March 2009 marked the end of my 2nd year living in Dubai. When I first landed, I was whisked away to work the International Boat Show for our company. While Dubai has changed drastically over the past 2 years (physically, professionally, mentally, etc.), the boat show is the stable event by which I mark my anniversary. This year, we took time to "test out" several of the boats clad with Eastern European models, touring the decks below and pretending we had enough clout to actually buy something. Here are some pictures from the show:
My coworker Dave behind the wheel of a small megayacht
David discos while discussing backlog and prospectives with our director
Fabiana and I considering the purchase of a 37m Sunseeker.
One of the models, bless her heart, was trying to hang herself with her scarf to sell a boat. My favorite pose she did was to hang herself while covering her mouth with a finger in a shush. "Don't tell anyone that I'm hurting myself!" (zoom in by clicking on the picture and click the magnifying glass)
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A few days later, David, Fabiana, and I went down to the new yacht show in Abu Dhabi. Here, some of the largest yachts in the UAE were on display and available for private touring. Our timing was good, and our work contacts were there, so we got to tour several of the yachts.
Behind the wheel of a much larger megayacht than Dave!
In one yacht themed with gold-overkill interiors, Fabiana poses with the excessive accent pieces.
Disco David in an undisclosed location.
After attending these shows, it's easy to understand how owners can get spoiled with increasing excess. After seeing the bigger yachts, it seemed impossible to get by on anything smaller. "Smaller", as in the $3-9 Million range.
The day closed with yachts blaring their horns and waving their spotlights.
I was overloaded after the two shows. Wavering between feelings of excitement and shame, it is shocking to see how people choose to spend their money.
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