The George II is one of Qatar’s newer hotels. I’ve noticed it several times while driving along C ring road towards Hamed Hospital. As it’s name suggests, from its design at least it could have been lifted out from London or Paris and, when lit up at night, it is very pretty.
Coming in at a starting price of Qr650/night (not including 17% tax) it doesn’t quite make onto our cheap hotels list – unless your stay is for thirty days, when the price drops to Qr470. Although I haven't stayed there or read any reviews, this four star hotels seems to fit our luxury hotel guide better, as it appears both comfortable and luxurious – I particularly like the touch of placing a rose on the bed. The staff also appeared very friendly and helpful.
The hotel’s price includes wireless internet and breakfast, and would prove very good value for travelling businessmen. It has one major drawback, though – no booze!
The hotel is located at the Al Sadd signals opposite the Children’s emergency hospital. To book telephone +974 4445405 or fax +974 4367939.
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Tuesday, May 08, 2007
New hotel in Doha
Monday, May 07, 2007
The Heritage Village
Walk through the gates at one end of Rumeila
park and you'll find yourself in a mock-up of a traditional Qatari village. Not a desert camp, but a seaside settlement, complete with well, nets and even a Dhow permanently under repair.
During festivals and special occasions, this heritage village becomes a hive of activity. During the afternoon the almost forgotten crafts of weaving and and wickerwork are taken up, and in the evening music and dancing take place.
One of many attractions is the Tawash, or pearl trader. In the village two men demonstrate the weighing and selling of the pearls. One of these, an elderly gentlemen, is unusually chatty, and will relate how he accompanied one of the last pearl diving trips as a young lad. He’ll then pull
out his body building pictures from when he was a young man, and offer to teach your children scuba-diving. He also likes to relate how he bangs stones upon his chest to keep him strong, and sleeps on a bed of nails – although he advised my daughter not to imitate him when she got home.
Sadhew weaving, or Al Sadwh, the “old womanish craft” of weaving is featured in another building. The role of different people in the village is also explained, along with miniature model displays of weddings and wedding clothes. You’ll also see the Daza – the ornate wedding box which must be presented to the bride along with the Al Sawgh or wedding gold – and read about the night of the Henna, when the bride is decorated with haden and ladened with expensive gold jewelry and ornate clothes.
Move on and you’ll see a loom – rather more ornate and complicated than the ones I’ve seen
before, requiring two men to work it. Other attractions include old tea pots, an old well, and jewellery displayed by masked bedouin women. In one corner of the park is a traditional Dhow, and the tools used to work on the dhow are displayed (if not in use!) Nets and fishing traps similar to those you can still see today on Doha’s Corniche are hung to dry.
Food available included Qatari, Omani and other regional dishes. We particularly liked the Zatar pats – small pastries filled with Zatar (Thyme) and baked in a blazing oven in front of you. There’s other things to buy, including books on local culture and language, and a huge range of clay pots.
With the attractions much improved over a couple of years ago (when it featured little battery driven dolls turning round a wheel), it's well worth a visit. Just be careful your kids don’t go home and put nails in their beds...
Also see The Dhow Boatyard
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Sunday, May 06, 2007
Lethal crash outside Hyatt Plaza
Long term residents of Qatar know just how dangerous driving in Qatar is. Fortunately, most accidents in the city do not result in deaths. This was not the case yesterday with this horrific accident outside Hyatt Plaza. A speeding land cruiser shot the lights and slammed into this Mitsubishi Lancer. According to the story in the Peninsula today, the car then burst into flames, although the wreck looks so awful it appears that the driver and two passengers would have been killed instantly.
Qatar traffic accidents
Qatar Visitor's 90 Second Guide to Driving in Qatar (Podcast)
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Qatar Athletics Super Grand Prix
The Qatar Athletics Super Grand Prix will be held at Qatar Sports Club in Doha on May 11th. Twenty events will be featured with total prize money of $600,000. Tickets will be free, and a shuttle bus service will be organized for residents. For more information contact the Qatar Athletic Federation: Tel +974-5502699, Fax: 4944506 or email athletic@qatarathletic.com .
Also see; Qatar Football
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Friday, May 04, 2007
Qatar postal services
Q-post's main post office is located on Corniche Road, and there’s little chance of missing it – it’s huge! You have to drive up several levels of the stepped car park to get to the entrance. and you’ll also get a good view of the city here. Inside, the building is pleasant enough, and there’s a cafe where you can relax as well as internet access.
Efficiency
Alas, post is notoriously unreliable even within Qatar. According to the Gulf Times, a post card can take 6 weeks to cross the city – unforgivable when it only has to be transferred from one box to another.
Addresses
There is no organized system of street postal addresses in Qatar. To receive letters, customers must rent out a post office box.
