For more information about Hatha Yoga or about the courses visit Doha Yoga and Fitness.
For more activities to do in Doha see our list of Qatar Clubs.
Picture by: MyYogaOnline
Qatar Visitor Friends
Qatar Jobs
Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar
Tags
yoga
Monday, September 22, 2008
Doha Yoga and Fitness
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Police Clearance for Qatar
After being accepted for a job in Qatar, you may be asked to provide a police clearance certificate. This relatively new requirement was brought in about 2 1/2 years, and at the time meant no end of hassle for those already in Qatar who now required one.
In our latest website article we look at how to obtain a police certificate, and what to do with it after you have got it. The piece was written in response to a question on the forum here: Required UK Documents for Qatar by Plaxis, and we have incorporated some of the information he eventually found out on the British side of things, while the British Embassy were kind enough to provide us with the information on the Qatar side of things.
Qatar Visitor Friends
Qatar Jobs
Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar
Tags
police clearance
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Disabled Travels
This is a guest post by Jean Rasbridge, a disabled traveller who works for a UK Power Chair company.
I recently had a very pleasant stay with family who are working in elegant Qatar - I had been apprehensive about the journey itself, as well as travelling to a totally new country where I could not even say "Good Morning" ( I am ashamed to say). However I need not have worried, my fears about a non-disabled friendly trip and reception were unfounded.
I travelled from Terminal 3 at Heathrow, and was escorted from the check in desk by very friendly airline staff, to a quiet waiting area, and when the flight was called was accompanied again to boarding. My travel Power Chair was put into the hold after I was ensconced in a front seat, and the journey passed smoothly. On arrival my son had arranged for an amazing service! A lift brought the chair to the door of the plane, and I was then met by a member of a Visa handling service called Al Maha, and taken to a charming area where I was offered fresh juice, tea or coffee whilst the formalities were completed on my behalf without any anxiety on my part.
I was then taken through Customs, and my baggage retrieved and put onto a portered trolley whilst I sat comfotably in my little Power Chair, and then was then happily reunited with my family - a really stress free journey.
The small power chair I took with me for this journey can be taken apart easily and put into vehicles - and the dry cell batteries are safe for transport. The heaviest part is 27 Kg, so it is acceptable for carriers to transport either as a whole unit at under 50 kg, which most airlines will carry. However, it is important to check with your carrier before you book. I have often taken scooters on plane trips, but this is so much more manouevrable inside than a scooter. It has an off board charger and a range of up to 10 miles
I found Doha a really lovely place to visit (apart from the dust perhaps) - from the elegant promenade which was very wheelchair user friendly, the exciting souks with their unusual smells and scents, the beautifully embellished mosque, to the 5-star hotels which were also disabled friendly. The very modern and stylish malls were also designed for wheelchair access, though I did not see another single user! Most amazingly, in a country famed for its crazy driving, I did not see one disabled parking space that had been taken by an able driver.
While Doha was navigable, I can't say the same about the sand dunes - but then I guess that's not the government's fault.
I am looking forward to another trip, before too long...
Qatar Visitor Friends
Qatar Jobs
Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar
Tags
powerchair
Friday, September 19, 2008
Doha's Industrial Area
The Industrial Area in Qatar
This is the industrial area; a drab and dreary district on the edge of Doha, where all the industry, garages and factories that might spoil the beautification of Doha has been placed. We visited it one Friday morning, a rare interval of peace in the area's hectic week. At busy times - which is most of the time - queues back up for half a kilometre along the wall, an unpleasant bullying mass of pickup trucks, tractors and giant lorries which often grind great holes into the roads. At present it is in better condition, although that will not be much consolation to the man who died after his car fell into one of the holes. For much of the year it is dusty, a dust that gets into your throat and your lungs, but on the rare occasions it rains there are floods - at such times, it is best to study the movements of the cars in front of you to avoid those holes.
It's not just heavy industry which is removed from Doha. As more and more cheap accommodation has been mowed down in Qatar, many of the poorer sections of the population have been forced, through lack of accommodation in the center, to remove themselves from below the eyes of the rich and to join the factory workers who live here.
If you live here, chances are that at some point you will be forced to visit the Industrial area - and, despite or perhaps because of the contrast with the more modern areas of Doha, it makes a fascinating visit, if not always a very pleasant one.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The National Anthem of Qatar
This is not our first post on the Qatar National Anthem - we have the tune of the anthem, with the lyrics below - but it is not very satifying not being able to listen to the words. So we have provided movies of the anthems below. The first one is not great quality, having being downloaded from YouTube, edited, and then uploaded again (and being recompressed) but we chose it because the sound was clear. The second was recorded by us at the recent world cup qualifying match between Bahrain and Qatar. As this was a totally original movie we were able to host it on Vimeo, which often provides better quality movies than YouTube.
