COP 18 traffic update

Left home at 6:56, arrived at the office at 7:16. 20 minutes is actually a touch better than usual. I did not notice any difference in the level of traffic on Al Bidda road (the road parallel to the Corniche). I've heard that later in the mornings the traffic can be worse but around 7am it's fine.

COP18 traffic

Overall the traffic was only a little worse than usual. Left home at 6:48, took Al Bidda road to get to West Bay. More delay than usual at one of the roundabouts but other than that the traffic was not much heavier. Arrived at 7:15 so it took 27 minutes, maybe 5 minutes longer than average.

Unless a lot of people have been staying home today the worries of traffic chaos turned out to be incorrect.

UN Climate Change Conference

The UN Climate Change Conference, known as COP18, has started in Doha. I don't know a lot about it, all I know is that about 20,000 delegates will be attending. How do I know that? Because for the last couple of weeks everyone's been panicking about the massive traffic disruptions this might cause. Warnings have been going out that everyone should leave for work extra early, some companies are enacting work-from-home plans, and some schools closed today.

Now given that it is a climate change conference most of the participants will be using buses but even then there are over 400 buses being used to shuttle everyone around. Good thing they're not driving rental cars or using taxis.

Let's see tomorrow morning how my commute goes. I'll report from the office once I arrive.

Doha Tribeca Film Festival 2012

Last week was the Tribeca Film Festival and unfortunately I didn’t manage to see any films. Not for lack of trying, I did some waiting in line, but in the end it was all for naught as the films were sold out.

I would've liked to buy tickets in advance but I promised a friend I would do a house-sitting that week for another friend of theirs, and take care of the owner's dog. This meant my schedule was busy and I didn't know how easy it would be for me to slip out to see a film in the evening so I didn't buy any Tribeca tickets in advance.

I noted in my blog that for previous Tribecas I would be surprised that the film would be sold out but when I attended there would be tons of empty seats. This year the organizers got around that by having a “Rush Line” for each film. Five minutes before screening if they are any empty seats than the people standing in the Rush Line can buy tickets and attend the film. Great way to ensure the theater is packed. Unfortunately anytime I tried to see a film using the Rush Line there were minimum 40+ people ahead of me and ultimately I wouldn't get in. Better luck next year. Friends who managed to see some films said it was a great experience.

This year almost all of the films were screened at Katara instead of the movie theaters in the malls, which meant that Katara was pretty lively. I was there on Friday, designated Family Day and featuring lots of children's activities, and Katara was crowded with people all having a good time. Looks like the Tribeca has come a long way from its more humble beginnings four years ago.

What To Do In Doha/Qatar

[last updated: December 2014]

Now that winter is approaching and the temperatures are nice, I figure I’d expand from “Where to Eat in Doha” and do a general tourist blog post.

So you're visiting for a few days, or maybe a week, and you’re wondering what there is to do in Doha. Well, here's my list:

(What about summer? Don't worry, I'll let you know if summer is not a good time for it):

Yes, these are in order of my personal preference.

1) Souq Waqif

If you only have time for one thing in Doha visiting Souq Waqif should be it. A recently refurbished old Souq it is now popular with both locals and ex-pats and has over 20 restaurants in addition to hundreds of small shops selling everything from souvenirs, swords, perfumes, clothing, jewelry, pets, spices, even falcons.

Don't just stay on the main street where the restaurants are, be sure to explore the narrow alleyways and get lost in the labyrinth of shops. Maybe you'll find the shops that make halwa, a traditional dessert, or a club where Qataris play a traditional board game called “damah”. Stop by a perfume shop and ask for information about the various oils and incenses, or pick up a bit of candy in the spice market. Unlike markets in places like North Africa you will not get hassled much at all so can wander around and enjoy the Souq at your leisure. Souq Waqif is an excellent way to spend an evening.

I’m usually there two or three times a week so if you see me feel free to say Hi.

