Car questions

mardigras · #1 (**permalink**) 24th June 2008, 02:38 PM

As the thought of driving initially in Dubai fills me with horror is it possible to access shops, etc by taxi until confident enough to drive the horrendous roads on the opposite side [never done this] I have been driving in uk for 20 years how long does it take to 1. get used to driving the other side, 2. to get used to the mad driving? My husband will drive me when away from work but I don@t wish to be stuck forever carless!!!! Hopefully my daughter will go on school bus as she does that here.... As she is going to Jumereiah college where should we live???

flossie · #2 (**permalink**) 24th June 2008, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mardigras

As the thought of driving initially in Dubai fills me with horror is it possible to access shops, etc by taxi until confident enough to drive the horrendous roads on the opposite side [never done this] I have been driving in uk for 20 years how long does it take to 1. get used to driving the other side, 2. to get used to the mad driving? My husband will drive me when away from work but I don@t wish to be stuck forever carless!!!! Hopefully my daughter will go on school bus as she does that here.... As she is going to Jumereiah college where should we live???

Hi. I came from country Western Australia, so I was used to very laid back country driving. To answer your questions:

Taxis are quite cheap but can be a pain in the **** to get at peak times. Their driving leaves alot to be desired sometimes, also. I will never forget one particular trip where I literally feared for the lives of my children. Finding one where all the seatbelts work is a bonus, also.

2. Driving on the 'wrong' side of the road really isn't that hard to get used to. Especially when it's busy. I found it harder when there were no other cars around. (Went around the roundabout at my house the wrong way once!!) Always remember that you have to be in the middle of the road or that the passenger has to be in the gutter. It also helps to keep chanting 'keep right, keep right, keep right' when turning at big intersections.

3. Practice driving on a Friday when it's quieter. I was lucky that my husband had been here for a few months before we got here so he was able to give directions. It doesn't take that long to get used to the mad drivers. You will be gaping at the things you see at first. After I had been here around 6 months a friend came to visit. She was shocked and gasping at things that I didn't even notice anymore. You just have to drive defensively and presume everyone around you is going to cut in front of you. KNOW that you will get lost. Stand your ground. Don't be intimidated by people beeping their horns and flashing their lights. Honestly, it's not that bad.

Good luck!!

Iron Horse · #3 (**permalink**) 24th June 2008, 05:18 PM

Flossie, which area to do you live in? (Note to self, watch out driving on a Friday in this area

)

Same, yet opposite experience for me when I lived in Barbados. It took me a couple of weeks before I felt comfy driving on the opposite side. As mentioned it was easier to adapt when traffic moved slow.

Mardigras, don't panic when driving. At most people will honk at you, but everyone makes mistakes everyday driving. As for taxis, they can take you everywhere.

mardigras · #4 (**permalink**) 24th June 2008, 05:31 PM

Thanks for that I'd forgotten that Australia drive on the same side as uk... It was the bit I was reading about the accidents ad deaths o the road that alarmed me.. My daughter will be attendig year 7 at Jumeirah college in September where would the best place to live be??? We are being provided with a small villa and told to look as close to school as poss. Do most villas have a garden or is it just concrete etc??? What do most mums do for entertaiment in the day if they aren't working?

White Heat · #5 (**permalink**) 24th June 2008, 06:14 PM

Hello Mardigras,
Please don't worry about it, the driving looks worse than it is, I have driven for over 20 years in the UK without incident and was terrified about driving here.
Flossie is absolutely right about friday mornings - the roads are full of practising ex-pats

just keep your wits about you, drive defensively and expect everyone else to be a terrible driver and act accordingly. Don't worry about the honking either, just don't get involved.
Best advice, feel the fear and do it anyway.
Good Luck.

flossie · #6 (**permalink**) 25th June 2008, 04:17 AM

Iron Horse, I'm much better now, honest!! Don't be scared.