Qatar National Anthem at the Asian Games
The National Anthem of Qatar at the Bahrain v. Qatar Game
A Qatar Football Crowd sings the Qatar National Anthem from qatar visitor on Vimeo.
Qatar Visitor Friends
Qatar Jobs
Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar
Tags
National Anthem
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Former Qatar Islamic Dean talks about terrorism
In this movie the former Dean of Islamic studies, a man who is often quoted in Qatar and who has been a voice for moderation and reason, talks out about terrorism in Arabic culture.
More movies tomorrow - this time they will be ours!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Mobile phones, Inflation and Press Freedom
There are a number of interesting stories in the rounds today.
Vodafone have gained the fixed line licence after winning the mobile licence several months ago. No-one seems to be very surprised, and in contrast to the first round only two companies actually bothered to bid against them. The company got the licence for a song too - they only paid QAR 10 million for the fixed licence, as opposed to QAR7.72 billion for the mobile licence.
Surprisingly, Qtel do not seem to be too concerned - I hear from a friend that works there that the employees are more concerned with their inter-departmental football matches.
Vodaphone, in the meantime, might do best financing their operations by borrowing in riyals. Despite the fall in the value of the dollar, which has been labelled by us as well as others as one of the main causes of rising prices, inflation has continued to grow and now stands at an incredible 16.59 percent. See Arabian Business for the full story.
Those thinking of coming to Qatar on a contract might do well to check if their salary is indexed linked, and start asking hard questions about what price rises they might have if any - the salary/bonus at the end of contract could be worth a lot less than it is at the start. Especially if the Qatar Central Bank continues to play with price control measures instead of doing what they need to do - raise interest rates.
Finally there is the opening of the Doha Medium Freedom Centre, which will be building a monument to journalists. Things have already been busy with Qatar flying women journalists from abroad after they have been threatened. Ironically, since the opening of the Centre has been announced several journalists have been taken to court for the stories they have written.
This included one journalist, sentenced to jail in absentia, for defamation of Hamad hospital. The journalist covered the story of a patient who had "come back to life" at Hamad hospital after being declared dead. The sentence was despite the fact that the woman who had supposedly fabricated the story had obtained documents, photographs and a taped recording of the man.
Still, I am sure all these journalists will feel happier when they can see the centre's monument. Hopefully, it will be in view of Doha's prison!
Qatar News
Qatar Visitor Friends
Qatar Jobs
Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar
Tags
news
Doha Tennis Open
The Qatar Tennis Open is being held at the Intercontinental from the 15th - 29th October - click on the brochure below for more information.
Also see: Qatar Tennis
Qatar Visitor Friends
Qatar Jobs
Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar
Tags
tennis
Monday, September 15, 2008
Cranes
Cranes reach into the sunset in this Doha evening.
Qatar Visitor Friends
Qatar Jobs
Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar
Tags
cranes Doha
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Garangau
It's a great night for kids tonight, as today is the fourteenth day of Ramadan, which means - Garangau! Garangau will be well underway as I write, starting as it does after Iftar (the breaking of the fast) - although my own daughter's school will be celebrating tomorrow, and has asked children to be sent in traditional dress. (What is traditional British dress?) It's also a day when the school relaxes its normal rules on sweets - last year my daughter came home with a huge bag of them, including many nuts covered with a sticky sweet icing - the sweets lasted until I surreptitiously threw them away a couple of weeks later. It's not actually a particularly religious festival, despite the words of the traditional Garangau song (see below), and children of virtually all nationalities and religions join in.
Garangau Song
"If you give us some sweets and nuts God will reward you, and take you to Mecca, the place every Muslim wants to go.' (Source: Marhaba Autumn 2008).
Saturday, September 13, 2008
American Women's Association Meeting
Posted at the request of Indorachel.
AWA GENERAL MEETING
Location : Al Rayyan Hotel , Dafna-Diplomatic District ( Opposite City Center )
Time : 10 - 12 am
Date :
- 13 October
- 10 November
- 8 December
we also have
AWA ANNUAL BAZAAR
Location : Intercon Hotel
Time : 10 - 12 am
Date : 8 November 2008
Qatar Visitor Friends
Qatar Jobs
Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar
Shelters
Although Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world (if not the richest country in the world) not everyone can afford a luxurious place to relax, as these pictures of worker's shelters from Doha's industrial area show.
Qatar Visitor Friends
Qatar Jobs
Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar
Tags
workers Doha shelters
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
