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Hi, I'm visiting Dubai this month for a few days and I have a bunch of questions to ask. Hopefully you guys can help!

1) Is taxi service as pervasive as it is in other major cities (like NYC). For example, is it relatively easy to find and hail a taxi in major tourist spots? Do cabbies usually speak English?

2) When I land in DXB, is the exchange rate at the airport currency exchange counter fair?

3) I'm an avid weightlifter who plans on working out during my time in Dubai. Are there any good commercial gyms that are near the Shangri-La hotel area?

4) I have heard horror stories about people being arrested at the airport for holding melatonin. As mentioned before, I'm a fitness buff, so I will be carrying fish oil, protein powder, creatine, etc. Will this freak out the customs people at the airport? Thoughts?

5) I like to party. What are some of the best clubs in the city that play hip-hop?

Thanks for the assistance!

oatmealman wrote:Hi, I'm visiting Dubai this month for a few days and I have a bunch of questions to ask. Hopefully you guys can help!

1) Is taxi service as pervasive as it is in other major cities (like NYC). For example, is it relatively easy to find and hail a taxi in major tourist spots? Do cabbies usually speak English?

2) When I land in DXB, is the exchange rate at the airport currency exchange counter fair?

3) I'm an avid weightlifter who plans on working out during my time in Dubai. Are there any good commercial gyms that are near the Shangri-La hotel area?

4) I have heard horror stories about people being arrested at the airport for holding melatonin. As mentioned before, I'm a fitness buff, so I will be carrying fish oil, protein powder, creatine, etc. Will this freak out the customs people at the airport? Thoughts?

5) I like to party. What are some of the best clubs in the city that play hip-hop?

Thanks for the assistance!

1) you will have a tough job finding one cos we all having the same problem. yep they speak english and other languages too this is Emirates Taxi. mind you the taxi drivers arent that pretty as some of the airhostess you find on Emirates Airlines. If that was the case everyone would be getting a taxi and less traffic .

2) Depends on the currency. but you can get better rates from outside.

3) no idea. probably but y u wanna go to a gym when you on a holiday :S

4) if you want to come to dubai dont carry anything which is powdery or even weight supplements. you might or might not get away with it. But take my word if you do bring a "suspicious" powder with you you will be hassled alot and probably waste 2 hours fighting it. so dont bring it you can buy some from here .

5) lol they play hip hop every where and everyones hippody hopping

Sorry, I'm hugely neurotic when it comes to working out.

Thanks for the info!

Be VERY CAREFUL about carrying anything that looks like a powder.... you could get stuck at the airport for hours... oops...DAYS!!!

aliwrites wrote:Be VERY CAREFUL about carrying anything that looks like a powder.... you could get stuck at the airport for hours... oops...DAYS!!!

lol forget days we talking months and even years in prison.

lately some cricketer is in trouble because he was carrying supplements or pain killing drugs. authorities dont know what it is, to them a powder is a powder, unless you start sniffing it . so now the guys in trouble. obviously he is a celebrity so think he will get off.

so if you are planning on coming to dubai with some powder, grass and weed hidden in your boxers dont try it they got sniffing dogs and regular check up. yes that involves being taken in a private room where the officer will bloody check you havent got anything hidden in your crack or something .

if you are a celebrity u might get off if you aint you will be in jail.

That's really scary! I thought Dubai was more progressive than this. Oh well...

oatmealman wrote:That's really scary! I thought Dubai was more progressive than this. Oh well...

Progressive, interesting, what are you really after?????

sage & onion wrote:

oatmealman wrote:That's really scary! I thought Dubai was more progressive than this. Oh well...

Progressive, interesting, what are you really after?????

I'm not sure if I understand your question. I just meant that I would have thought the travel authorities would recognize the difference between carrying sports supplements and illicit drugs without having to detain people for days or more?

oatmealman wrote:

sage & onion wrote:

oatmealman wrote:That's really scary! I thought Dubai was more progressive than this. Oh well...

Progressive, interesting, what are you really after?????

I'm not sure if I understand your question. I just meant that I would have thought the travel authorities would recognize the difference between carrying sports supplements and illicit drugs without having to detain people for days or more?

heheh they have a tough policy on drugs. honestly speaking am happy it is drug free country but am sure some drugs do come into the country illegally. because there is no drugs the crime is low.

i agree with you some drugs are used in the sports industry for developing muscles or for injuries. I mean there are footballers in UAE and I am pretty much sure that they use some drugs.
All I can say is UAE government is still learning and maybe in the future something will happen regarding this. There are so many fake creams fake medicines being imported into the UAE, they didnt know about it till lately when they started setting up labs, carrying out tests and then banning all the importers and pharmacies from selling.

So they are learning its gonna take some time.

If you're into all your protein shakes, powders etc. for use in conjunction with weightlifting/working out then there are loads of stores here that will be able to provide you with just what you need. So don't bother carrying any in your luggage as (just to iterate the point again) you may or may not get hastle for it at the airport. DXB can be stressful enough without having to prove that something isn't what they think it is!

RossBaku

Not sure about serious body building gyms but you may find this listing of some use. ..

http://www.gymvisit.com/findagym.htm?loc=middleeast/uae/Dubai

Cheers, John