Ling & Mag's Amazing Journey to Doha

Panic...what to do, where to bring them, will they get bored...headache! But, believe it or not, it all went rather well and for about four days, Ling & Mag watched the Brazil vs. England soccer friendly at the Al-Khalifa stadium, swam in the Persian Gulf, took to the desert in a land cruiser for dune-bashing, feasted at some of the better eateries in Doha, took the local bus, walked the streets of Doha and picked up some shopping treasures at Souq Waif & Al Saad shopping district! 7 Pearls apartment became a B&B, and I was happy to have my best mates over to spend some time with...just wished it was longer...

Photo journal of Ling & Mag, go to: Part 1 -http://picasaweb.google.com/marthaleemei/FriendsOfDoha2?feat=directlink

Part 2 - http://picasaweb.google.com/marthaleemei/FriendsOfDoha?feat=directlink

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

Here fishy, fishy, fishy...had a really luckless day-out fishing with friends in Doha's rather choppy waters. Others were luckier, catching palm-sized nibblers, but the luckiest fisherman on the boat turned out to be the boat-guide - *sigh*.

Whilst some of my companions were turning a shade of green, kudos to Laurie's 85-year old mum - she was stoic to the end - Lorna's one totally awesome lady! I'm looking forward to the next boat trip, and hopefully better luck at catching my hammour!

Fish-tale photos, go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/marthaleemei/DohaFishing?feat=directlink

Aces, deuces & US$1.5million

MARHABA! I am back on the blog with write-ups on my escapades in Doha. Hope everyone's keeping well.

Summer was sizzling hot, and Ramadan was very quiet at all fronts - for 20days, it was just a five hour per day work week; most or all shops/food vendors operated after 6pm (or when it was time to break fast), and yours truly spent quiet afternoons at the apartment brain-storming on what to cook/eat.

It's still hot and sunny out, but it's a lot cooler in the mornings and evenings. So, with the summer heat out of the way, we can now get down to some serious fun-in-the-sun activities!

I recently attended my first ‘live’ tennis match - the WTA women’s championship . In a word…AMAZING!

Gracing the courts were svelte-like ladies that looked more like supermodels than tennis players! The grounds was covered in royal colours of purple and blue; tennis players were in trendy , colourful sports apparel while balls whizzed by at speeds averaging about 140km/h, and I got some awesome photos to blog about! So what if I didn’t get to watch the famous duo, the Williams’ sisters swatting 'balls of fire'; for QR50 (S$20), I got to watch the Russians/East Europeans thrashing it out amongst themselves. Game, set & match....uber Cool!

For views of the WTA go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/marthaleemei/WTACShip?feat=directlink

Corniche

The Corniche is a waterfront promenade, where you will find everyone and anyone congregating - for a stroll, a run, a picnic, or buying the catch of the day at the jetty, it's a focal point in Doha's city centre.

If you love the walk along the Esplanade in Singapore, it's something like it, minus the sight of a 'durian' structure or a water-spitting merlion! :0)

Walking along the Corniche (beginning from the Sheration roundabout), you'll past by the National Theatre, the Emiri Diwan, the jetty, the 'pearl in a shell' monument, the Souq Waqif, the Museum of Islamic Art and the Doha Port - about 7km, one way. I know of a colleague, living in the West Bay area, who religiously walks the route every weekend morning. I think it's great to live so close to the Corniche, and to enjoy the promenade activities. But if you're not up to stretching your legs too strenuously, you could board a dhow (similar to a Chinese junk, but the arabic version) and have a leisure cruise around the Corniche.

With summer temperatures rising, there are not very many people on the Corniche in the day time. How to describe the heat - it's like I'm walking towards a furnace, and it's just a blast of hot air coming right at you! Burn, baby, burn!

Come evening time, you'll see quite a few people out on the promenade, doing their own thing and enjoying what outdoor time they can before it's just too hot to do anything.

