Taco Bell and the Dubai Mall

Yes, it’s official – the Dubai Mall is open. What this means for anyone from the US who lives in the UAE is that the closest Taco Bell is no longer a 12 hour flight away – it’s just 2 hours in traffic, and then 45 minutes waiting in the crazy long queue. I can confirm that the menu is pretty much exactly like it is in the US – with a few items missing. The only omission that bothered me was the total lack of 7-layer burritos. Soft and hard tacos, bean and cheese/beef and potato burritos, chalupas, gorditos, “normal” burritos and taco salads all present. They also had the crunchwraps and some of the desserts that we’d expect to find. Even the hot sauce packs are the same ones from the US with the weird little sayings on the front. And, most importantly, everything we ordered tasted exactly like it was supposed to.

The bad news was that due to the long long lines, we waited probably 10 minutes to order our food – and then had to wait nearly 30 more to actually get the items. The queues for ordering were pretty well maintained, but the crowd pushing in around the pickup area was just the normal mess you can expect in Dubai – no line, no order, lots of confusion, and lots of people shouting or pushing thinking this will make their food appear faster. It was a madhouse.

Unless you have a pregnant wife who has been starving for Taco Bell for 5 months or just like standing in the madness, I’d suggest waiting at least a week or so for the chaos to die down.

BTW: if you do go to the Dubai Mall, it’s still very much a work in progress. I don’t really think it should be open yet – in many areas, the mall seems to change color, because the huge video ads are color-casting the white walls that all say “opening soon”, and the escalators still have safety tape on them. Near the exit for the 3rd level of the parking deck there was a sign that had two options – “Quick Exit” and “Chaos”. I wish I wasn’t driving, as I almost didn’t believe what I was seeing but I couldn’t get a picture.

It’s coming

The Dubai and Abu Dhabi property markets are starting to correct themselves.

I thought everyone said that this market was impervious to the global credit crunch? They said that none of the slowdowns would reach the UAE, as there was such a strong economy here. Of course, what they forgot was that most of the buyers for property in the UAE aren’t UAE nationals – they are foreign investors trying to make a profit, many of whom have never been to the UAE. As their liquidity dries up, and as they try to move into more stable investments (t-bills, precious metals), they will take their money out of the market here. Which means no more flipping of properties here, and in turn means that the crazy monthly gains are going to go away.

I’m not saying that things here are going to crash, or even correct hard. What it does mean, though, is that rent should stop it’s ever-upward climb. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll be able to find a studio in Dubai for less than 100,000 AED per annum.

Dubai Property Prices

“While recording massive annual increase in property values, Colliers’ eagerly anticipated House Price Index for Dubai claimed house price growth slowed from 42 percent in first quarter of 2008 to 16 percent in the second quarter of the year, fuelling fears the market is heading for a slowdown.”

So, let me get this straight – there’s a fear that housing prices are slowing down in Dubai – in terms of investors and real-estate speculators not being able to make silly, unregulated profit. This is for a market, that according to that article, has gone up %76 in the last year.

Bottle Of Juice: 272 USD

This is just stupid. Two women are fined 1,000 AED (about $272 USD) for drinking juice in public before the sun set, because it’s Ramadan. There’s no way to build a thriving, booming tourist economy when you have laws like this in effect – especially when it’s still well over 100°F every day. Good thing they weren’t hit with the full fine – a month in jail.

That’s a quick way to encourage people to visit this fine country.