Qatari Road Info

A colleague at the office asked me this week if I was interested in purchasing a vehicle here in Doha for the duration of my stay.  I told him not at this time, feeling somewhat daunted by the thought of driving (and more to the point, PARKING), here in the city.  The drivers drive as fast as possible and regard all traffic rules, regulations, signage, and lane markers as my colleague Steve puts it, "just a recommendation", not really law.  More on the parking situation later.

I questioned him further about how one goes about purchasing a vehicle, more from curiosity, than practical interest, being that I really enjoy the private driver dropping me off in front of my destination and collecting me at the end to whisk me back home. 

He told me that it is very easy and inexpensive to purchase a vehicle, however, difficult to get it re-licensed after the first year.  Every vehicle comes with insurance and a license plate (you pay for both of these when you purchase the vehicle).  Annually, when the license needs to be renewed, the car must be inspected.  It will not pass if there is a scratch in the paint, headlight not working, radio doesn't work, if it is too dirty, etc.  To get anything on the car repaired, you must have a police report, even if it is a door ding.   This explains A LOT - first of all, there is so much dust in the air, the cars get dirty, but you rarely see a dirty vehicle.  They keep the cars pristine here, even on the really dusty job site.  I think they wash them every night.  Also, people seem to purchase new cars all the time instead of getting the license renewed.  I don't know where they are putting all the extra cast-offs....

One of my new American female friends was telling the story of getting her driver's license here.  There is only one day a week which a woman can apply for her driver's license.  The first week, one takes an eye exam.  If one passed the eye exam, then she is able to return the next week to take a written exam (which mainly covers what different road signs mean).  If one passed that exam, then the third week, she arrives at the Testing Agency at 6:00am, boards a bus with 40 other women, and waits her turn. They have one car that is used to test all of these women.  The bus proceeds to follow the test car around the city while, one-by-one, they test each person on driving.  This process apparently takes the better part of 6 hours to complete.  One doesn't know if you pass or not until your bus returns to the Testing Agency and they announce those who can get their licenses.   

I think this process is used as a deterrent for women driving.  On a side note:  I don't know how the Qatari women drive when they are fully veiled - it has to impede peripheral vision for sure.

On my walk this morning to the Costa Coffee down the street, I observed the following:

No Kidding - Deep Wall and Floor Opening?
Notice that there are no barricades, safety tape or anything
 surrounding this AND the sign was across the street on the sidewalk.

There is a funny Civil thing here - when a building is built, there is this void area of dirt/sand between the property line and the government maintained street/sidewalk like below - no one seems to want to fill the gap between the two.  This is everywhere - sometimes it is only a few feet, sometimes larger like this photo.



Sidewalk                                Void Area   Property Line



Also - instead of parking in the void area, most cars park on the pedestrian
 sidewalk - probably so the car doesn't get dirty?

I like this sign...near my hotel:

 YIELD.  Just a recommendation.....



Turkish Riverdance!

Last night I went to a performance of a Turkish Dance Troupe (previously blogged as a "Syrian" dance troupe) called Fire of Anatoni.   As the blog title implies, it was a regional version of the famous Irish "Riverdance" or "Lord of the Dance".  The audience was treated to belly dancing, formation dancing and sword fight-dancing.  Very energetic and fun.  The crowd LOVED it and kept asking for encores. 

It was held in the Outdoor Amphitheatre at the Katara which I have reported on in a prior blog or two.  I was wondering how comfortable it would be to sit on the marble steps for two hours during a performance, but I forgot about the Qatari hospitality!  They provided very comfortable cushioned seats with backs (the Arab version of portable stadium seats, except these were upholstered in velvet, of course).  The audience trickled in and it was like a big social hour - people greeting each other and those around them.  There was a lone British fellow in front of me so we struck up a conversation, feeling a bit silly to be there without a group of acquaintances.  I had a young family next to me with two small children (an infant and a 3-year-old).  The 3-year-old dozed off in the middle of the performance and laid across my lap. It was somewhat endearing!

Stadium Seats - Qatari style



Amphitheatre in daylight without seats.

 



Same view at night with seats.



Funny cultural observations: 

1. The tickets to the event said no one under the age of 7 would be admitted.  There were slews of families with children there (who all were really well behaved, by the way).