Here's another photo update of the recent Powerboat race that took place at the Corniche last month. It was a good photo/video opportune moment for both amateurs and professionals alike. I got some fowl action in the waters too!

http://picasaweb.google.com/marthaleemei/PowerboatRaceCorniche02?feat=directlink

Till next time, Mart

Things to do in Qatar

It's been an eventful past few weeks - time's a-flying fast; this coming 21st May will be my 3rd month in Doha...wah...I'm still alive, and surviving :0)

I've often been asked about how I spend my free time in Doha - most of what I've blogged about are mostly trips out of Doha and into the desert....yes, desert excursions do take up most of my weekends, but it's really quite enjoyable; life in Doha is about "getting out".

So what's been happening? Couple of weekends back, I was up at Sealine Resort for a day and a night with the Wrights and friend. The chalet setting and beach reminded me of the beach resorts at Port Dickson and Kuantan, ala 70's style. I felt I was taking a trip down amnesia lane. It's a nearby getaway from the hustle and bustle of Doha.

Another weekly ritual for some is to head out North to the beaches of Dukhan or Zirkreet/Abrouq. For the latter trip, you'll need a 4WD. It's good to pack a picnic and to start the day early - you avoid the chaos and mayhem of Qatari drivers (or Indian drivers since there are about 400,000 of them (so I've been told, out numbering the Qatari population).

If you want to get yourself fit (and a booze-boost post-run), and get acquainted with other expats, there's always the Hash House Harriers Doha chapter. I was a hash-harriet when I was 10....yes, that was so long ago, when joints and bones were still intact and I had the lung capacity to hash...ah those youthful days...

Indoor-wise, there's shopping, cinemas and cafes that does not require sun-block application. Just make sure you have a good dose of cash. There are some good bargains to be had at the local stores. But you need to be quick; some items fly-off the shelves fast.

The local food-fare is so-so (the usual suspects of fast food chains are everywhere) but there are some good restaurants about Doha - thai, italian, northern/south indian fare...think my next blog featurette will be on food!

Photo update:
http://picasaweb.google.com/marthaleemei/ReddottersZirkreetOuting?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/marthaleemei/SealineResort?feat=directlink

Till next time, Mart

Brouq Nature Reserve, Reprised

Have GPS will travel!

Yup, it sure helps to have a little gizmo like a Garmin handheld on desert trips.

So with Chris at the helm of his Toyota Land Cruiser, the Wright family and myself, we used the last QNHG co-ordinates to re-visit Brouq Nature Reserve.

Arriving at the film set, there were more ostriches out and about then the last trip, which gave me more photo opportunities for up close shots and a chance to pet one of the more friendlier ostriches.

We journeyed a little further up and settled ourselves at the 'caves'to have our picnic. We then ventured to the beach to wade/swim in the clear, cool waters. It was quite shallow in some areas, but we did manage to spot some above knee level waters for swimming.

Here’s one place that’s flagged on my GPS; a place worth coming back to over and again to chill out with family and friends. Camping, anyone?

Here's the link to view my updated photo and movie journal:

http://picasaweb.google.com/marthaleemei/RevisitingBrouqNatureReserve?authkey=Gv1sRgCPCJotLilvvnbg&feat=directlink

Till next time,

Mart

Of camels and dunes

Twas just another fun-filled weekend with the Wright family (including their daughter, Katherine, in from London for the Easter holidays).

This was quite a memorable dune-bashing experience. To really enjoy the ride, go with experienced tour operators as the drive through the dunes can be risky at times; better to have drivers who know the dunes/terrain and their car (a Toyota Land Cruiser, no less).

And speaking of peril, we came across a family along the dunes who met with what seemed like a near fatal accident. Luckily, the driver and presumably, his family members (3 women and 2 children), managed to escape unscathed! The car boot looked like it was packed to full capacity including picnic paraphernalia and a couple of rugs/carpets (if they were test trying their 'magic carpets', they were really very lucky to survive the aftermath).

Our guide Ali and his fellow drivers/guides were quick to react, and they got into gear with the rescue mission to save the family car. Miraculously, the guides managed to ‘resurrect’ the totaled car, and the family was off and away again being led out of the dunes by two land cruisers. As the wrecked car wheeled its way out of the sands, we continued with our tour, making scenic stops along the way.

After that incident, it was clear that Ali was not about to take unforseen/uncalculated risks and strayed away from some of the usual dune-bashing routes. We reached base camp by the beach just a little before sunset.

We had some time to ourselves to wander around base camp before dinner was announced.

