Speculations Surrounding Dubai Metro Launch

41 Days left for the launch of Dubai Metro. One of Dubai’s most ambitious projects is coming to an end. On September 09, 2009 RTA will launch the Red Line. Some of the facts of this line: -

Estimated Passenger Traffic – 600,000 per day
Total Stations – 29
Route – Rashidiya – Jebel Ali
Length – 52.1 km

As an estimate by RTA, the Red and Green Lines will serve 1.2 million passengers on an average day, that is, approx. 27,000 passengers per hour for each line, and 355 million passengers per aer year when both lines are fully operational. And it will comprise 12% of the total trips in Dubai. Bus routes and stops will be organized around the backbone of the metro system. Taxi stations and park-and-ride facilities & services will be provided in the key metro stations.

Now some speculations going around in the market on the launch of Dubai Metro

- Local media has been reporting that Metro will not be fully operational on day one.

- RTA still maintains that all the stations will be operational on the launch date

- Some of the resources have said only 9-10 stations will be active and other stations will be launched gradually over a period of 2 months

- The inauguration will be done at the DIFC station

- One of the stations may not hold any retail outlets but has been bought by one of the local financial institution

Why ?

Why does the earth face the sky?
Why do the royals stay at high?
Why is the poor always suppressed?
Why is the rich always depressed?

Why does the sunrise and moon never?
Will she achieve her dreams ever?
Why can’t women put mascara with mouth closed?
When he got an opportunity he never showed.

Why is that the rain drops but snowfalls?
Why are the skyscrapers very tall?
Why are miniature things priced high?
Things man can’t afford to buy.

Why are people separated by border?
Birds’ fly free, no body gives them order.
Why is success met with delight?
Why is failure never lent a sight?

When you are out of office you are wandering around
But when your boss is out he is taking a business round.

I tried very hard, but couldn’t reach very far
I am living life but I am at war.
War being fought, to know the “whys” about the planet.
I have understood few but many are unanswered yet.

Al Aweer Fruit and Vegetable Market

I recently visited the Dubai Central and Vegetable Market in Al Aweer, which was designed to meet the requirements of the Emirate's vegetables and fruits trade until the year 2012.
The wholesale market comprises seven blocks consisting of a total of 284 outlets, while the retail market has four blocks consisting of 150 vegetable, meat and fish outlets. Each shop in the wholesale market is provided with two parking lots for loading goods on one side and two parking lots for unloading imported goods on the other side. The layout of the market has been put down product wise – Fruits in one location and vegetables in the other; and within each section you have specific areas for potatoes, onions, etc. The market has been operational since 2003, after the shifting of the Hamriyah Central Market


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The market was constructed at a total cost of Dh152.27 million. As for the amenities offered to the public and traders, there is a mosque, car service and fuelling stations, garbage collection areas, police station, civil defence unit, post office, bank, supermarket, pharmacy, cafeteria, restaurants, labour accommodation, parking lots.
Given the fact that it is upto each trader to ensure his own suppliers; and the knowledge and understanding that the traders/ truckers exhibit is what compensates for the lack of a supply chain monitoring system and what helps the place to work like a well-oiled machine. Additionally, the level of cleanliness exhibited is far superior for a wet vegetable/ fruit market
Work at the market starts at 3am when long-distance vans arrive carrying fresh loads of vegetables shipped from across the Subcontinent. Traders have been dealing with the same wholesalers for years and their communication has by now been perfected.

To summarize a walk past the bunches of bananas from India, watermelons and musk melons from Holland, okra and spinach from Oman, Egypt and Jordan, apples and strawberries from US and Australia ... one will feel like around the world in 80 minutes!

Guys, its recession time and eating healthy and affordable fruits and vegetables make sense. Check out this place for your grocery shopping.

Social Media Challenging Search Engines

Attention: all the online businesses seeking to drive traffic from Search Engines. Yeah.. people are spending more time on Social Networks than on Search Engines. Some of the sites have started reporting some improbable facts, one being; Facebook sends more traffic
their way than Google, according to Adage.com

Social Media sites like Twitter, Facebook etc are becoming huge contributors to the traffic on a website. Media planners have started to ensure that a social media element is present in every campaign they carry out.

Due to the economic downturn companies are looking for innovative ways to market their product and services. Clients who don’t have money will seek different ways to promote their products and services at no extra cost or are economical.

It is time media profoundly research this element and website entrepreneurs create a Social Media Revenue Model.

If this happens we can expect an emergence of Social Media Specialists in the market. There will be agencies specializing only in Social Media promotion.

UAE Banks ease Mortgage Lending

Two major international banks have decided to boost the property market in UAE by opening the liquidity tap.

HSBC declared that it will now offer 75 percent financing on completed villas, 70 percent on completed apartments and 50 percent on off-plan units. The applicants must earn a minimum of AED20,000 per month, irrespective of their nationality. The maximum loan term is five to 25 years, or until the borrower reaches the age of 65, which ever occurs first, and interest will start from 8.5 percent, on a variable rate.

Just 24 hours post the announcement of HSBC's ease in lending, rival Barclays announced that it would lend aggressively in UAE property market. Currently Barclays is lending 60 percent on villas and apartments in UAE and is not financing off-plan properties

Hopefully most of the banks will adopt similar policies by offering loans but at lower interest rates. This will certainly pull out Dubai from the current Credit Crises.

Visit to Sharjah Aquarium

I recently visited the Sharjah Aquarium (Museum) and was astonished by its facilities and exquisiteness. The museum has over 250 species to see, from the smallest clown fish to moray eels, and poisonous snakes to sharks. They also have an underwater journey (something like the Underwater Park in Sentosa, Singapore and the one in Dubai Mall). They have actually tried to replicate the old Sharjah maritime city and taken raw material of old vessels lying in the dockyards. You can see the smaller marine life found in the rock pools, coral reefs, lagoons and mangroves.

I would suggest visiting this museum located in Al Khan, Sharjah. There are a bunch of tourist hotels located nearby to this museum. A Maritime Museum located adjacent to it, will be launched in 3 months.

The museum has two floors charmed by exuberant ambience, a small cafeteria and a goodies shop. Once you are done with the museum, you can walk across the new Sharjah corniche. The authorities are also planning to have a boat ride across the Sharjah lagoon in the near future. The place is worth a visit and much better than the Dubai Mall aquarium which is slightly more.

A quick comparison of prices with the Dubai Mall Aquarium: -

Sharjah Aquarium
Adult20 AED/Child (6-15) 10 AED/Child (5 years old &under)Free
Family (2 Adults & 3 Children)50 AED/Adults Groups (6 or more persons) 15 AED
Child Groups (6 or more persons) 5 AED

Dubai Mall Aquarium
Entrance to the Dubai Aquarium Tunnel
Child AED 20 /Adult AED 25
Entrance to the Underwater Zoo & Tunnel per person - AED 50