Dubai Forums Dubai Expat Forums Dubai Expat Help Forum

Hi everybody.. have just spent the past 6 or so hours reading so many of your posts.... great advice on cohabitating with BF.. I mean hubby... work bans, hair loss, too many to mention! but all good!

My HUSBAND and I will be moving to RAK soon and I would love to hear about any comments and thoughts on RAK.

After reading your posts.. I do have one main concern... is RAK as what you describe is Sharjah in terms of conservatism?? "60 Lashings in RAK?? " I think was quoted.

Also, my HUSBAND has lived there before and says that all the women are very well dressed and 'bling bling' and I would probably have to polish my scruffy hippie look. Is this the case? I do plan to work after settling in (a month or so) and was wondering what I would wear to work in an office environment? A long skirt and cardigan?

Any thoughts would be great.

Thanks

Nomad..ness wrote:After reading your posts.. I do have one main concern... is RAK as what you describe is Sharjah in terms of conservatism?? "60 Lashings in RAK?? " I think was quoted.

Less conservative than Sharjah, more conservative than Dubai.

Also, my HUSBAND has lived there before and says that all the women are very well dressed and 'bling bling' and I would probably have to polish my scruffy hippie look. Is this the case?

Not really, no more so than Dubai.

I do plan to work after settling in (a month or so) and was wondering what I would wear to work in an office environment? A long skirt and cardigan?

Yes. Short sleeve tops fine too.

do a defensive driving course....

it's par for the course for someone to overtake you on the gravel shoulder of the road at 150. some of the worst drivers i've ever seen.

as for the co-habbiting bit, not to sound like sage, but a good friend of mine did actually get caught, and did actually recieve 40 lashes for driving in the car with a girlfriend (in rak) ... believe me, i saw what his back looked like... not pretty ..... this happened about 4 years back, i'm sure they have lightened up a bit - and the other thing he was a uae "local" so they may have been a little harder on him. they were supposed to get 20 each, but he took her 20 for her...

dbxsoul wrote:do a defensive driving course....

it's par for the course for someone to overtake you on the gravel shoulder of the road at 150. some of the worst drivers i've ever seen.

as for the co-habbiting bit, not to sound like sage, but a good friend of mine did actually get caught, and did actually recieve 40 lashes for driving in the car with a girlfriend (in rak) ... believe me, i saw what his back looked like... not pretty ..... this happened about 4 years back, i'm sure they have lightened up a bit - and the other thing he was a uae "local" so they may have been a little harder on him. they were supposed to get 20 each, but he took her 20 for her...

I will now be accused of stealing your password

dbxsoul wrote:as for the co-habbiting bit, not to sound like sage, but a good friend of mine did actually get caught, and did actually recieve 40 lashes for driving in the car with a girlfriend (in rak) ... believe me, i saw what his back looked like... not pretty ..... this happened about 4 years back, i'm sure they have lightened up a bit - and the other thing he was a uae "local" so they may have been a little harder on him. they were supposed to get 20 each, but he took her 20 for her...

Wow! Firsthand account. Why didn't you mention this before when Sage was taking a beating in other threads?

dbxsoul wrote:as for the co-habbiting bit, not to sound like sage, but a good friend of mine did actually get caught, and did actually recieve 40 lashes for driving in the car with a girlfriend (in rak) ... believe me, i saw what his back looked like... not pretty ..... this happened about 4 years back, i'm sure they have lightened up a bit - and the other thing he was a uae "local" so they may have been a little harder on him. they were supposed to get 20 each, but he took her 20 for her...

Welcome to the middle ages.

Wow! Firsthand account. Why didn't you mention this before when Sage was taking a beating in other threads?

haha- good pun

well as i said it did happen a few years ago, things in rak have changed, they are trying to attract tourists now; as dubai has done they may need to take a lighter approach to the practicalities of expat/ tourist life if they want the additional revenue.

depending on the severity of the punishment you can either have the "lashes" with the quaran or without, meaning for a less severe punishment the person administering it has to keep a quaran under his arm (meaning that he cannot lift his arm to full height); without.... he is able to get a good swing ... aslo in practical terms they don't use a lash they either use a cane or a broom handle

like i said you sould see the wealts and bruises a broomstick can raise!

anyway, this is more the exception than the rule, i don't know of anyone else who has recieved coporal punishment, although i did have some staff that were beaten by the police for being drunk and causing a disturbance in public... they had an option, arrest and jail or a beating ...