doobye

Going off-road in Dubai and the rest of the Emirates is a must for anyone living here. If you haven’t been to the desert or mountains yet, you are missing out on a real adventure. If you are a first-timer, there are some essentials you need to have before leaving the asphalt roads of the city.

The first thing you obviously need is a solid 4×4 vehicle such as a:

• Nissan Patrol
• Toyota Land Cruiser
• Jeep Grand Cherokee or Wrangler
• or similar in height / size / power

Make sure that every passenger in the car is wearing a seat belt. It is also strongly recommended that you travel with at least two cars. In the case that one car completely fails or gets stuck, you’ll still have a way of getting back. Next are the necessities you should never leave the road without.

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Good old Etisalat is rolling out services faster than ever. Perhaps they’re afraid of the new kids on the the block stealing their game. Or maybe they’re finally shaping up. Either way, their newest addition is the Credit Transfer Service. This service allows anyone with a pre-paid or post-paid GSM account to charge someone else’s Wasel pre-paid account with credit. One of the following commands will do the trick:

* 100 * 050XXXXXXX * YY # (send)

or

* 100 * +97150XXXXXXX * YY # (send)

where XXXXXXX is the 7 digit mobile number and YY is the amount you want to transfer (between 5 - 100 dirhams).

A confirmation dialog will appear with the transfer amount and recipient’s number. Press 1 to confirm or 2 to cancel. If you confirm, you and the recipient will receive an SMS message confirming the transfer.

If you drive up and down Sheikh Zayed Road everyday, then you have probably seen that silly hero comic sign. What do they do, you might wonder? Internet Heroes [Tel: 04-341-1515] is a technical support company. If you have a problem with your computer, Internet, network, etc., you can call/visit them and they’re supposed to take care of it. They offer 4 types of service:

• Telephonic call – in which your problem could be solved over the phone. However, this service is only for platinum members.
• Carry in – in which you may get your computer to the nearest service center and have it fixed.
• Take away – in which your computer could be carried away to their service center to be fixed.
• Call in at home – An Internet Hero will reach your home to sort out your problems.

Ever wanted to check if your stellar parking abilities were ever awarded a prize fine? Well you can do it all online at the new RTA (Road and Transport Authority) e-Services portal.

Just enter your license plate number, plate source (the city your vehicle is registered in), plate type (’private’ for normal vehicles), and plate color (the letter before your plate number: i.e. A. B, C, etc.). Voilà — all your fines! From there, you can select the ones you want to pay off, and click the ‘Pay Selected Fines’ button. You will be forwarded to a form where you can pay your fine with a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, eDirham, or Account Transfer. The thing about the service is there’s no authentication process, so you can view anyone’s parking fines, and if you feel generous, you can even pay them off. A great way to minimize relationship issues if you borrowed someone’s car and received a nice red and white brochure from the RTA while you were out.

Car fanatics, note this in your calendars — April 27th, 2007. This date marks the inaugural driving event for the first Arab Run. What is the Arab Run? It’s the Dubai equivalent of the European Gumball 3000 rally: a supercar endurance drive throughout the U.A.E. ending with a night party to unwind from the adrenaline rush of the event. The race will sport 100 supercars, including the Bugatti Veyron. Participating fee (includes drive, lunch, dinner, refreshments, and drinks) for first 50 cars: 7,000 dirhams; next 50 cars: 10,000 dirhams.

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