What about summer? The heat of summer makes it a bit tougher for wandering around the Souq but it is still a worthwhile experience. The restaurants have indoor sections that are air conditioned and many of the alleyways are covered so the air-conditioning from the shops makes them a bit cooler than open-air areas like the main street. Wear some casual clothes as you will be sweating.

(Warning: Most shops in the Souq close in the afternoon until 4pm or so and will also not be open Friday mornings. After 5pm is the best time to go.)

I now have a map of Souq Waqif on my blog, you can find it here.


2) Museum of Islamic Art

Near Souq Waqif is another must-see attraction, the Museum of Islamic Art. Beautiful building, excellent park, world-class exhibits. Admission is free but be sure to bring ID so you can get a headset which will give you a lot more information about the exhibits (free to rent but they will hold onto your ID until you return it). Unlike many European museums which are crammed to the rafters with items the Museum of Islamic Art rotates the items on display and they are well spaced. At a reasonable pace and without the headphones you could see everything in the Museum in about two hours. Linger a bit at the exhibits that catch your eye and the museum would take you 3 to 4 hours. Be sure to take some pictures from the open-air courtyards and I consider their café one of the nicest in the city. The park surrounding the Museum is worth visiting as well and has a playground in addition to a couple of cafés with great views of West Bay.

Since the Museum is free one suggestion, especially if you are traveling with children, is spend some time in the Museum, take a break in the park, have lunch at one of the cafés, then go back to the Museum exhibits. There’s your day right there. Walk over to Souq Waqif for dinner. You can also visit the nearby Islamic Cultural Centre (see item #6).

What about summer? No problem, the Museum has excellent air-conditioning and the Museum café is indoors. You might want to give the park a miss if it's too hot out though many families go to the park in the evening when it's a bit cooler.

Be sure to check the opening times as they change depending on the day of the week. The Museum is closed on Tuesdays.
http://www.mia.org.qa/


3) Tour the Sand Dunes in the South

Most hotels will have a tour company at a desk in the lobby. Every tour company will offer a tour of the sand dunes (you may also see mentioned tours to something called the "Inland Sea”, that's also in the dunes). Definitely worth doing and can be a fun way to spend the day. It takes about an hour or so to get down to Sealine Beach Resort at the edge of the dunes, where you will take a break while they deflate the tires (necessary for traveling over sand). There's usually a couple guys around with some camels that you can rent for a few minutes. If you're not familiar with Qatar surprisingly there aren’t many opportunities to ride camels so if you want a picture riding a camel this is your chance.

The desert trip usually involves going over the dunes to a camp set up by the tour company. Depending on how long your tour is you may have a few stops along the way for pictures. At the camp meals will be served.

Companies will usually ask if you want a normal ride or an exciting/dune-bashing ride in the desert. Take the exciting one. It's not bumpy like you might expect, instead the driver will build up speed and slide across some of the dunes. It's very smooth. Kids who enjoy going on amusement park rides will love it. The driver will typically also go down a very steep dune, this time slowly sliding down the sand. The excitement is in the approach -- it looks like you're about to go off a cliff.

Depending on the tour company you might also have an opportunity for swimming in the Gulf. Ask in advance and if so bring your swim shorts.

Other activities depend on how long your tour is. Some offer same-day while others may also offer tours where you stay overnight at the camp. For the longer tours ask what activities are offered.

If you want to book in advance just google search “Qatar tour companies” or “Inland Sea tours” and I’m sure you’ll find many companies.

What about summer? Depends on the tour company I guess, I'm not sure how many, if any, offer a tour the sand dunes in the really hot months like July or August. If they do I definitely wouldn't do an overnight unless there's some serious air-conditioning at the camp.


4) (In no particular order) Walk along either the Corniche, the Pearl, or Katara

All of these areas are nice to walk around, each has their own attraction:

Corniche: this is typically the busiest of the three with tons of walkers and joggers, or people sitting on the grass watching their kids play.

On the Corniche in the evening you will also see a number of dhows with lights on them

These dhows offer quick tours around the Corniche area, just walk up to one and negotiate how long you want the tour (typically a half hour to an hour) and the price. It's been a couple years since I did this but last time I think they charged around QAR 30 per person for 45 minutes -- but we were a large group. If you're a small group they’ll probably ask for a flat rate of something like QAR 100-150 for everyone. It's a relaxing thing to do and a great way to see West Bay and the Museum of Islamic Art.