Renting a Post Office Box
You’ll need to fill a form available either at the post office or on this link. The form must be submitted along with a copy of your ID and the fee. (At the time of writing it costs QR300 annually to rent a box in the main Post Office along with an initial fee of QR260.) You can also purchase an electronic card to open your post office box – the price depends on how swanky a card you want (head office only).
For more information contact:
PO Boxes Section
Tel : (+974) 4464230 - 4464223
Fax: (+974) 4830981
Email: pobox@qatarposts.com
Other services:
E-resident Allows the renewals of dependant’s visas and residents permits. See here for details .
Follow me
Allows your post to be forwarded to a different location, including outside the country.
For details: Tel. (+974) 4464446, Fax. (974) 4464280 or email customers@qatarposts.com
Khazaz service
Delivers your post, for an additional charge, from your PO box to your company location on a daily basis.
Public health card renewal
Submit your old health card along with a copy of your ID, a single photograph and QR100, and your new health card will be delivered to your PO Box.
Qatar Post premium
Arranges for door to door delivery of important documents. Of course, an additional fee is charged. See here for details.
Stamp Collecting
If you are interested in collecting stamps check out the Qatar Philatelic Bureau. For more information on the Post Office contact Customer Service:
Tel: +974 4464446/ 4464277
Fax: +974 4464280
Email: customers@qatarposts.com
Or check out their website.
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Possible water shortage this summer
Kharama, Qatar's monopoly utility provider, is warning of a possible water shortage this summer. The company has asked its customers to be restrained in their use of water, and advised them to make sure they have adequate back up facilities, according to the Peninsula newspaper. Read the full story here.
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Thursday, May 03, 2007
The Laughter Factory
The Laughter Factory will take place on Sunday 6th and Monday 7th May at the Ramada Hotel. Shows start at eight O' clock, and tickets cost Qr85. This month comedians Gordon Southern, Carey Marx and Stewart Francis will be featured. Telephone the Ramada on 4417417 for more details.
Also see: Finding out what's on in Qatar
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Newspaper editors and Al Jazeera
In a recent article in an Arabic (translated here on Memri) a Qatari newspaper editor focused on a major world injustice. No, not street children starving in India, or the raping and murdering of his Muslim brothers and sisters in Darfur, but the harsh treatment of Qatari newspaper editors who are being deprived of their rightful dues and swimming pools. Another newspaper editor explains why.
It’s very unfair that Al Jazeera employs non-Qataris and gives them more money than me. Why should they have a luxurious apartment, swimming pools and money when they are not Qatari? We have Qatarisation kicking out talented people in every other industry to make room for Qataris, why not in Al Jazeera too?
I mean look at it. What have these fancy foreign journalists got? Okay, so they are talented, determined, well-educated people who fought their way to the top in a competitive industry and have experience of working in world-renowned news networks. They are the best in the world at what they do, and some of them have risked their lives and liberty to do their job to the best of their ability. Between them they are providing the Middle East with a world class network, and giving the Middle East a voice it has never had before. But they weren’t born in Qatar!
And this is a crucial point – Qataris are special. We must be - why else would we be guaranteed cushy jobs for life and plenty of money when we pay Indians starvation wages to work 12 hours a day 6 days a week despite being the third richest country in the world?
Why are we special? It’s nothing to do with our education, for sure. It’s not our education, and its not our morality (you should see how some of us treat our employees).
Actually, I’m not sure what it is, but it’s definitely something to do with being born on top of a large pile of gas and oil. Surely that’s makes us special. So, you see, it’s not fair that some people earn more than me.
So come on. Kick out those journalists and give the job to me. And then hire some more journalists to do the work for me – just make sure I earn more than them this time!
Also see: Qatar moves into groceries
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Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Camp in the desert
At this camp on the way back from the Inland Sea visitors can rest, eat and smoke Shisha before the hair-raising trip through the desert dunes is repeated.
Also see:
A Trip to The Inland Sea
Qatar Tour Companies
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Jeep Wrangler Roadshow
Car enthusiasts might want to get down to the Diplomatic Club tomorrow. The Jeep Wrangler Road Show kicks off on Thursday at five o' clock, launching the new Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. The show will include entertainment, games and
driving demonstrations on test tracks.
Also see: The Qatar Driving Test
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Car theft
At times like these, with temperatures hitting the 40's at midday, it is common for residents to leave their cars running with the AC on. However, it may no longer be safe to do so. In another example of rising crime in Doha, a second car was stolen in broad daylight yesterday. The car had been left running outside it's owner's house while the owner entered his house. This followed on from the theft of a Toyota Corrolla last month which has still not been recovered.