The buffet was sumptuous and we dined in large carpeted canopies. By 8 or so, we had to make our way out of the sands; it was amazing to watch the guides meander and maneuver through the soft tracks and out of the dark unlit path. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip/evening; to catch a glimpse of sunset and behold, a full moon. Scenery/landscape aside, I also had good company. Doing it solo would have been no fun and/or excitement, or at all.

Go to the link below to view updated photos. Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/marthaleemei/DuneBashing?feat=directlink

Till next time, Mart

Lightning in Dubai

For more photos, go to: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-237326

I am not alone

** Trying to lift the veil on Qatar **
Katya Adler attempts to discover what life is like in one of the Middle East's richest countries.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7981478.stm >

Umm Tays Traverse

Here's another interesting day-trip with the Qatar Natural History Group.

Only a selected few (about 25pax) get to attend this traverse - so I got real lucky, along with some friends from Singapore (Siew Hua, Philo and Jeff).

Here's the photo link for your viewing:
http://picasaweb.google.com/marthaleemei/UmTaysTraverse?authkey=Gv1sRgCOfK95Hoi_7DwwE&feat=directlink

Till next time,

Mart

Rambles & Quizzes

Hi all

Another weekend, another ramble with the Qatar Natural History Group.
On this excursion, we travelled along the Arabian Gulf coast then inland to Barooq. From ostriches to TV location set and Bedouins on pedestals, one thing’s for sure, a Ramble outing is all about discovering, and if you’re lucky you might pick up a fossil remain or just take in some breath-taking views/scenery.
This ramble was extra special. I met my fellow countrymen who were seasoned ramblers in their own right and they came well prepared from ‘pitching tent’ to preparing some good old fashioned home-cooked foods for their picnic. The family-ness of it all was reminiscent of my outings with my parents to coast of Malaysia. I sure miss those days, but I was glad to see this Singaporean group gathering friends and family members together to commune under a make-shift ‘winnie-the-pooh’ fleece blanket and sharing a yummilicious pot-luck.
With a few hours of rest and wash-up after the ramble, I met up with Lawrie and his wife, Niki , Niki’s sister, Jean and Chris. It was Pub Quiz Night at Al-Khor community club.
For those not too familiar with this British culture, pub quiz is “Who wants to be a Millionaire” minus the glitz and glamour and the million dollars (you do get a prize, but its a small token). It’s a very popular activity in UK watering holes. So instead of just sitting on a bar stool and drinking, pubs may hold regular, weekly quiz nights, generating social stimulus. The quizzes will test your knowledge on topics ranging from Sports trivia, music, history, geography, etc. This culture has spread to other British-themed pubs all over the world (in Singapore, Penny Black) and yes, even in Doha!
Al-Khor community club does not have a pub but to create the atmosphere, you bring your own ‘pub’ in a cooler bag; yes, it’s BYOB – Bring Your Own Bottle.
It was a fun-filled evening of laughter and entertainment as the participating groups were ever ready to take on each quiz dished out by the quiz master.
Even though we didn’t win top prize, it was all done for the fun of it. Cheers!

Photo link: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=marthaleemei&target=ALBUM&id=5318298217728559873&authkey=Gv1sRgCLavpd_l6ebkFw&authkey=Gv1sRgCLavpd_l6ebkFw&feat=email

Till next time, Mart.

Drag racing and ice cream

Got myself an invite to watch a Drag Race event. An interesting drive out of the city limits and into the industrial part of Doha, aka MAD MAX CITY.

Not quite like Formula 1 racing but it was interesting all the same watching fancy sup'd up cars and bikes screaming down the straight course to clock the fastest time.

With our ear-drums a little numb and hard of hearing (forgot ear-plugs), that didn't deter us from making a detour to Villagio for ice cream @Stone Cold Ice Cream stall. People come here not so much for the flavours of ice cream but more to watch the servers perform; its quite entertaining to watch them dish out a generous helping of ice cream, plonking it onto a cold marble slab and 'goreng' the ice cream balls with a mix of selected ingredients of your choice. Pure entertainment, but a berry good tasting one too.