Mardigras,
JC has a great reputation. The downside for you is that the areas around that school are very expensive to live in. Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim, Safa etc. They would be a great area to live if you are lucky enough to get a villa there, though. Do you have a budget, are you getting a housing allowance, or will the company pay your rent 'at cost'? If the company have told you to look as close to the school as possible, they must be prepared to give you a good allowance? I would say for a villa in that area with shared facilities you would have to allow around 350K a year. Most villa's will have a small garden. Alot of villas are in compounds and have a shared pool and a small garden. We're from Australia where we didn't have a pool, but I think with kids it's important to have access to a pool here. I know there's the beach but most of the coast seems to be taken up by hotel resorts and maybe it's because we're really spoilt because of where we're from, but the beaches here aren't that fantastic, either. It's nice for the kids to be able to just go in the pool on a whim.

Saying that, it still wouldn't be too unreasonable to travel from Al Barsha or Emirates Hills to JC. I know alot of people do it but you would probably have to allow around 40-45 mins to get there and time leaving to avoid the traffic.

mardigras · #7 (**permalink**) 25th June 2008, 06:23 AM

Thanks flossie,We have just been told to find out from the school where the bus hs pick ups. I am not sure on accomodation issue just that husbands company will pay for a small villa and my husband will choose one when he gets there prior to us. As my daughter already travels on a bus from school [it takes me by car half an hour in morning by car] she is used to this... I was kind of hoping we didin't have to do this but as you say villas are dear near JC!!!!
Out of interest I lived in Adelaide Australia when I was a couple of months old until I was 3, Can't remember any of it but we do have an old cine film of it .I guess we went out as 10.00 pomms although my dads company had a divisio out there.. My mum was homesick and wanted to come back nd they we got backand they got divorced... Years later my dad always said he wished hed stayed...

flossie · #8 (**permalink**) 25th June 2008, 07:56 AM

Hey, I'm originally from Adelaide. Nice place.

Just to give you something else to help with your calculations......if your daughter catches the school bus to JC, you will have to pay for it. From memory, I think it's AED8,500 a year. This isn't usually covered by the company. My kids go to a GEMS school as well, which is what JC is. My daughter was recently in a gifted and talented week between her school and JC and she went to JC for a day. She quite liked it. Said it was 'very green'. And she didn't mean the plants, she meant there was alot of green paint. LOL. Anyway, at the presentation there were alot of JC kids at our school and they all seemed a really nice group of kids. And the gifted and talented week was really well run and the kids got to do some amazing things. Not sure if your child is academic, but I thought that it showed the sort of things that kids get to do here that they don't do in country WA.

I'd advise you to clarify what the deal is as far as accommodation goes or else you might end up like us. The company paid for our first years rent and then set our allowance at that per year. Which was fine when we renewed it for the second year because the rent stayed the same. Now we have to leave this villa next year and by then to get something equivalent to what we have now will probably be 100K more. Aaaghh!! I'm living in denial until after Christmas.

sgilli3 · #9 (**permalink**) 25th June 2008, 08:50 AM

We spend sooo much time in Adelaide (+ SA in general), as we have family there and hubby grew up in SA.
We love it- great place.

Im with Flossie - make sure you know EXACTLY where you stand with the housing allowance- what do they call a "small villa?"

Flossie- I too am in denial (its a great place to be)

We have 67 days left before we have to move...and trying not to think about it (aagghhh)

katiepotato · #10 (**permalink**) 25th June 2008, 09:21 AM

hi mardigras

I have only been driving in Dubai for a week having taxi'd around for my first two weeks, and am so much happier being behind the wheel. As Flossie says taxis are cheap but difficult to find in rush hour, and you have no guarantee that they won't drive like a lunatic or even know where they're going. At least when I got lost now it's my own fault.... and I keep telling myself that it's the best way to learn my way around.

Yes, there are some crazy drivers - but I've definitely come across those in the UK too! As you're on the other side of the car it's not too difficult to adapt to being on the other side of the road. I've been beeped at plenty of times already but again I'd agree with Flossie - stand your ground, and don't be as polite as you would have been at home. The 'keep right' chant is a good tip too!

Good luck, you will be fine :-)