2. Also, several normal announcements were made about no photography being allowed, no filming, no flash, etc. - all of which were disregarded globally by the Qatari, who would walk up to the front of the audience, take their photos, then return to their seats.



3. "Qatari Time"   All of the expats in the audience were in their seats and ready for the performance to begin at 8:00pm.  There were many open seats still at 7:58pm when the announcement came that the performance would begin in 20 minutes.  Over the next 45 minutes, even after the performance began, the Qatari "moseyed" in at their leisure, as though the show was an afterthought to their evening.  This was the majority of the crowd and it gradually filled in.  My photos were taken at about 7:55pm, so you can see how many empty seats there were at that time. 

The Performance Stage during the daytime.



The Performance Stage at night.



100 degrees and counting....

Things are heating up here in Doha!  The temperature is rising and the project is getting really busy.  We have our first furniture shipments coming through customs this week.  The site continues to progress, although, like most projects, the client is anxious to see more happening. 

I spent my weekend (actually just Friday) at the Katara.  I wrote about this area in Doha a couple of blogs back, but there was an outdoor art exhibit of local artists, so I couldn't resist!    I also came upon the "Golden Mosque" which is completely faced with gold mosaic tile. 

 The Mosques here are like little jewel boxes and tucked in the most unlikely places.  This one is in such a tight site, it was difficult to get a good photo!

I had a peak inside when the door was open - the interior is an open, beautifully apppointed room with high ceilings and no furniture - just a place to wash the feet and plenty of kneeling cushions.  The front of what we would call the "sanctuary" faces Mecca. 

The art show featured a very mixed levels of artists - there were some excellent pieces, including a young woman who painted only on silk and an older gentleman who only drew is own face in the mirror.  50 drawings of the different angles of his face - but they were very good! 

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I do enjoy the spa treatments, so I am on the hunt for a good spa.  I tried the one here at the Wyndham, which was excellent and the one at the Millenium down the street which wasn't.  I am happy that the Wyndham spa is reasonably priced and not too far from my new apartment! 

This coming week, I am attending my first performance at the outdoor amphitheatre at the Katara.  It should be amazing - it is a dance troupe from Syria performing traditional dance. 

I will also be moving into my new apartment and will send some photos.  It is in a great neighborhood and nearer to my favorite Doha haunts.

I just wanted to send a shout out to Trevor who turned 21 yesterday!  Happy Birthday, Trevor!  We will celebrate when I come home in May!  

Door to the Amphitheatre

The Jefferson's....

...are moving on up!  I finally had one too many things go wrong at my first "hotel" and made the bold move 100 yards next door to the Wyndham.  I am still near the "Sport" round-a-bout and my colleagues, but without the flooding bathroom, cold showers and inconsistent internet service (just to name a few problems).  Less than two weeks until I move into my new apartment....Yes!

This week was SO busy at the job site - products are beginning to arrive to the Outpatient Clinic building that is not quite ready to receive furniture.  We had a fire last week at the site in the underground car park (which made the news here), and this week we had a very small earthquake, which was large enough to warrant another complete evacuation of the site.  I am expecting locusts or some kind of plague next week to keep things interesting.

It is getting warm here - today was 37 degrees Celcius which is about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.  It is a bit humid here, which makes you realize how much fine sand is floating around in the air because it tends to adhere itself to sunglasses, skin, shoes, etc.

On my day off, I went to the Qatar Sport Museum (temporary) which is being housed in a big warehouse while they build the new museum.  They had a Olympic exhibit which showed the history of the ancient Olympics, as well as the history of the modern Olympics including the Paraolympics, which Qatar has had many participants.  The exhibit ended with a large feature of the Qatar Olympians - there is a lot of national pride for those who make it and they do have some medal winners.

Saturday, following our "half day" of work (which is 8 hours instead of 9.5 hours long), I met my new friend, Helen, and her driver drove us around to three different tailor shops and into the Fabric Souq (the fabric market).  I found some beautiful silks and am having a couple of things made.  I find I am already tired of the clothing I brought!