Photo update link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/marthaleemei/DragRacingQRCDoha?feat=directlink

Till next time, Mart

My Weekend - Photo/links update

Update and more information on OUR LADY OF THE HOLY ROSARY PARISH

Other links to church: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iWu5QzLEeuIIV8NPATAd0SSXyL7g

Getting Around Doha - DRIVE THIS!

If you want to drive in and around Doha with confidence, you need something with a little extra armour and muscle. So it's advisable you get a 4WD rather than a saloon.

Here's a vehicle I thought would be quite useful, and it's quite up to speed with latest car-tech...something to consider...problem is, I don't think it'll quite fit into the parking space at the apartment...hmmmm...

Surviving Doha

Here are some personal ‘survival’ tips when living in Doha.

Lesson 1: Always, always insist that you get a brighter apartment and use the excuse that, should your boss come to know that you are not located to an apartment to your liking, someone will be in trouble. When you’re single, and a woman, you are likely to be taken advantage of, so better to have some sort of upper-hand; in other words it helps to have a boss that supports you.

My transit home (7 Pearls Apartment) has now become my permanent home. The transit unit was a little short on natural lighting so I’ve moved to the next block with a unit facing the main carpark and which allows me to draw the curtains without construction workers peering into my hall/bedroom.

Lesson 2: Get to know your neighbours well, without whom you will not have free rides to office, trips to supermarket and invitations to a ramble!

In the past few weekends, I’ve made some new discoveries, courtesy of Dave and Lawrie, my two English colleagues who are staying in the same apartment compound. Lawrie invited me to participate in a ramble to the desert plateau/crater cum beach picnic with the Qatar Natural History Group, whilst Dave and his wife, Pat, bring me along for trips to the supermarket to pick the week’s groceries – there’s a ‘Geylang Serai’ district, a Family Food Centre that’s similar to Sheng Siong and even Daiso, with all things going for QR5! Then there’s Lulu Centre that’s very much like a mini-Mustafa! The shopping malls are nothing less than spectacular (Villagio has a 200m canal in the mall with Gondolas; look up the ceilings and you have a fresco of the sky, day and night scenes!).

Lesson 3: Walk around Doha, and meet new people. While my work-week keeps me pre-occupied, I look forward to my weekends discovering new places in Doha that even my Singapore friends never knew existed, and they’ve been here for two years or more! Better yet, queue at a MacDonald’s outlet and just listen if you can pick out a Singaporean in the crowd. You have to learn to be spontaneous and thick skinned.

I have made new friends from varied nationalities, cultures and professions, and as my colleague quipped, “we all seem to get along quite well, somehow or rather”.

I also met a group of Singaporeans at a tea-session. It was nice chatting with them and listening to what they had to say about their stay in Doha. They shared with me their experiences (living on their own, away from their loved ones, missing local fare, sedentary lifestyle, more quality time with kids, etc.).

On Wednesday, the Red-dotters club (a club for Singaporeans/PRs) will be hosting a dinner to welcome President Nathan to Doha. Will I be attending? As my Singaporean acquaintance put it eloquently, “Free food, die, die must go”!

Lesson 4: Record your moments and share it with your family and friends. I hope you have been kept entertained with my stories and photos. Sharing these moments have kept me sane and a-live.

Last but not least, lesson 5: Pray, even if you're not religious; you never know what's going to happen at the round-about and an unsuspecting car suddenly appears about an inch from your door and manages to manouvere the front of the car in front of you! Driving can be hazardous to your health, and certainly not for the faint-hearted.

Here's the photo update.

http://picasaweb.google.com/marthaleemei/Chapter4Photos?feat=directlink

Till next time, Mart!

My Weekend Outing

Hi all,

So I am no longer enjoying the comforts and cares of a hotel live-in as I had to be relocated to one of the company's apartments *sigh*.

A little closer to work but still not near enough to walk. I have also another week left before I have to forgo chauffeur privileges (*Double sigh*).

My first weekend was spent on a drive tour, courtesy of Mr & Mrs Willie Swee from Singapore. Charming couple, with two children. I had been chatting with them over the internet in Singapore to get more info about Doha living, and you could say, I came a little more prepared with their helpful advice.

Like most countries, there's always some popular hotspot or shopping district. In Doha, that would be the SOUQ WAKIF (somehow, in my earlier walkabouts on my own I had accidentally by-passed the area without realising that it was the Souq).

