as they hate chavs.
This - Dubai is lacks any soul or real culture. It’s okay to drive through for a day but otherwise it’s a religious Vegas without as much fun.
My impression of Dubai was what the French philosopher Jean Baudrillard called a “simulacra” or a simulation of a simulation. If you were plopped down at the base of the Burj Khalifa you wouldn’t be able to tell if you were in a mall in Hong Kong, Phoenix or Tampa. Other than the Burj Khalifa itself. It’s so globalized that much of Dubai has no sense of place but itself is a reference to things that are already referential such as Bellagio. That is a big part of the appeal of Dubai and Vegas as tourist destinations that when you’re there you could be anywhere including a nicer version of where you came from.
I was so bored in Helsinki, I can't recommend it to anyone. However, I really enjoyed taking the ferry over to Tallinn.