Also see: Crime
Other news: In Home on wheels the Gulf Times reports on a Qatari man living from his car after being ordered out of his courts by a Qatari court. Maybe it's time for Fathers for Justice to come to Qatar...
Meanwhile, the Japanese Prime Minister visited Qatar yesterday, leading a high powered business delegation. Qatar, which supplies Japan with Natural Gas, requested assistance with developing nuclear power. Read the full story on the Peninsula.
Read about Japan on Japan Visitor.
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Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Qatar culture
or How not to lose your job in the first week
Below we’ve compiled a list of cultural pointers – things we’ve come across from our own experience, rather than gleaned from a book .
Of course it’s dangerous to generalize, especially in Qatar, which is a huge cultural melting pot - Qataris themselves only form 20% of the population. Never-the-less, we have noticed some points that seem to be shared both by Qataris and by many of the Muslim residents from countries around Qatar.
Before reading these, it’s worth mentioning that this is not Saudi Arabia and that most minor slip ups are tolerated. In fact, until you get a feel for the culture, you are bound to make a few mistakes. I certainly have, and have always been gently informed as to my error. However, major transgressions could have more serious consequences.
Men and women
Women’s rights in Qatar have advanced considerably in recent years. Women can drive, with the permission of the men in their family, and often hold positions of responsibility. Nevertheless, women in general just aren’t considered to be as important as men. In Islam, a man’s judgement is considered to be superior to that of women, and therefore a women should obey the men in her family. Honour is also important for men, and they have a duty to prevent women from bringing shame upon their families.
1. If you are a man don’t ask men about their wives, unless they mention them first. Don’t ask their names, don’t ask how they are. I have made this mistake before and been gently told off. You can get around this by the polite “How is your family?” Asking about their children, on the other hand, is fine.
2. Do not ask a member of the opposite sex to meet you in a closed room. At the very least keep the door open and make sure you are clearly visible through the open door. Men, do not object if a woman brings along a close relative to a private meeting. Try to meet in semi-public places like a library.
3. Men should allow women to keep their distance. Avoid all physical contact – although a handshake can be returned if it initiated by the women. If you are a woman and you do not keep your distance from a man, the man might assume you have a sexual interest in them. (Not all men, I’d like emphasize, just some.)
4. Depending on where you work, do not ask a women to remove her neqab (face covering). I know a person who was fired for requesting this – and she was a woman. However, in some institutions, such as the Supreme Education Council, women are discouraged from covering their faces.
Greetings and physical contact
While contact between unmarried men and women is anathema, it recently seems to have become acceptable for married couples to hold hands in public. Even Qarari couples (married, of course) can now be seen holding hands in malls and shops.
However, it is quite common for men (unmarried!) to hold hands. The standard greeting between men is also a kiss, usually repeated, on the cheeks. (Bedouins may prefer to touch noses). Unfortunately, I have one Arab friend who always insists on giving me a big bearded kiss, usually accompanied with the words, “Come on John, you’re in the Gulf now” as I veer away from him. Thankfully, most Arab men seem happy with a handshake.
Complaining!
When I first came to Qatar and asked for something, I wondered why some people in authority would say “No, khalas, finished,” to a request. Surely a simple no would do. After a while I realised that the matter rarely was finished. Rather than accepting a no from a person in authority, many people will carry on complaining and fighting – and, as often as not, getting their own way in the end.
Talking
Qatari men can be quite quiet and thoughtful. However, many other Gulf residents seem to be uncomfortable with silence. Situations like exams seem to place a real strain on them. On the other hand, interrupting and simultaneous talking are both normal and acceptable, and should not be taken as deliberate rudeness.
Eye contact during conversations is important, although you should avoid staring at women.
Family
Family is immensely important, certainly more important than any business meeting you might have. So if a person has a family problem, expect meetings to be delayed or cancelled. Men also feel they have a duty to protect the honour of the female members of their family.
Politics
Unless your point of view is similar to the general consensus here, it’s probably best to steer clear of politics. Israel and Palestine are particularly touchy subjects.
Religion
Islam is the most important part of most Qatar residents’ lives, and ranks above friends, country and even family.
1. Discussing religion - Again, unless you are a fellow Muslim, it’s just not worth talking about this to people. If you try to convert someone you will be breaking the law, and could be deported. If you want to discuss religion, try Qatar Blah Blah or Qatar Living, where you can do so safely and anonymously.
2. Mohammed – Do not criticize him. Following the recent cartoons in newspapers in Europe, this is a particularly sensitive subject at the moment.
3. The Koran – Always treat the Koran with utmost respect. Muslims believe that Allah handed down the Koran to Mohammed. As Mohammed was said to be illiterate, this is considered to be a miracle. Challenging this or treating the Koran without the utmost respect is deemed to be heresy. Some Muslims here even object to the Koran being placed under other books. In one extreme case I know of, a British man threw a CD containing recordings from the Koran out of a colleague’s car. The man was not only physically ejected from the car; he was fired from his job the next day.
