When you have a nation where every 1 out of 100 citizens is a millionaire, you are bound to see some extravagant displays of wealth and excess. Just look above at this Rolls Royce (a 400K car) being used as a lawn ornament! But uber-wealth doesn’t always breed class or style. Sometimes the things the Middle-Eastern nouveau riche choose to spend their money on are a little mind-boggling. Check out these 18 ridiculous scenes from Dubai to see what we mean.
All Gold Everything
The rich taken their bling VERY seriously in the UAE, and it seems like gold is the standard color most things come in. This solid gold Lamborghini is made out of 500kg block of solid gold and was on display at the 2013 Dubai Motor Show with a pricetag of 7.4 Million USD.
Exotic Pet Rides
Money ≠ Brains. This is shown no better than this picture of a dubai millionaire taking his PET LION for a ride. This guy is lucky he is wasn’t lion food.
Underwater Getaways
The Hydropolis Underwater Hotel and Resort was a proposed mega-project that actually sunk a few years ago. It was envisioned to have 220 luxurious suits 65 feet under the sea, with a goal of being the world’s first 10 star hotel. Various engineering and financial obstacles have put this project on hold, but it may just become a reality in years to come. In the meantime, the Atlantis hotel in The Palm, Dubai offers Poseidon and Neptune suites set in an aquarium for those who want to feel like they’re staying beneath the ocean surface.
Shotgun-riding Cheetahs
You have a tabby cat? Oh cool. Yeah I just have the FASTEST LAND MAMMAL SITTING IN MY FRONT SEAT.
Police Car Fleet More Expensive Than Your House (and everything you own)
Even the local police like to ride around in style. Dubai spent $6.5 million on a fleet of high-speed luxury patrol cars including a Ferrari, McLaren, Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, Lamborghini and Aston Martin. You can’t have the criminals driving around in fancier cars than the cops, can you? Turns out the crime rate in Dubai is relatively low, so this is mostly all for show.
Arranged Marriage Newspaper Ad
Time to marry off your daughters? Why not take out an ad in the local paper to snag some wealthly Dubai-based grooms for your educated girls. Twins ought to draw a lot of good candidates. Look at this way, they can’t swipe left before meeting you.
Camel Beauty Contests
All Emirati people do take pride in their humped-back pets, but you won’t see as many camel beauty contests in Dubai as in Abu Dhabi. One annual event, Camel Mazayna, draws over 15,000 dromedaries and prizes are given for the fastest, “milkiest,” and most beautiful creatures.
Phones More Expensive Than Your Car
Almost everyone has a smartphone these days, but does your phone cost as much as a full year at an Ivy League University? Probably not.
Really Large Lumpy Backed Dogs
“Oh this? Yeah it’s my dog. Super rare breed. It has a back deformity. Where did I get it? Oh you don’t wanna know.”
Gold ATMs
Paper currency is SOOOOOO last tax bracket.
“Totally Not a Limo” Public Transportation
I guess our standards of public transportation are a little different. I take the subway, you take the stretch limo.
This incredible “Superbus” is a high-speed electronically powered limo that can fit up to 23 passengers and can go up to 160mph!
The Gold Facial
We don’t really know what beneficial properties of 24-karat gold has for skin care, but more power to you if you can sucker stupid millionaires into paying for it. What’s a couple thousand lost on a spa day anyways?
Completely Free Food Kiosks
The dispersal of wealth among the population is, well… extremely poor. There is virtually no middle class, the 1% control just about everything, and the remaining 99% lives in severe poverty. While that subject is too deep to go into now, it’s nice to see that some charitable humans have been setting up these kiosks around Dubai.
Severe Cultural Clashes
While the citizens of Dubai have adopted many western social and cultural norms, the official state religion is still Islam. With that being said, there is often a severe clashing of the opposing cultures. Luckily most citizens have found a way to live harmoniously.
The World’s Tallest Skyscraper
In the land of superlative extremes, it’s no surprise Dubai lays claim to the world’s tallest building. The striking Burj Khalifa stands at 2,722 feet (829.8 m) and is the centerpiece of the modern skyline. If architects elsewhere try to top its 163 stories, we suspect Dubai would just expand it up to keep hold of the record.
Temple-esque Starbucks
Even the Starbucks in Dubai have an elevated degree of extravagance. You might feel like you should dress up to order your latte in this ornate mosaic-bedecked dome.
Very Fancy Traffic Jams
Is it even worth buying a car that’s top speed is over 200MPH if you are always sitting traffic? #justdubaithings
Siamese Jeeps
…why? When a standard stretch limo just won’t cut it, go for this double-sized road hog. This custom built Jeep Wrangler is too big to fit in one lane. It’s hard to verify if this thing is real or not, but at the very least, its essence is the kind of pretentious thing you’d find in Dubai.
High Rise Tennis Courts
photo courtesy: jumeirah.com This is one of those iconic landmarks that you definitely won’t see elsewhere, the helipad of Burj Arab. With the incredible views Dubai has to offer, its no surprise they opened this venue up for private events. Just hope you don’t have a fear of heights!
Fully Clothed Millionaires Paddle-Boarding
photo courtesy: jumeirah.com Of course some might prefer to see girls in bikinis doing SUP yoga, but in Dubai we see UAE men covered in head to toe wearing their Dishdashas and Gutrahs.
Insane Views
photo courtesy: reddit.com With an incredible skyline like this, every photo is impressive. It’s hard to believe all of this is only a decade old. Just imagine what it will look like in 2050!
Pet Cubs Munching On Shark
photo courtesy: reddit.com Talk about snack attack! Not only do they have ridiculously expensive exotic animals for pets, they feed them only the creme of the crop from the sea.
“Horse” Powered Motor Bikes
photo courtesy: uberhumor.com Anyone want to take a spin on the “White Pony?” Is it just me or does it seem like there needs to be an Elvis impersonator riding that eyesore of a bike.
Pet Lions On A Speed Boat
via reddit.com Lets hope this cat can swim! All I can think of is his paws absolutely destroying that perfectly spotless upholstery.
Stuck In A Jam?
When you are as rich as these UAE residents, there’s no need to worry about sitting in traffic ever again! Just call up your personal pilot to fly you and your Lambo out of rush hour and land you safely to your front door.
Chillin’ Like A Villain
Looks like someone claimed ownership rights to shotgun and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Serious Balancing Skills
Turtle stacking, really? I’m starting to feel bad for these animals, maybe someone should suggest this guy stacks precious stones instead.
Man Made Islands
