Errol and I, along with our friends, Lois and Dave, have been trying to see and do lots and lots during Eid Al Adha. Lois and I have a week off school and since we didn't go away for Eid, we thought we would see as much as possible of Doha and Qatar ... we made a N'Eid to Do List.
We started the season with a very fancy schmancy Christmas dinner gathering at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. I guess there were about 60 or 70 people there. The food was buffet and very Western. It was delish ... lots of cheese and bread and salads and the dessert table was outstanding. I was ecstatic because they had eggplant parmagiana ... oh, yum! Many of our colleagues left that night or the next day for destinations ranging from England to India to Calgary. I wish them all safe and happy trips. Several people had to cancel vacations to Thailand, but there were last minute deals to the Maldives and Seychelles, so I do not shed too many tears for them.
Friday, we went to the Anglican Church, the Church of The Epiphany, for the second Friday in Advent. That was very enjoyable and it was nice to see Edie Schwartz, whom we met a few weeks ago at our compound, again. I also got my hair cut down in Al Sadd and as always it was quite an interesting experience. There are about 22 Filipina, 4 Indian, and 4 Arabic women working there. Lots of Qatari clients and it is so interesting to see the treatments that are popular. It is also very interesting to see someone having their hair cut as well as getting a manicure and pedicure ... all simultaneously. If you want your eyebrowns threaded, however, you have to do that separately! I did some grocery shopping at the friendly Family Food as well. I met a nice man named Subhair, from Kerala, and he told me that Sheila was a Kerala name and that there was a film star by the name of Sheila. I asked if she was a Bollywood star, but he told me she acted in Malayalam. I also went swimming later on in the afternoon and it was a bit nippy, but I've been in colder:-)
Saturday, we went to Lois and Dave's house for a Christmas Brunch. There were 9 there ... and it seemed like we hadn't seen each other for a month of Sundays (although we all live in the same compound and on the same road). So we stayed and stayed and yakked and yakked and had a great time. While we were sitting and talking, we heard thunder and then saw li
ghtning and then it started raining and even hailing. We had a little flood in our house ... our balcony inclines toward the house. but it was a very minor event. Later on Dave and Lois and Errol and I went to the Hotel Intercontinental to the Greek Orthodox Community Christmas Bazaar. Omigoodness ... what a crowd they had. I would say it was a major success ... the place was packed and everyone seemed to be having a great time. I was happy to leave as it really was crowded.
Sunday was the first day of Eid and we decided we would go to the camel racetrack and then over to Du
khan, on the west coast. It was a glorious day and we saw so many interesting things. The camels were really amazing ... there must be hundreds of camel stables all clustered around the racetrack and we probably saw several hundred camels that day. Many of the trainers are Sudanese, but we also saw lots of Asian faces amongst the trainers ...the Phillipines or Indonesia is what occurred to me. We couldn't actually get into Dukhan, as it is really a compounded property owned by Qatar Petroleum. We did go down to the beach and then down to Umm Bab. The water was absolutely lovely and the day was a lot of fun. We had a picnic by the water and wished we'd brought extra bags to clean up some of the litter and to take home some seaweed for the garden!
Monday, we were thinking of going to the Museum of Islamic Art, but it was closed for Eid, so we decided to go to the Aspire Centre for a walk. What an amazing facility! After exploring, we went to the Pearl for a walkabout and a coffee. The Pearl is Doha's answer to Dubai's The Palms. It is called the Venice of the Middle East, and while it isn't really open yet, there are a few coffee shops open and people are preparing to move in. It is one of the only places in Qatar that foreign nationals may purchase. I think a bachelor apartment is going for a million dollars ... maybe not in this lifetime.
We started the season with a very fancy schmancy Christmas dinner gathering at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. I guess there were about 60 or 70 people there. The food was buffet and very Western. It was delish ... lots of cheese and bread and salads and the dessert table was outstanding. I was ecstatic because they had eggplant parmagiana ... oh, yum! Many of our colleagues left that night or the next day for destinations ranging from England to India to Calgary. I wish them all safe and happy trips. Several people had to cancel vacations to Thailand, but there were last minute deals to the Maldives and Seychelles, so I do not shed too many tears for them.
