The Card's in the Post...Oh Really!?

My reaction to the bill. Minus tie and dodgy hair.

You probably know by now that Dubai has no postal system. Ridiculous, I agree. 

If you're in the UK, you CAN still send things here, if you're prepared to go to the post office and pay a little extra for an air mail stamp. 

Or, you could of course courier something, if you really wanted to. 

No one ever uses this option. 

In fact, it's rare to get any post at all. 

I have a few friends who do send me mini parcels on a regular basis, and when they arrive, they are like GOLD. The office boy chirpily brings them to my desk like one of the wise men clutching precious Frankincense. Honestly, it's THAT big an occasion when a parcel arrives from the mystical 'U.K'.

If you're in Dubai and want to send anything to the UK, the post office is a bit of a waste of time. There's a very good chance it will never get there. This means that in order to sort birthdays, Christmases, and general gifts, you have to use a courier.

I use the office UPS service. It's easier, quicker, no hassle of trekking to an office or a mall. I have to pay for it, it's not a freebie. Each month a finance bod brings me my bill, I sign it off, and it's deducted from my pay packet.

Want to know what this month's bill was? Really? Ok then:

• 200 GBP.
• TWO HUNDRED UK POUNDS
• $280

Whichever currency you write it in, that's a whole lot of dosh in my opinion.

I didn't feel like I'd sent a lot of things...a letter, a few packs of wedding photos, a couple of gifts. But wowser! Call me tight,but that bill made me flinch.

Here's the thing: I want to stay in touch with my lovely friends and family. I don't want to be the kind of person who gives to receive. But it's hard not to feel like things are a little one sided when you see the black and white evidence of the effort you make to stay connected, and compare it to the number of birthday, Christmas and wedding cards you've received over a five year period. Which barely make it into double digits.

What are your thoughts, Dubai chums and overseas ex-pats? How do you correspond with the UK? Rely on Moonpig? Never send gifts or parcels? Or bite the bullet and cough up, like I've been doing? Would love to hear your thoughts.

To Post...or Not To Post?

Rarer than unicorns!

It’s a well known fact here in Dubai that our postal system is virtually non-existent. Post is not delivered to the door of your villa or apartment, only to a PO Box. Some, not all, apartments come with these.  In the main I use my office address as it has a PO Box number and it’s easier for parcels.  

This however, is still not foolproof. I’ve had numerous cards and parcels from well meaning friends simply never make it – if you use regular Royal Mail – forget it. I received one Christmas card,posted on December 20th,last week, one whole month later. To be sure of anything you need to use Fedex – and understandably no one wants to fork out for this. 

It’s the same the other way – Dubai to the UK. Whilst the UK may have a good (?!) postal system, our terrible one means you’re gambling with your items unless you Fedex them. Despite the cost (20 quid plus for a letter) I’ve started doing this regularly, it’s just not worth the pain of losing things. 

As I’ve never ACTUALLY posted a letter, I was intrigued, nay excited, to spot a REAL LIVE POST BOX when exploring Deira at the weekend. There it was, resplendent and red and shiny. I couldn’t believe it! Had a very good look at it, in manner of pig staring at a wristwatch, took a photo, then continued on my merry way.  Nice to know they exist, but I still wouldn’t risk it!