I am waiting anxiously for my cello to arrive at Badie Music Store.  The gentleman who is setting it up doesn't speak much English and my Arabic is limited to the following:

"Salam - Marhaba" which is Hello

"Sabah El-Khair"  which is Good Morning

"Shukran" which is thank you

I had my Indian driver, Noussad, (who claims to speak Arabic about 70% - whatever that means) talk with him on the phone for me, however,  Noussad's English is very limited, so I am not sure he is the right translator for me.  My colleague at work, Islam, who is Jordanian, speaks excellent English AND Arabic, so he is going to make the call for me tomorrow to see when the cello will be ready.  I might be getting a Sousaphone for all I know! 

I found this week that I am adjusting to the money conversion and don't have to think to hard about it anymore...

3.64 Qatari Riyal = $1.00 US

There doesn't seem to be coinage here in Doha - all prices when you pay with cash are rounded up to the nearest dollar.  Some folks have asked me what things cost here, so here is general run down.

Petrol is very inexpensive - 0.80 QR / litre which is approximately .22 US cents / litre

3.785 litres = 1 gallon so gas is .83 cents per gallon.  No wonder there are so many drivers!

Groceries are really inexpensive and most of the produce comes from Jordan, Lebanon and Africa.

Dinner usually costs us $4-$5 per person USD.

Our driver, Noussad, costs 100 QAR for a round trip, anywhere in the city.  But this is usually for 3 passengers and he will come any place/anytime to drive, if we need him. 

Taxis are easy - I just ask ahead of time how much they will charge and we agree upon an amount - no running meters to be found, but I usually use Noussad if I can. 

At the tailors, they will make a beautiful men's suit in a lightweight wool of your choice for around

 1000 QAR which is $364.00 USD.

Americans are treated very respectfully and the Qatari love to interact with us.  Much different than I expected!  Most pleasant.

The Souq Waqif

This weekend, I really felt like I was settling into the Qatari way of life and finding my way around this confusing city!  Most addresses are non-existent, and buildings are found by knowing which round-a-bout the location is nearest as well as the various landmarks around it.  For instance, Le Park Hotel (where I am currently residing) can be found by telling someone it is near the "Sport" Round-a-bout and next to the new Wyndham Hotel in the Al Saad district.   Or, it is around the corner from the Al Saad Lulu's (an Arab version of K-Mart). 

I have found and leased an apartment in the Musheireb district of the city, which is much closer to all my favorite parts and in far better condition than the Le Park Hotel.   Directions would be:  It is past the fly-over (overpass) and down the street from the Gulf Paradise Hotel in Musheireb district.  It is a modern, comfortable flat in a secure building and I move in on or around April 20th.  Can't wait to get settled there. 

Chamber Music at the Museum of Islamic Art

I attended a chamber music concert at the Museum of Islamic Art on Thursday night.  It was well attended and very well done.  I spoke with the cellist following the concert, and he recommended a string instrument maker here in Doha who will set up a cello for me.  I called the gentleman (he does not speak much English) and have an appointment with him on Tuesday to see what he can offer.

I find I am getting really good at deciphering different dialects/versions of English here in Qatar (mine being one of them as well), but I do better when I can talk with the person face to face.  I hope this is the case with Mr. Mamoud when I meet with him as I could barely figure out where his shop is located over the phone.  Noussad, my driver, and I are on the hunt!

I visited the Soug Waqif on Friday with my coworkers.  The "Souq" is the historic market bizarre of Doha, although the former Souq was torn down recently and this new "authentic" version was built.  It is really interesting!  There are tailor shops, sweet shops, rug shops, thread shops, shoe shops, and animal menageries with all types of fluffy and scaly critters.  The most fascinating shop to me was the Falcon Souq.  The bird's heads are covered and they sit on perches.  The Qatari use the falcons for sport hunting and competition.  They are beautiful birds!

If you make too many purchases, you can get them wheeled out to your car by a gentleman with a wheelbarrow!

 I will post better photos later - I accidentally left my camera charger in Omaha so it is being brought to me via a co-worker who is coming to Abu Dhabi.  Another co-worker will then deliver it to me here in Doha in the next few weeks.  An international pony express!

Finally, a shout out to my friend, Kathy E. from Omaha, who is here in Doha for some business with the Joint Commission International.  Kathy and I had a wonderful dinner with three other ladies last night.  It was nice to be around a table of women for a change and I look forward to seeing her again on this side of the world!