Traffic Fines - Highest in the world?? (Dubai Style)

The recent report in Khaleej Times was very interesting. An Arab woman has run up traffic fines of about AED 73,000/- ($19,800). Motorists in Dubai owe the Dubai Police traffic department a total of AED 27 million!!

The deaprtment now has drawn up a list of the top 100 motorists who owe the department the most in traffic fines. The roll of honor includes a Lebanese man who owes AED 70,000/- and an Egyptian man who owes AED 42,000/-. A Syrian woman owes 38,000/- while a Jordanian man owes 23,000/-.

According to Dubai Police Traffic Violations Department Director Major Jamal Al Banay, the motorists can request to pay the fines in instalments if their vehicles are registered in Dubai.

more here

Dubai's Dhows

In afterthought, the reference to the tiny dhow seems somehow mocking. The only dhows on Dubai Creek these days take tourists on one-hour pleasure cruises.

Ever since Germaine Greer's article in guardian.co.uk, I have been itching to go down to the Dhow Wharf at Dubai creek and have a first hand view of what exactly the situation is.

So I took some time off and went down to the creek side to have a look at the dhows and their business. The place looked like it was business as usual. Lots of cartons of stock waiting on the banks to be loaded onto the dhows. The loaders were hurrying around at a brisk pace while a few were shouting out orders.

I asked a few of the businessmen around the place about their business but they couldn't follow me. I later understood that they spoke Farsi only.

Barclay's Dubai Tennis Championships

Spent most of friday at the Dubai Tennis Championships and watched the men's semi finals. The first match between Djokovic and Simon was a huge thriller going down to the wire. The match was probably even closer than what the score of 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 suggests. But I am still putting my money on Djokovic winning the finals today.

The second semi final match between David Ferrer and Richard Gasquet was too one sided to fit a semi final standard. David was in control from the word go.

Unfortunately I have not been able to get tickets to the finals so will be watching it on the television.