Downside: there are almost no restaurants or cafés along the entire 6km so you might need to plan ahead and bring drinks and snacks with you. There is a Costa Coffee on the end of the Corniche near the Sheraton Hotel so you can get supplies there.



The Pearl: Another popular place for a stroll. A huge reclaimed-land development with new skyscrapers surrounding a circular bay. At ground level there are wide walkways and plenty of shops and cafés. As you stroll around you’ll see some of the nicest yachts in Qatar parked at the Marina.

Downside: unless you are staying in a hotel in West Bay, or somewhere north of that, it's a fair distance away. Also, there isn’t much in the way of grassy areas or parks there.




Katara: The Katara Cultural Village is a large area with restaurants, art centres, interesting mosques, an amphitheatre, and a beach. It's worth spending a couple of hours wandering around and seeing what's there. Check their website ahead of time for what activities or exhibitions might be happening.

http://www.katara.net/english/

Downside: like the Pearl the area is a few kilometers north of West Bay so can be a bit of a journey if you're not staying anywhere near that area. Most of the restaurants are high-end and expensive but there is a café there and you can stop by chowpatti stands for a quick snack and karak. You also have to pay to use the beach.


What about summer? The Pearl and Katara have some indoor areas with air-conditioning, the Pearl especially, but it's still not as nice an experience if you can't go outside for too long. I don't recommend walking along the Corniche in the summer as it is entirely outdoors, does not have a lot of shade, and since there are not many restaurants and cafés if you start feeling overheated you could be very far from somewhere to get out of the heat.



5) Visit one of the Larger Malls

This is worthwhile even if you're not much of a shopper if only for people watching. Malls in Qatar are very busy so find a café, get a coffee, and watch the many nationalities of Qatar pass you by. I usually do this with guests the first night they arrive -- it really gives them a feel for Qatar and how diverse and cosmopolitan it is. It also gives newcomers a good idea about the dress code. I remember one British friend assumed she'd have to wear a headscarf in Qatar, watching hundreds of people pass by at the mall quickly showed her that jeans and a T-shirt, and no headscarf, was perfectly acceptable.

In addition, all of the larger malls have sizeable amusement parks for children.

I recommend City Centre, Villagio, or Landmark mall for this excursion. Check with your hotel which one is easiest to get to.

What about summer? You bet all the malls are air-conditioned so the summer is no problem. In fact the malls can be busier in the summer since most people don't go outside much at that time.



6) Visit the Islamic Cultural Center

The Islamic Cultural Center, also known as FANAR, is located in the spiral mosque near Souq Waqif. Inside is plenty of information about Islam, and you can go there and have a cup of coffee with one of the volunteers who would be happy to answer your questions. The volunteers are not aggressively trying to convert you (that's not exactly going to happen over a cup of coffee) but want to clear up misconceptions many people have about Islam.

FANAR also does a number of events and tours of other mosques or Katara, go to their website and see if they have anything while you are in Doha. Great way to learn about Islam and Qatari culture.

FANAR is also close to Souq Waqif and the Museum of Islamic Art so if you want combine a visit to FANAR with one of those places.

What about summer? Of course you can visit, it’s indoors. They might not have any external tours though.

http://www.fanar.gov.qa/



7) Camel races & Sheikh Faisal’s Museum

About 25 km west of Doha is the town of Shahaniya, where there is a camel track and camel races are held. Check with your hotel for times though even if there isn't a race there are usually people exercising or training camels. The best time to go would be Saturday since that is the only time you can visit Sheikh Faisal’s Museum, which is nearby. Sheikh Faisal has an extensive collection of items such as integer vehicles, swords, maps, antique furniture and some pretty unique items (wandering around I saw things like an old Catholic confession booth). As it is a private collection you have to call in advance to see it and I believe the only day available is Saturday from around 10am-2pm. The place is huge and you could easily spend a few hours there, I went one time with the Natural History Group and I think over 100 of us were wandering through the place. There was even enough space for all of us to have a catered lunch. There's also no problem with bringing children.