The Souq is set in a courtyard (very much like the courtyard @Riverwalk). They are many shops and cafes; meander into one of the alleyways, you'll come across rows of shops selling a range of items from local arts and crafts, dates, spices, nuts, live pets (mostly birds), etc. We didn't stay very long, and after a quick tour, nuts buying and a snack (thosai styled pancake), we headed out for a drive around the city centre.

On Friday, the Swee family invited me to fellowship at their Church. The worship services were conducted in a villa, not far from the city centre. After a one & half hour service, we adjourned to lunch at the Thai Snack restaurant for our individual meals. Very tasty (lots of MSG) and service was rather quick.

On Saturday, I started off early with a brisk walk from 7 Pearls apartment to the Corniche. Although the distance was short (about 6km on my GPS), it felt much longer, and found that I had to be rather careful/mindful as there were few pedestrian crossings and more roundabouts in Doha (to get in and around Doha, it's better to use roundabouts as landmarks and not buildings). Luckily, it was the weekend morning, so traffic is not so hectic.

My Saturday morning was spent walking along the Corniche, and window shopping at City Centre, Carrefour, when I actually got a chance to do a "comparative study" on grocery pricings (ok, I had nothing else better to do).

I found some things cheaper (toilet rolls; in-house products, biscuits, breads, juices) than home, while other items (instant noodles, fruits, vegetables) a little more expensive. Can't ask for everything, but at least I know I will be able to survive without having to penny-pinch on basic necessities.

By noon, it was just too hot to walk so I decided to try the local bus system. Mr Willie Swee had warned me against taking the public transport (all you see are men/labourers and you certainly won't see any women in a bus). It's pure psychology - tell a child not to do something, the child will be tempted to do it anyway. I became that child that day.

So i took the bus. It wasn't too bad. In fact it was very comfortable and there were seats marked out for women - "Priority for Ladies/Handicapped".

Each ride within the city limits is SGD1.20, one-way, however short/long the distance. The bus plied along the Corniche, the Harbour, Parliament house, into the older part of town (Souq area) and ended its journey at the Terminus. The Central Bus station is a very colourful place, well actually, just mostly ethnic indians. All in all, it took me about 40 minutes (including wait time) to board my connecting bus to the apartment. If you don’t have your own set of wheels and you need to get around, the bus is the way to go to see Doha.

Sure felt like a tourist that afternoon and quite enjoyed the day.

Here's the link to view more photo shots:

http://picasaweb.google.com/marthaleemei/DohaPart2?feat=directlink

Till the next time.

Just another day in Doha

Hello,

Hope everyone's well.

It's coming close to a week in Doha and alot has happened since I last wrote.

Today (Wednesday) is Ash Wednesday, and my colleague at work invited me to attend the one and only Catholic Church in Doha. It was a 20 minute drive out of the City Centre and into the Desert. About 3km off the road intersection that leads to the borders of Lebanon, there stood a fortress-like Church in the desert with a few uncompleted structures in the surrounding area. It didn't look like a Church; it had no signage, nor the symbolic cross of christ. It was still a "Work in Progress" Church. The construction of the Church came with one condition imposed by the government - no cross must be displayed on any part of the buidling.

The Church caters to various sectors of the community, largely made of Philipinas, Indians and Lebanese. There are designated services in respect of the 3 communities mentioned, in their respective mother tongue. Then there's an English mass for the general masses. Seating capacity is about 2000.

To get to the Church, you certainly need a set of wheels. In Doha, driving/owning a car is a necessity.

On the subject of driving, boy oh boy, what a thrill I had in the car today.

We started off later than usual, and the newbies in the car, including myself were pooled together to attend our medical review at the Doha Medical Centre. It was some ways out of the City Centre but the peak hour traffic was something to contend with.

The driver had skill, and *balls* - the one thing you learn about driving in and around Doha is the ability to know your minor roads. From one small road to another, our driver got us to the medical centre in no time. Pavements are not just for pedestrians; drivers will just "carve" out an extra path just to inch a few hundred metres to the intersection.

As we approached nearer to the medical centre (which was on the other side of the road), he made a quick cut across the divider, drove about 200m against the flow of traffic and into the main entrance.

