What's wrong with this picture?

Another couple of 'only in Doha' moments.

 

Its Istanbul not Constantinople.



Lights on the Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey

 The end of the holy month of Ramadan is here and we've taken advantage of the public holidays to have a much needed break out of Qatar.  So, we've arrived in Istanbul after a 4 hour flight from Doha on Qatar Airways. 

On arrival in Istanbul there is a list of nations requiring visa displayed on a board. New Zealanders don't require one so I joined the queue with the Turks and the sundries who who also need visas. The queue was long and snakelike, there was no air-con, several planefuls of passengers and only two immigration officers on duty.

As Aussies need a visa Colin first had to stand in a long queue at a separate window to purchase the entry visa which cost him an eye watering $60!  Then to add to the indignity once he got his visa, he then had to join the end of the huge queue that I was standing in, in order to have his visa stamped. Its not like Doha or the UAE where, if you're eligible to pick up a visa on entry, you queue, pay your money,  have your visa stamped into your passport and off you go.

By this time all the visa officers decided to have a tea break and the queue of several hundred people were served by only one officer. Fortunately this happened just after I got through so I trundled off to find the bag which, wouldn't you know it, was on the luggage belt at the furthest end of the hall but by the time I collected the bag and walked back to the immigration area, Colin was through.

We'd booked the hotel car to pick us up though taxis are plentiful right outside the door of the arrivals terminal.  We were quickly into the old part of the city with narrow, cobbled streets.  On the edge of the footpaths are short metal bollards to prevent cars mounting the footpath and parking there. 

We met our friends at the Hotel Raymond which is in the heart of the old area and within walking distance of all the main tourist sites.  While the rooms at the Raymond are small, they're spotlessly clean, have all mod-cons and after all, you're only there to sleep!   After dropping the bags we walked around the corner to a cafe called Faros and sat on their veranda, drinking coffee in public (very exciting after being in Doha) and watching the world go by. Many ladies wear hijab, many don't and only a few were wearing abayas.  The Turkish ladies who cover seem to favour square silk head scarves in every colour and pattern imaginable. The scarf is folded into a triangle and placed over the head, usually over an underscarf or bonnet, and the scarf is then pinned under the chin to hold it firm with the loose ends tucked under the collar or pinned.

We then walked to the tram which runs along the end of the road.  The trams come frequently and are a great way to get around town, avoiding the traffic.  We purchased the red tokens from the dispensing machine and rode it just one stop up the hill to the Blue Mosque.  We had a wonderful dinner at Rumelis restaurant sitting outdoors then walked over to the grounds of the Blue Mosque where many families were having iftar picnics.

Tomorrow's agenda is a return, after 34 years, to the Topkapi Palace.  Really looking forward to it.

Introducing The Small Blacks.

This is the first part of the story of four kittens who were born in our wardrobe here in Doha, Qatar, two weeks ago. Their mother is a black feral who took a shine to us when we moved here, ok, she knew a soft touch when she saw one :-)  The father is a local boy who's also jet black and is part of her regular posse.
I moved the kittens out of the wardrobe when they were about 10 days old and into a large box in the same room. MotherCat has been happy so far. She's doing a great job, the kittens are growing quickly they're spotlessly clean, chubby, squirmy and they all have their eyes open. They are trying to stand, they get up on all fours and sway backwards and forwards. One is more aggressive than the others and tries to hiss when s/he is picked up.

A spot of break and enter.

I headed off into Doha City Centre by taxi this morning I realised I'd left the kitchen window open.  After a flash of panic I remembered that the cleaner was coming so I wasn't worried as she usually closes any open windows when she finishes work. 

And why was I in a taxi?  Well, many of the roads in Doha are so poor that Madame can't go on many of the places I need to go as she's too low to the ground.  Some of the speed humps in our suburb are so high that she 'bottoms out' going over them.  None of the speedhumps are marked so driving at night in an unknown area is a slow and cautious affair. 