Given the distance from Doha I recommend going on Saturday so that you can see both. Ask your hotel to try to find out if there is a camel race or other event at the track. For the museum call 44861444 to see if you can visit.

What about summer? You can still go to the museum but I doubt there'll be much going on at the camel track – too hot for people to be outside training camels.



8) Visit the Abandoned Villages and Fort Zubara

Up in the far northwest corner of the country (a little over an hour drive) is a fort that was created around the 1930s, Fort Zubara. Recently upgraded as part of the area becoming a UNESCO site it has some displays of the archaeological dig and the history of the area. You can find more details on my blog post here.

A couple of kilometers north of the fort are a few abandoned villages. These are interesting to wander around and maybe have a picnic. The largest one is on the shore (you’ll probably need a 4x4 to reach it). I like the abandoned villages better than the fort.

What about summer? This is all outdoors and the fort does not have air-conditioning in most rooms. Not recommended for the summer.

For information on the fort try http://www.qatartourism.gov.qa/pillars/index/1/culture/239



And if you're really feeling a little adventurous . . .


Bonus #1) Wander Around a Commercial Street

Many neighborhoods have what is called a commercial street, a long street with tons of shops on either side. This is where the more conventional stuff is found: cheap eats, barbers, cobblers, mobile phone shops, car washes, corner stores, tailors and so forth. Moreso than malls you will see people from all walks of life mingling around on a commercial street, from wealthy Qataris to construction laborers. Traffic is usually hectic, and double parking (or occasionally triple) is commonplace. This is not the pristine walkways of the malls or places like the Pearl, commercial streets are chaotic and occasionally unkempt and don't be surprised to see old buildings with dripping air conditioners, uneven sidewalks, and rough-looking stray cats wandering around. It’s safe though.

If you don’t have a car you’ll likely need to take a taxi there but it should be reasonable to find one to take you back. If you’re concerned then arrange with the taxi driver to pick you up at a location in a few hours.

Where are these streets? My favorite is Al Nasr Street near Ramada Signal, about 1.5 km long and contains many of my favourite restaurants like Turkey Central but there are dozens of small eateries you can try. Other suggestions would be Old Airport Road, Al Mansoura Street in the Najma Area, the area behind Royal Plaza Mall in Al Sadd, or Al Shafi Street if you’re staying out near Aspire or Education City. Upscale areas like West Bay or the Pearl do not have a commercial street.


Bonus #2) Ladies -- try wearing an abaya

Ah yes, the abaya and niqab (veil). While a common sight in the Gulf in Qatar ladies are not required to wear it, nor do they have to keep their hair covered, but why not be adventurous and give it a try? Gulf Arabs would never have an issue with a foreign woman covering up and wearing a black abaya and veil, and might even appreciate that you're making an effort to dress conservatively. Many Westerners tend to be critical of abayas and veils but as the saying goes about "walking a mile in their shoes" consider giving it a try so that you know what it's actually like. Will people treat you differently when you're wearing it?

If nothing else once you go back home it will definitely be something to talk about and your friends will marvel at your photos.

Abayas can be found in shops throughout the city, though inexpensive ones would more likely to be found that places such as Souq Waqif or on commercial streets (see bonus #1 above).




Hope you enjoy your time in Qatar!

US Election

Now that everyone's had a chance to calm down and take a breather I’ll give my two cents about the US election.

I wasn't as caught up in the excitement as I was with the 2008 election but still became a regular follower of Nate Silver's blog for the New York Times (he went 51 for 51, let's hear it for math!). Personally if I were American I certainly would've voted for a left wing party. I'm not guaranteeing it would've been the Democrats, it might've been one of those smaller parties I currently don't know much about, but I certainly wouldn't have voted Republican. The extreme right-wing views that some Republican faithful seem to embrace really put me off the Republicans. In short, I'm glad Obama won.