Dropping us off at our respective centres (one end for males, and at the other end of the building for females), he shoved QR500 into my hand and told me to "draw blood" and get x-ray. When I'm done, I was supposed to call him. What was his name - "My name is Hussein, Sadam Hussein"!!!!

At the medical centre, its pure chaos and mayhem. I am truly, truly thankful that we have an organised queue system in Singapore. You get your queue tickets dished out manually, then move on to a row of seats which is manually dictated by a masked woman "bouncer"! There's no queue number. When the bouncer points, you move to the next available seat. It was obvious that the bouncer gave priority to the caucasians and would many a times overlook queue-cutters! That irk one lady that got the brunt end of the stick from the bouncer; the irked lady got pushed a few notches down the queue and had to wait out longer than usual.

Once you get finger-pointed, you basically make payment of QR100, get a receipt and head out to the adjoining rooms with a signage that says "Draw Blood". The nurse was more attentive talking to her colleague than finding a vein in my arm!

The x-ray was the fun part when we had to get undressed and stand exposed to the radiation - it was done in an open room!!!! We also got to view x-rays of each woman passing through the scan before it got to our turn.

As the credit card ad goes - medical review, QR100; experience, priceless!

Till the next time, Martha

Doha - First Impressions

Hi there,

It's just my 2^nd day in Doha and am slowly settling in.

On my arrival, I checked into Ramada Plaza, a rather distinct gold-paneled building – hard to miss landmark if you get lost. After a much needed nap to recover from the 9-hour flight, I decided to compose a walk route with my Garmin handheld GPS. Didn't get quite far, about 5km out of Ramada's range. Many shops were closed and there wasn't really very much to gawk at. The nearest grocery store was The Centre. An overly priced store filled with expats shopping to fill their weekend trolleys. To give you an idea, a bag of Doritos corn chips is about SGD7, and I thought Kettle Chips was expensive!

Climate-wise, it's a hot and cool affair. Daytime is about 27-30 deg. C and by 5-6pm, temperatures drop to about 15 deg.C. Yesterday was a clear blue-sky day but today, I experienced my 1^st sand-haze! It's just a lot of dust in the air, and if you are donning any dark coloured clothes, you will find specks of dust settling on them. Truly amazing.

So my 1^st day of work started with a 30km drive out of the City to a location I can't even pronounce. The company's offices (HR & Admin) are temporarily housed in Villas, and with a quick orientation and surrendering my passport and mugshots to the immigration centre in exchange for a residence permit, back into the car I went for a drive back to the city centre – it was time to meet the boss and the legal team.

As we drove out of the "villa-desert", the landscape changed to one of modern high-rise buildings; impressive tall structures that are architecturally bold – there's a "WOW" factor to them.

Salam Tower is a dwarf amongst the bigger buildings surrounding it, but when I got to the 12^th floor, the view was quite spectacular. My boss's room looks out to the Corniche, a 13km esplanade that greets the Arabian Sea. If the skies were clear, I would have a brilliant view of the buildings standing along the Corniche's coastal line.

My room is about 150sq.ft. (what a stark contrast to what I was used to at KW). There was space for a large table, a stand-alone antique cupboard and two tall chairs. I was in awe, and I just had to sit and soak in the reality of having a room of that size, albeit without a view, but I didn't really care.

After chatting with boss and an intro to colleagues, it was time for lunch – I couldn't refuse free food, which everyone was entitled to.

Time ticked away, and by 3:30pm, I was whisked back to Ramada by my chauffeur, who was quick at the wheel, avoiding any sort of jam.

Observation:

From the time I landed, I had been greeted by a Bangladeshi, met several Indians, Pinoys, US and Canadian citizens. My boss is Sudanese and the legal team is made of persons from varied nationalities/cultures; had not been introduced to someone local just yet. So truly, Doha is run and serviced by expats.

There are many more days, weeks, months, years for me to discover more of Qatar. Honestly, I feel quite welcomed, pooling with other expats, and am looking forward to what's in store in the days ahead.

Anyway, attached are some snapshots for your viewing pleasure -

http://picasaweb.google.com/marthaleemei/DohaFirstImpressions?feat=directlink

Till the next time.