License plates.
License plates are a status symbol in this country. Like different states in the US, each emirate has its own license plate. Usually, plate number 1 belongs to the ruler of each emirate. Sheikh Mohammed, ruler of Dubai, has the number 1, followed by the numbers 2, 3, 4,
etc. for chauffeur-driven cars for the wives or children. The
double-digit numbers 11, 12, 13, 14, etc. often belong to brothers or
uncles of the ruler or employees of the ruler's court in high
governmental positions.
Here's an actual quote from the newspaper from an Emirati from Abu Dhabi -"It is not about the car, but the numbers on the license plates; the
fewer the digits, the more important the person, and the more he gets
noticed." License plating is definitely a sport here. There's even a big license plate auction every year and people will spend millions of dollars a single plate. This year they raised 7 million US dollars at the auction. SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS! The idea is to get a really low number or a plate with some sort of number pattern. License plate 16 went for $517,370, and license plate 55555 went for $307,699. The biggest sale ever went to a business man in Abu Dhabi who bought plate number 1 for $14,500,000. Doesn't this make you wonder what he does with his other money if he can spend $14,500,000 on a dinky license plate? Maybe if we work hard enough, Casey and I can afford plate number 79382...
Casey and Kai are having a contest to see who can find the lowest plate. Right now Kai's winning because he found number 8. The trick is you have to take a picture. I saw plate 7 at the mall, but didn't have a camera or phone with me to prove it. It's kind of exciting to see a low plate, like being in the presence of royalty.
Okay, enough about that.
Bonus weird thing as observed by Lyndsey - "Green Skittles are NOT lime in this country. They are green apple and they are butt in a candy form. True statement."
She's right. There's really no point in eating Skittles anymore since the limies are my favorite. Green apple Skittles = worst idea ever.
We saw TWO number ones!! I think one was Sharjah, the other Dubai. No picture though. Both were down in the marina on different occassions. The Sharjah one was at that fancy hotel that you always see baller cars at. And was a Porsche. Rough life at #1.
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