One very real danger in
Dubai is bad driving� We also
don’t recommend that you
swim, waterski or jet-ski in
the Creek� The tides in the
Gulf are not strong enough to
regularly flush out the Creek,
so it is not a clean waterway,
despite what the tourist au-
thorities might tell you� Also,
be careful when swimming
in the open sea� Despite the
small surf, currents can be
very strong and drownings
are not uncommon�
Telephone
The uAE has an efficient
communications system
that connects callers with
anywhere in the world, even
from the most remote
areas� There are two mobile
networks: Etisalat and Du�
Both are government-owned
and there is little difference
between the two�
Local calls (within the
same area code) are free�
Coin phones have been
almost completely supersed-
ed by cardphones� Phone-
cards are available in various
denominations from grocery
stores, supermarkets and
petrol stations� Do not buy
them from street vendors�
To phone another country
from the uAE, dial %00 fol-
lowed by the country code� If
you want to call the uAE, the
country code is % 971 � The
area code for Dubai is %04,
though if you are calling from
outside the uAE you drop
the zero�
directory enquiries (%181)
international directory
assistance (%151)
Mobile phones
The uAE’s mobile phone
network uses the GSM 900
MHz and 1800 MHz standard,
the same as Europe, Asia and
Australia� Mobile numbers
begin with either 050
(Etisalat) or 055 (Du)� If you
don’t have a worldwide roam-
ing service, consider buying
a pay-as-you-go mobile with
credit for around Dh125�
Alternatively, prepaid SIM
card are widely available, for
example at Dubai Duty Free
at the airport, at any Etisalat
office or at licensed mobile
phone shops� You need to
bring an unlocked handset
for this, so make sure your
phone is unlocked and you
are able to switch SIM cards�
The excellent-value Ahlan
visitor’s Mobile Package
lasts 90 days, costs Dh60
and includes Dh25 of credit�
Domestic calls cost Dh0� 50
a minute and international
calls are priced at Dh2� 50 a
minute� Domestic text mes-
sages cost Dh0� 30 , interna-
tional messages cost Dh0� 90 �
Recharge cards in denomina-
tions of Dh25, Dh50, Dh100,
Dh200 and Dh500 are sold at
grocery stores, supermarkets
and petrol stations� Once
again, do not buy them from
street vendors�Time
Dubai and Abu Dhabi are
four hours ahead of GMT�
The time does not change
during the summer� Not
taking daylight saving into
account, when it’s noon in
Dubai, the time elsewhere is
as follows:CITY TIME
auckland 8pm
london 8am
los angeles midnight
new york 3am
paris & rome 9am
perth & hong kong 4pm
Sydney 6pmToilets
The best advice is to go
when you can� Public toilets
in shopping centres,
museums, restaurants and
hotels are Western-style and
are generally extremely clean
and well maintained� Those
in souqs and bus stationsare usually only for men�
Outside the cities you might
have to contend with hole-
in-the-ground loos at the
back of restaurants or petrol
stations, although these
are increasingly rare� You’ll
always find a hose and noz-
zle next to the toilet, which is
used to rinse yourself before
using the toilet paper�Tourist
Information
The department of
Tourism & commerce
Marketing (DTCM; %04-223
0000; http://www.dubaitourism.ae)
operates 24-hour informa-
tion kiosks in the Terminal 1
and 3 arrivals areas of Dubai
International Airport, as well
as booths at the following
malls: Deira City Centre,
BurJuman, Wafi Mall, Ibn
Battuta and Mercato Mall�
Officially, these are open
from 10am to 10pm, but
we frequently found them
unstaffed, leaving you to pick
through a meagre assort-
ment of flyers and brochures
by yourself�Travellers with
Disabilities
Dubai and Abu Dhabi have
made a big effort in recent
years to improve services for
people with disabilities� The
department of Tourism
& commerce Marketing
(DTCM; %04-223 0000; www
.dubaitourism.ae) website
includes a Special Needs
Tourism section, which
contains information on
wheelchair-accessible parks,
heritage sites, cinemas,
malls and tour operators�
The airport is well
equipped with low check-in
counters, luggage trolleys,
automatic doors, lifts and
quick check-in� dubai Taxi
(%04-208 0808, 04-224 5331;
http://www.dubaitaxi.ae) has special
vans with wheelchair lifts
for Dh50 per hour, but they
must be ordered 24 hours ind
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