Dubai-based Filipina Bess Manalo does not conform to stereotypes. The feisty property agent and freelance photographer, who has lived in the UAE for 23 years, mixes her busy work and social life with some serious off-road driving.
And her V6-powered 2010 Nissan Xterra, which she bought new from the Nissan showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road, gives this petite lady driver a high driving position but, most importantly, enough space to double as a mobile wardrobe.
"I always have around 12 pairs of high-heel shoes in the car," she confesses. "You see, I drive in my flip-flops and love to go out socialising in the evenings, so I need a large selection of shoes to complement whatever clothes I'm wearing.
"I'll usually head out for Tuesday and Thursday ladies nights, and am also out a few more nights a week. I work Saturdays, too, so I nearly always head straight to a venue from work, but I'm a single lady and need to get out and about," she says.
Tee-total Bess usually finds herself as designated driver, "I can enjoy myself without having a drink and have lived here most of my life, so I've lots of friends - who like to be chauffeured between venues," she says.
"But I don't mind, as they're helping me find the perfect man, which hasn't been going so well - he's doing a very good job of hiding," laughs Bess.
The Xterra is known for its impressive off-road performance at low-end power without compromising too much in terms of ride quality in daily driving, and Bess enjoys taking the powerful V6 through its paces, dune-bashing in the desert.
"I love nothing more than heading into the desert in convoy and doing some serious off-roading in our 4x4s," she says. "We just head up the Hatta or Al Ain road or around Oman and turn off into the desert if we see somewhere the landscape looks fun."
Bess learnt to desert drive three years ago thanks to an Emirati friend, who taught her the basics and supervised her as she gained more experience and confidence driving off-road. "I love the feeling when I let the air out of my tyres and am really confident now because I was taught properly.
"The main things to remember are, don't sink and don't flip over. If you're not sure if you can do a dune, then don't. But once you know the basics you really need to teach the rest yourself," she says.
Bess bought the Xterra less than a year ago and has already put more than 20,000 kilometres on the clock. "When I had a look around for the perfect dual-purpose 4x4, I saw this black beast and thought - this is it!" smiles Bess.
"I love it, just the way it drives both on and off-road, and still feel the same as when I first set eyes on it. Since I've been living in Dubai most of my life, the 4x4 is the way to go for me - I like to feel tall on the roads and drive like I own the place," jokes Bess.
Having lived so long in the UAE, Bess feels the aggressive driving culture has rubbed off on her. She explains: "The UAE's now my home country and I've never driven elsewhere, so I've adopted the local driving habits and passion for power. My car handles like a dream, but the only problem with it is I can't drift as much as I'd like and it can't keep up with the speed I sometimes want.
"Maybe I need two cars, and the other would be a Porsche GT3, but then I'm also a professional photographer, so need space to keep all my gear, my bike, and, of course, storage for all my shoes. Yes, my black beast is perfect for me," she says.
If you see Bess driving around in her black Xterra, give her a wave, and if you're lucky she'll stop and show you her latest shoe collection.
For more from UAE drivers who love their cars and why, check out My Car. Want to be featured? Send an e-mail to motoring@thenational.ae.
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What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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MATCH INFO
Manchester City 4 (Gundogan 8' (P), Bernardo Silva 19', Jesus 72', 75')
Fulham 0
Red cards: Tim Ream (Fulham)
Man of the Match: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
UAE - India ties
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China
Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion
The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India
Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016
Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017
Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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