Arrived at City Centre which is the largest mall in Doha, its probably about the size of the shopping area at Bur Juman in Dubai.  First stop coffee to make an 'action plan'.  Surely its an indictment on all the other coffee bars that the best coffee in City Centre is at Starbucks?  10am, the shops opened so I neaded down the hallway to the retail cemetry that is the back section of DCC, where only a few evening dress shops and a row of abaya shops remain. Its reminiscent of the gold souq in Dubai Mall.  The perfume  shop guy told me that there's going to be another entrance  to mall from the new carpark and many of the shops in the retail cemetry will be removed to make it more open and accessible from the main part of the mall.  Meanwhile, most of the shops in the back section of the mall have not renewed their leases anyway. He has 3 months to go and then will relocate to Al Rayyan.  Even Al Jeida's gone :-(

Dear ShoeMart: If you join a pair of shoes with a security band that's so small that a customer cannot walk in the shoes to try them out, then the customer will not buy! I asked for a pair of scissors so I could cut the plastic band to take a few steps, I mean that's what you do when you buy shoes, but the guy said "No Ma'am only manager have scissor(singular)". WTF! a shoeshop where you can't even take a step in the shoes before you buy them.  How will you know if they fit properly?  So, like the lady next to me, I walked out (something I couldn't do in any of the pairs of shoes they had on display).

Anyway, after my non-purchase from ShoeMart I headed home.  At the front door I tried my key, it didn't turn, meaning the cleaner had left the key in the lock on the other side.  No prob, I collected the shopping and went round the back of the house to try the back door. I put the key in the lock, tried to turn it but mafish, nothing, so, sigh, that meant the key was in the lock in that door also.  Well that was the end of the door option, now for windows.  Fortunately the cleaner hadn't gone round closing the windows before she went home and the kitchen window was still open.  I reached up and moved the pots of herbs off the window ledge, hauled the ladder out of the storeroom, put it against the side of the house and up I went.  Onto the window ledge (woo, does it collect a lot of dust there), slid the flyscreen back, hopped onto the bench (nice work, very clean) then down to the floor.  I went over to the back door and sure enough the key was still in the lock but, when I turned the door handle, I discovered that the cleaner hadn't locked the door when she left, it was unlocked and if I'd thought to try the handle I could have just walked in.  Still, the whole ladder up to the window brought back a misspent youth and keeps skill levels high.

Doha to Dubai for NYE

We left Doha at 6:20am and arrived at the border to exit Qatar just over an hour later.  Painless process which took 10 minutes maximum, then a drive through no-persons land to the Saudi border post.  We arrived at the Saudi border to find one side blocked because two locals in big 4x4s had had an accident in one of the customs inspection lanes!  You stand in a queue at the little window to get a number, then if you're woman you have to get a number written in your passport and then walk over to another building to have your fingerprints done and a photo taken.  This was only done 6 weeks ago but I had to be fingerprinted and photographed again.  Why the Saudis wanted to do my fingerprints again I don't know, they can't have changed *that* much in 6 weeks surely?
The drive through Saudi takes about 1.5 hours, there is nothing to see except for truck tyres in various states of burial in the sand on the side of the road. They are known as 'desert dolphins'.  The condition of the road is, umm, suboptimal.  Customs will give you a small piece of paper that looks like a supermarket checkout receipt.  Guard this little piece of paper as, even though nobody tells you this, you will need it later on and heaven help you if you don't have it as, first off, you need to show it to the official at the final Saudi exit point who'll give it back to you.
Entering the UAE involves parking your car, going inside (do not feel tempted to use the loo around the back, its a health hazard) the UAE official will stamp your entry visa into your passport and ask to see the Customs paper that looks like a supermarket checkout receipt.  Show it to him and make sure when he gives you back your passport that he gives you the little piece of paper too.  Now you have to buy temporary car insurance from one of the bored gents in the insurance company booths around the corner from the immigration building, its 70 dirhams for a week.  You get back in the car and if you're a woman you can get behind the wheel again at this point, only to have to muscle your way through the queue of trucks down to the final exit check where the man will give your passports the onceover and takes the Customs paper that looks like a supermarket checkout receipt from you.  He keeps it this time and you can get on your way.

Qatar National Day 2011

Qatar marked its National Day yesterday, 18th December.  Introduced in 2007 National Day celebrates the founding of the modern and united State of Qatar by Sheikh Jassim (Qassim) bin Mohammad bin Thani.  Sheikh Jassim was born in Bahrain arond 1825 and grew up in Fuwairat on the Qatar coast.  To cut a long and really interesting story short, once he was in power, Sheikh Jassim mostly suceeded in balancing the pressures of the regional powers, who were at that time Britain and the Ottomans (Turkey).  When he resisted the Ottoman Empire's growing attempts to dominate the area, the resistance culminated in a decisive battle at Al Wajba, south of Doha, in 1893 which the united Qatari tribes won.
Today proud Qataris decorate their cars with pictures of the current Emir and the ruling family. 