The newspapers are filled with analysis of “what went wrong for Romney”. One commenter noted that the Republicans still rely too much on Outraged White Men for their votes. One of my favourite comments was that they should change their name from GOP to WOP (“White Old Party”). Democrats fared better with women voters, young people, and minorities and as the years go on the demographics of America will continue to change, favouring the groups that currently vote Democrat.

Face it, the American economy was still facing big problems and yet the Democrats still won. What will the Republicans do if the economy improves four years later? The economy was their biggest card and that still wasn't enough for them to win.

I agree with some newspapers that the Republicans need to broaden their appeal to the electorate and thus face a tough decision:

You can have:

• anti-immigration policies
• anti-gay marriage policies
• anti social-services (& other big spending) policies
• anti-abortion policies

Or you can have:

• a Republican President

But you can't have both.

This means the Republicans are going to have to start reinventing themselves and possibly muting or dropping some of their more right-wing views. By being more centrist they might appeal better to the electorate. The hard line has to be tempered, and the Tea Party has to mellow out a bit. Far-right guys like Rick Santorum need to be sidelined.

Impossible? No, I don’t believe so. Such resurrections have happened in the past. The Democrats returned from the ashes after the Reagan-Bush Sr. years (back then Democrats were on thin ice -- does anyone remember that Bloom County comic from the mid-80s where Opus learns his mother is alive, runs up to Milo screaming, "SHE ISN'T DEAD!", to which Milo replies, "Who? The Democratic Party?"). The Democrats have now won four of the last six elections and if you count the popular vote they won the last five of six. Not bad for a party who got wiped off the map by Reagan.

Anyway, four more years. The internet had some great quips and pictures, look them up if you get the chance:

• “I guess it's true, once you've had black you won't go back”
• a picture of Big Bird with the caption, “Who's unemployed now, bitch!”
• pictures of Obama captioned, “U Mad?” or with other memes

Onward to the “fiscal cliff . . .”

I’m back.

I’m back from Spain.

I know people have told me in the past that Spanish food is not like Mexican food but all the same I wasn't expecting it to be so different. A lot of pork, some of other meats, but not a lot of vegetables. Pork was everywhere and in towns like Segovia, celebrated. I had entrées that consisted of an entire leg of steamed pork.

I (jokingly) assume that once the Spanish had defeated the Muslims they deliberately only prepared “haram” foods as a way to ensure the Muslims never returned.

I was also surprised how almost nobody in the Castile region spoke French. I assumed, given the proximity of Spain to France, that many Spaniards would speak French better than English and was prepared to try to use French if they were not very fluent in English. A typical conversation went like this:

Me: Do you speak English?

Them: [either signaling a little or saying “a little bit”]

Me: Parlez-vous francais?

Them: No. [With a kind of "why would I speak that?" look]

As for Spain's financial crisis I did not see a lot of impact in Madrid. I saw a small rally at a Bankia location but that was about it and downtown Madrid seemed quite busy and lively. It was outside Madrid that it was a lot more pronounced. I saw many closed shops in Avila and Salamanca. There were also some in Segovia but it didn't appear as bad as the other cities. I was expecting to see a number of beggars and homeless people but there wasn't as much as I expected. Most cities in Western Canada have more.

It was also reasonably priced once you got out of Madrid. I was staying in nice hotels for as little as 45 Euro per night, and paid 60 Euro to stay at a hotel a stones throw away from Plaza Mayor in Salamanca.

I'm planning to go back to Spain again someday, this time to tour the southern areas such as Seville and Córdoba to see the old Moorish architecture. A friend of mine just returned from there he said it was fantastic.

Vacation continued

The walls of Avila. The walled city is in an excellent state of preservation and it was cool to walk atop the walls. Try the local delicacy - a veal steak.

Vacation continued

Now in Salamanca, which in many ways is even nicer than Segovia (though the castle at Segovia has no equal in Salamanca).

On vacation

Currently on vacation. Where? Well, my hotel has a small garden with a view of this.

Go visit if you get a chance.