4. Fatalism – Devout Muslims believe everything that happens is ordained by God. Hence, the common use of the phrase God willing – something can only happen if God is willing. Fatalism can discourage planning for the future. An example of this occurred when a friend asked me why I only had two children, and I mentioned the cost of university, and overpopulation. “John,” my friend chided me, “God will take care of that.”
Obviously, fatalism can also discourage safety precautions. Take road safety, for example. People often question why they should wear seatbelts and drive safely when their death and the manner of it is determined by God. However, the government is doing its best to persuade people to take road safety more seriously.
Safe topics of conversation
So what can you talk about? Not sex, for sure. People are often interested in telling you about their food. (In fact, the next day you may find them bringing a sample for you to try). Football is also very popular with many men. Family, is an instant winner. Try carrying pictures of your kids around to show people. Which leads onto...
Children
People adore kids here. Many can’t understand why we would limit ourselves to two children when we could have six or more. Expect sweets to be offered to children (a white lie is useful here – I tell people my child is gets hyperactive if she has sugar). Disciplining your children in public can lead to a negative reaction, so get the little buggers somewhere private before telling them off.
Show you care.
Life is more personal here. It’s important to care about each other. If an Arab mentions a problem to you and you deal with it too peripherally you may be regarded as uncaring and unhuman. So if someone has a problem, show your personal interest, even if your clock is ticking away. Which leads onto:
Don’t be direct
Don’t get straight down to business – take your time to exchange prolonged greetings.
Wrong: “Hi Mustafa. How are you? Okay, about this business with...”
Right: “How are you Mustafa? Have you recovered from that flu you had? You still look a little pale...” and so on with lengthy replies on both sides.
Criticisms should also be applied indirectly. For example, if a you accuse someone of blatantly plagiarizing some work, you will probably receive an outright denial. However, a more gentle, “I think you had some help with this,” is more likely to receive an admission of guilt.
Refusing invitations
If you are invited to do something you don’t want to do, don’t say no, say Inshallah, which means God Willing and is about the most useful phrase around. Repeat this as many times as necessary. Ditto for anything else that you want. (This can annoy even the locals. One Jordanian man once told me: “Don’t Inshallah me, John!”)
Insults
Insults are taken more personally than in the West. In the case of accidentally insulting someone, explain very carefully that it was not intentional, and a result of a cultural misunderstanding.
Time
People here don’t have the same sense of time Westerners do, so don’t rush things – they may be insulted if you do. Just to illustrate this, when I was at a recent lecture, all the Westerners turned up on time, or apologized if they were five minutes late. Locals arrived and left throughout the lecture, including one who came three minutes before the end. Lateness does not usually require an apology. What is rude is glancing at your watch during a meeting or while talking with a local.
Agreeing time can also be problematic, and agreeing an appointment a long time in advance may be a waste of time.
Mobile phones
Locals find it difficult not to answer the phones – in fact when you drive round Qatar, every second driver seems to have a cellular appendage extruding from the side of his or her head. Expect conversations and meetings to be punctuated by calls to the other person.
Hands
Shake hands, give and receive and eat food with the right hand. Left hands are for bottoms! Which leads onto...
Food and drink
Always politely refuse the first offer of food. Don’t worry, your host will vigorously persuade you to partake. However, even if you don’t want anything to eat, it is probably best to eat a small amount. At the very least you will be expected to have a drink. Leave a small amount of food behind.
Food is often eaten by hand, and hands and arms should be washed before eating.
As you probably know, pork and alcohol are Haram (forbidden). Pork is actually illegal, and will be taken off you if you enter the country. Alcohol can be purchased by expats with permits – but in reality, enter a hotel bar and there is a fair chance you’ll see some Qatari men drinking.
Animals
Be careful when talking about dogs.
Many Muslims feel they are dirty animals, although some Bedouin love their hunting dogs. Avoid any metaphor or reference which could possibly be misinterpreted as comparing people to dogs. A Muslim women I knew almost divorced her British husband because of the proverb “Why keep a dog and bark yourself.”Some locals –not the majority – also object to the use of even the word pork and pig. Indeed, if you buy Winnie the Pooh books in Jarir bookshop, which is admittedly a Saudi business, you will find every Piglet picture has been scrubbed out with a black marker pen. (The picture here is by Camper - see original post.) .Finally...
It can sometimes be easy to offend locals, who are not always shy to complain about you. On the other hand, at least in my experience, when you win the friendship of the people here, they are fiercely loyal and can not do enough to help you.
Also see: Life in Qatar
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