The pictures are screen printed onto a thin perforated plastic mesh which is then heat sealed onto windows or glued onto the vehicle's bodywork (how that affects the car's paintwork I don't know). Holes are cut out of the mesh to allow for head/tail lights and door handles.  The vehicles of both nationals and many expats were decked out with flags of various sizes while buildings were draped with huge pictures of the Emir and the Heir Apparent and flags some several stories high.
The day is a public holiday with events centered on and around the Corniche in Doha including a fly past of planes from the Qatari Airforce.

Throughout the day there cultural shows on the Corniche and in the nearby souq Wafiq.

In the morning there was a military parade along the Corniche displaying the Qatari Armed Forces' most recent purchases.  In the evening the crowds were entertained by a light show and  fireworks display.  We were warned about the traffic schmozzle that would go along with the fireworks display and so we stayed home, this photo of the fireworks is taken from our roof. 

All this along with the national day pastime of standing in the sunroof of a speeding 4x4 waving either a national flag or a brandishing a sword.
More photos are here.

Rain, rain.....

On 364 days of the year there's no need for street drainage in Doha, but on one day of the year, there is:

Pollution cloud in Doha

We saw this pollution/smoke cloud not long after we crossed the border into Qatar from Saudi yesterday (Sat 12th Nov).

By the time we arrived home, the cloud had enveloped a large part of the suburban area of Doha.  There didn't seem to be any smell so I don't know whether it was a rubbish tip fire or what it was.

Not a mention of it today in the newspapers or on any of the usual websites yet to say 'you can't miss it' would have been an understatement.

Round and round

Anyone on the road in Doha at 2pm on a Thursday either (a) deserves a medal for bravery or (b) should be put down before they have a chance to breed! Its insane out there today, even the cop who stepped out onto Aramex roundabout to direct traffic had to jump back onto the footpath to avoid being hit by a idiot in a 4x4. The officer's job is to stop the traffic flow on one part of the roundabout so that other cars can get round.  The road is 3 lanes wide but in an act of evil genius, he ensured there were 4 vehicles side by side in the front row. By the way the other drivers were eyeing each other off I very quickly realised I was in the front row of a race grid. The other drivers didn't look at me, local etiquette and all (so they didn't see me smirk). Even the truck driver in the far lane was staunch and steely. There was engine revving, even by the truck but Madame didn't bother as she was bored, then the cop dropped his arm and we were off. It was like a police supervised drag race.

Round and Round

If you look in the Oxford Dictionary for the word 'terror' the definition given is "being in a car in the middle lane on Decorator Roundabout, Doha, Qatar"....wait, whaddaya mean "Its not"? Pfft, if it isn't there already its only a matter of time!

Some of the important things.

Moving from Dubai to Doha means having to start again finding all the important things. So far its looking good:

1. Sharwama man - tick.  The fine food at the Al Mattar al Qadeem branch of  'Lebanese Charwama' (that's their spelling) will do nicely thanks.

2. Juice man - tick.  Just a couple of doors down from the sharwama man.  When I walked into the juiceshop in front of me there was a cash register on an old coffee table and a group of guys sitting round on assorted chairs, some left over from long forgotten dining room suites, a couple of plastic bbq chairs and an old armchair.  There was no obvious indication of who was a customer or who worked there so I gave my order in a sort of general way to the group and then waited to see who reacted. After they got over the shock of there being a woman in the shop, everything went smoothly and one of the guys got up and went behind the counter to make the juice and the man in the armchair reached over to take my money and put it in the cash register.  Next time I'll know that the juiceshop owner sits in the best chair!

3. Gym - tick (FF at Doha City Centre). FF used to be a mixed gym like in Dubai until last year when the Doha authorities told them the sexes had to have separate areas. The gym's done a good job in making the space but the two ladies areas (cardio and weights) are now in separate parts of the gym. The female cardio area is in a sealed off corner of the main gym while the weights/machines area is inside the ladies change rooms. Females have to pass through the main gym to move between cardio and weights areas. So the local ladies come to the gym put on their workout gear then put on their abayas and sheylas to walk from the change area to the cardio area.  Once inside they take them off and do their workout then put them back on so they can pass through the main gym on their way back to the weights area. In the weights area they take off their abayas and sheylas again and continue their workout.
I've been to a gym in the Grand Hyatt hotel here.  While a ladies only gym was provided, men and women can also train together in the main part of the gym which had the most useful equipment.  This gym was ultra expensive but the facilities were top class.  They also provide a laundry service to wash members' gym gear after use and have it ready when you next come to the gym.