Friday, we went to the Anglican Church, the Church of The Epiphany, for the second Friday in Advent. That was very enjoyable and it was nice to see Edie Schwartz, whom we met a few weeks ago at our compound, again. I also got my hair cut down in Al Sadd and as always it was quite an interesting experience. There are about 22 Filipina, 4 Indian, and 4 Arabic women working there. Lots of Qatari clients and it is so interesting to see the treatments that are popular. It is also very interesting to see someone having their hair cut as well as getting a manicure and pedicure ... all simultaneously. If you want your eyebrowns threaded, however, you have to do that separately! I did some grocery shopping at the friendly Family Food as well. I met a nice man named Subhair, from Kerala, and he told me that Sheila was a Kerala name and that there was a film star by the name of Sheila. I asked if she was a Bollywood star, but he told me she acted in Malayalam. I also went swimming later on in the afternoon and it was a bit nippy, but I've been in colder:-)
Saturday, we went to Lois and Dave's house for a Christmas Brunch. There were 9 there ... and it seemed like we hadn't seen each other for a month of Sundays (although we all live in the same compound and on the same road). So we stayed and stayed and yakked and yakked and had a great time. While we were sitting and talking, we heard thunder and then saw li
ghtning and then it started raining and even hailing. We had a little flood in our house ... our balcony inclines toward the house. but it was a very minor event. Later on Dave and Lois and Errol and I went to the Hotel Intercontinental to the Greek Orthodox Community Christmas Bazaar. Omigoodness ... what a crowd they had. I would say it was a major success ... the place was packed and everyone seemed to be having a great time. I was happy to leave as it really was crowded.Sunday was the first day of Eid and we decided we would go to the camel racetrack and then over to Du
khan, on the west coast. It was a glorious day and we saw so many interesting things. The camels were really amazing ... there must be hundreds of camel stables all clustered around the racetrack and we probably saw several hundred camels that day. Many of the trainers are Sudanese, but we also saw lots of Asian faces amongst the trainers ...the Phillipines or Indonesia is what occurred to me. We couldn't actually get into Dukhan, as it is really a compounded property owned by Qatar Petroleum. We did go down to the beach and then down to Umm Bab. The water was absolutely lovely and the day was a lot of fun. We had a picnic by the water and wished we'd brought extra bags to clean up some of the litter and to take home some seaweed for the garden!
Monday, we were thinking of going to the Museum of Islamic Art, but it was closed for Eid, so we decided to go to the Aspire Centre for a walk. What an amazing facility! After exploring, we went to the Pearl for a walkabout and a coffee. The Pearl is Doha's answer to Dubai's The Palms. It is called the Venice of the Middle East, and while it isn't really open yet, there are a few coffee shops open and people are preparing to move in. It is one of the only places in Qatar that foreign nationals may purchase. I think a bachelor apartment is going for a million dollars ... maybe not in this lifetime.
Today we went to Al Khor to see the harbour and beach and then on to Madinat Al Shamal and Al Ruwais at the tip of the peninsula. What a lovely day, The weather was gorgeous and the Gulf of Arabia is so bea
utiful. The water is just a lovely colour. We went to a couple of ruins and an old fort in Al Zubara on the way home. To top it all off, Lois and Dave invited us over for BBQ steak. Very nice way to end the day! Tomorrow we will go for the Museum ... and continue checking off things on our N'Eid to 
Do L
ist!
utiful. The water is just a lovely colour. We went to a couple of ruins and an old fort in Al Zubara on the way home. To top it all off, Lois and Dave invited us over for BBQ steak. Very nice way to end the day! Tomorrow we will go for the Museum ... and continue checking off things on our N'Eid to 
Do L
ist!
2 comments:
You are doing all of my very favorite things in Qatar. Problem is, there is only a limited amount of things to do in Qatar, and you are doing them all!
If you continue to attend the Anglican services, you will meet a lot of people who know when and where the cultural events are taking place, and where to get tickets, too. :-) You might even see me there one Friday morning.
Yes, we were certainly on a mission to do things during Eid Al Adha, before it gets too hot and too busy at school. Despite the limited number of potential activites, I have a still quite long list of things I want to see and do here ...
I have enjoyed the services at the Church of the Epiphany, although they are somewhat different from ones in Canada. Rather, the hymns and responses are quite different. But I am sure I will continue to go. There is a man (maybe named Raymond???) who sits in the front who has a wonderful voice and knows all the hymns. I may become a regular just to hear him sing:-)
Actually Edie Schwartz came to a baby shower at our compound today (knows the mom-to-be from Saudi) and she is so lovely. Many interesting tales from someone who has lived abroad for quite a while.
Well, it would be very interesting to know you might be in the congregation one day.
Actually one of your posts (about how hard it is to get information about cultural events) was in my mind today because the Qatar Philharmonic has actually had some publicity about their next concert ... and so we know when, where, and how much the concert will be. It is a really wonderful orchestra - if you come to Doha frequently, it is well worth seeing.
Post a Comment