phone number in the fields
provided, and you’ll be sent
an access code by text mes-
sage� Internet access costs
Dh15 for one continuous
hour, Dh30 for three con-
tinuous hours, Dh80 for six
hours over a 30-day period
and Dh120 for 12 hours over
a 60-day period� Some
restaurants and cafes also
offer wi-fi access, sometimes
free with purchase� Most
shopping malls offer free
wi-fi access, although you
may need a uAE mobile
phone number to access�
If you don’t own a com-
puter, nearly all hotels have
business centres, and inter-net cafes charge as little as
Dh2 per hour for access�Legal Matters
Drugs in Dubai and Abu
Dhabi are simply a bad, bad
idea� The uAE has a small but
growing drug problem, andpracTicaliTiescurrency
uAE dirham (Dh) is divided into 100 fils� Notes come in denominations of five, 10, 20,
50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000� There are Dh1, 50 fils, 25 fils, 10 fils and 5 fils coins� The
most convenient way to bring your money is in the form of a debit or credit card, with
some extra cash for use in case of an emergency�newspapers & Magazines
English-language newspapers in Dubai include the free 7 Days (www�7days�ae), the
government-owned and infuriatingly obsequious Emirates Business 24/7 (www
�business24-7�ae), the high-design weekly tabloid Xpress (www�xpress4me�com), and
the long-established dailies (Gulf News, Khaleej Times and Gulf Today)� In 2008 the
Abu Dhabi government launched The National (www�thenational�ae), the region’s most
ambitious English-language daily newspaper to date�
Time Out Dubai is produced weekly and has detailed listings and stories on up-
coming events� It costs Dh7, although you’ll find it free in Dubai’s better hotel rooms�
What’s On is the other listings monthly and costs Dh10, although it’s a lot tamer than
the competition�radio
The quality of radio programming in Dubai is improving (especially talk radio), but it’s
generally a cringe-worthy and ad-saturated affair wherever you point the dial�
bbc Worldwide (87�9) Broadcasts from 9am to 6pm�
channel 4 fM ( 104 �8) Contemporary Top 40�
dubai eye (103�8) News, talk and sports�
dubai fM (92) Classic hits from the ’80s,’90s etc, as well as dance and lounge on
weekends�
emirates radio 1 (104�1) Popular music�
emirates radio 2 (99�3) Eclectic programming�It’s worth searching through the dial, as there are stations playing Hindi, Arabic and
Indian regional music, and stations where you can hear recitations of the Quran – very
soothing when you’re stuck in Dubai’s horrific traffic�smoking
Dubai and Abu Dhabi have a comprehensive smoking ban that essentially extends to
all public places, with the exception of nightclubs and enclosed bars� Shopping malls,
hotels, restaurants and cafes may have designated smoking rooms but these must
be clearly marked, properly ventilated, and cannot be entered by people aged under
20 years� Hotels have rooms where smoking is permitted� The fine for lighting up in a
nonsmoking area can range from Dh1000 to Dh8000� There are also fines for throw-
ing cigarette butts into the street� In 2009 the ban was extended to include sheesha
smoking in parks, beaches and public recreation areas�d
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