4. Abaya shops that sell completely outrageous, over-the-top evening gowns from racks at the back of the shop out of public view - check, check and check.

On the move..

The Qatari Army is on the move... a big army ute (like a Silverado) roared out of one of entry lanes to the roundabout, it slid to a stop across 3 lanes of oncoming traffic who all had to screech to a halt like something out of a Hollywood action movie.  I was in one the lanes of traffic and I have to say I sat in stunned amazement as  a soldier hopped out of the ute and proceded to direct a convoy of Army trucks, APCs and anti aircraft guns through the roundabout. What I liked most was the truck carrying an office building and the last one in the line which carried a portaloo in desert camouflague colours.  Then the soldier jumped back into his ute and roared off down the highway in pursuit of his comrades.  Just another afternoon in Doha :-)

Q for Qatar

Doha, Qatar

Like  many people in the construction industry we are joining the steady trickle of people who are heading to Doha, Qatar to live and work.

I've been in Doha, Qatar for the last few days. Its hard to believe but the driving there really is worse than Dubai and the roundabouts in Doha are lethal, its a complete free for all and the red stop light is just a suggestion!

Apparently a Facebook page "Freedom Revolution March 16 Qatar" has been set up demanding the removal of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.  The page was approved or in FB-speak, 'liked', by about 1,600 people.  Before we see another Egypt looming let's put that number in perspective as there are over 4 million people who 'like' the Facebook page entitled 'Flipping the pillow over to get the cold side'.
As background, Qatar's natural gas reserves have made the country incredibly rick, and the Qatari nationals, who number about 350,000, have the world's highest per capita income.  What's that saying 'Civilization is four meals away from anarchy'. The rest of the population are expats from all over the world.
Sheika Mouza, the Qatari Emir's wife, is a woman with education and opinions who plays an active public role in Qatar. She also acts as a representative of her country overseas. As a result, she attracts criticism from conservatives and one of the demands on the FB page is that she should play no further public role.

A long weekend in Qatar

There are photos I took last weekend in Doha, Qatar here: http://carolynn-in-dubai.smugmug.com/gallery/7890231_ffhGd#511670102_xYbtb The photo above is from the Museum's website.

The outstanding Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar deserves its own gallery: http://carolynn-in-dubai.smugmug.com/gallery/7891227_djQD7#511775721_f327i

The Museum of Islamic Art also has an excellent website with lots of information.

Meanwhile, over in Qatar cars are being abandoned with abandon....

Qatar sees huge hike in abandoned cars
From ArabianBusiness.com Sunday, 15 February 2009

Doha has seen a 791 percent increase in the number of cars being abandoned on its streets and outskirts, it was reported on Sunday. The city’s municipality has revealed that in January this year 1,448 vehicles were deemed to be left unclaimed. This is a huge hike on the 183 found abandoned in January 2008, according to local Arabic daily Arrayah and reported in Qatar daily Gulf Times. A designated yard for abandoned vehicles was full to capacity, director of Doha Municipality, Ibrahim Al Malky told the newspaper.

“There is practically no space left because vehicles are already stockpiled one over the other,” he revealed.There was an urgent need for a coordinated effort to allocate a new areas for the cars, Al Malky added.No reason for the increase was given. However, the findings come a week after Dubai’s authorities denied that it was seeing more cars abandoned at the airport as a result of expatriates fleeing the UAE on the back of the economic crisis.

Only 11 cars had been left at Dubai International Airport in over a year, confirmed lieutenant general Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, chief of the Dubai police department. Clarification on the number of abandoned cars came after repeated local and international media reports that the figure had hit 3,000.

The municipal officials in Doha dealing with public hygiene and cleanliness periodically monitor the number vehicles found abandoned on the city streets. They place stickers on such vehicles and photographs are taken and forwarded to the public cleanliness department which is responsible for removing them to the junkyard.