Doha Part II

The food.... oh the food is great. Grilled meats, warm breads, homous and taboulei are the staple diet of the Qataries... and me for that matter :) For a full meal consisting of grilled lamb, bread, salad, yogurt and a drink ( non alcoholic of course ) will set you back about 20 riyals or about 2 pounds and 50 pence or about 200 rupees. So all in all good value for money. You can get hold of any kind of food here. (apart from anything to do with pork of course ! Ohhhhh sausages ...... baaaaaaacon.:))
There are some really good all american burger joints, adequate indian food, steaks, chinese, japanese, korean. Basically anything. It is all good value for money.
You can drink alcohol in the hotel bars here. I am hoping to get to one tomorrow night. :) Much needed I might add.!!
The nice thing here is that cabs are very cheap indeed, if you can get one that is. There are not enough authorised cabs on the streets of Doha so there is a thriving business in unauthorised cabs, they too are cheap but not as cheap as the authorised ones. Quite often when I have been walking home people will stop and ask if I need a lift and will not ask for any money !!! Lovely :))

I am ashamed to say that I have not yet walked around the famous corniche here. The Four Seasons is at one end of the Corniche so I think a walk around the Corniche and then a visit to their famous Friday seafood buffet is in order. Soon.

More Later

Peace and Love

What is Doha Like ???

A very interesting question...... Doha...Qatar is undergoing a huge change as I write this. The fact that they are hosts to the Asian games which starts in 10 days time has helped contribute to the redevelopment of this once sleepy backwater of the middle east.

I don't think I have ever seen so much construction in such a small place !

The Qataries are having to deal with a culture change probably not seen before here. Yes the hijab and indeed the burka are still the standard wear for the local women as is the ""Dish Dash""( Dish Dash being the long white almost robe type garment) for the local men who compliment it with rather impressive head dresses. ie the sheikh look.

When I walk around I have noticed that there are a hell of a lot more Indians and Philipino's than there are Qataries. Most of them doing low paid menial work.

I do feel very safe here. There does not appear to be any crime at all. Having said that the one thing that I do get nervous about about is crossing the road. Over here, it seems, every local owns at least one landcruiser and also a high performance car of some kind. Now....as the roads are very well maintained and straight and wide, interrupted only by roundabouts it makes for a fantastic place to race cars.....and boy do they. There is absolutely no regard for pedestrians. Worryingly, I can see a few visitors who will be making their way over for the Asian games getting knocked over.

To be continued...............
Peace and Love

What do you think so far ??

Al Jazeera is now 2 days old. Today is the third day of broadcasting. It has been an interesting journey getting to this point. I would be interested in hearing your comments on the output of the channel if any of you have managed to watch it.

Peace and Love

No Posts

Hi.... Sorry about the lack of posts but things have been moving a bit quickly and I know find myself in Doha Qatar. Al Jazeera are due to launch an international service soon and I am here short term to work in MCR.
The Asian Games are coming up so anyone who might be coming out here please do let me know and we can meet up. I am here until 19/12/06

Peace and Love

To Zaki :)

Dear Zaki,

A Very Very Happy Birthday to you. I think that today is a special day and all those close to you will be there. I am sorry we cannot be there but Nikhil Natasha Roochi Aunty and me are all thinking of you.

Much Much Love
Sandy Thaya