Traffic – Part 2

There have been a couple of recent articles that tie in nicely to my discussion on traffic.

First is an article about which cities in North America have the worst traffic. The measure the study used was comparing travel times during peak periods to travel times during non-peak periods. The worst city in North America by this measure was Los Angeles, with an increase of 34%.

Now go back to my previous post. The difference in travel time for me between light traffic and rush-hour appears to be more around 50%+. Granted, we are using a low base here since in light traffic I can get to work in 10-15 minutes. But I know that for people living farther away, such as Al Waab, to get to West Bay in light traffic would probably be 20-25 minutes. At peak times it’s about an hour (150-200% increase). There is no way for your average commuter it would only be a 34% increase in time during peak hours, that would be the equivalent of a “light traffic” 30 minute drive taking 40 minutes. Not a chance that in Doha your delay is that short during rush hour if you are going to West Bay, C-ring road or Grand Hamad Street.

Los Angeles the worst at 34%? That would be wonderful to have here.

I hope the Government is developing some short-term solutions because anyone hoping on the Metro to relieve traffic congestion will be waiting a long time. A big announcement was made about breaking the ground on the building of one of the stations. The plan is for phase 1 to be operational by fourth quarter of 2019. And phase 1 is only from the new airport along the Corniche to Lusail so it won't do much to alleviate traffic in much of the city. That will need to wait until phases 2 and 3 are complete, probably in 2020 or 2021.

If anyone has some solutions let the Government know.

Doha Traffic

Coming back to work after my lengthy illness something became quickly apparent -- the morning rush hour had gotten substantially worse. Rush hour is much lighter in the summer when many people are on vacation and the schools are out but the difference between early 2012 and now is incredible.

For me to get from my apartment to the office:

Under ideal conditions with no traffic (ex. Friday morning): 8-10 minutes
Rush hour when I moved to my apartment in early 2011: 16-18 minutes
Rush hour in early 2012: 20-23 minutes
This week: 30-35 minutes

So what happened over the summer? Before at roundabouts where there would be little traffic I now find myself waiting a few minutes. At roundabouts where I used to wait 5 minutes I am now waiting 10 minutes.

I'm not sure how such an increase to the commute occurred just over the summer but it is what it is. I spoke to work colleagues and the stories are similar. One of my colleagues lives on Al Waab Street and it takes him over an hour to get to work now.

Coincidentally there was an “Intelligent Transport System and Road Safety Forum” in Qatar this week which I believe is developing both short and long-term solutions for the traffic issue. A recent article in the newspaper had some surprising facts:

1) Qatar’s population on December 31, 2002, was 616,718, while according to the latest figures released by the Qatar Statistics Authority, the country had more than 1.84mn residents at the end of September 2012.

2) The number of vehicles on Qatar roads went from 287,500 vehicles in 2000 to 656,686 in 2010.

So in the last 10 years the population of the country has tripled! And the statistics for the number of vehicles only goes to 2010, if I extrapolate based on the average growth per the last 10 years I estimate there are around 730,000 vehicles now.

I don't envy the Government Minister who had to try to ensure infrastructure kept up with a tripling of your population in 10 years. It would be a challenge that almost no municipality or country has ever gone through (I think Dubai has as well but offhand I can't think of any others).

Traffic is getting worse and worse but it's not like the Government has done nothing: converted many roundabouts to intersections, the Shammal highway/freeway opened, Salwa road is being converted to underpasses and intersections, but unfortunately the changes to the road system are not keeping pace with the growth.

West Bay, however, is a special problem.

I recommend people go to Google Earth and find West Bay. Google Earth allows you to look at snapshots from the past so you can see West Bay as it looked all the way back in 2003. At that time there was City Center Mall, the Sheraton, The Four Seasons, and a smattering of small office towers but 80% of the land was sand. At that time there were three roads to get into West Bay:

• the Corniche,
• the Al Bidda road (about 100 m back and parallel to the Corniche), and
• the road from Arch Roundabout.

Nine lanes of road for traffic to enter the neighborhood.

Since then the neighborhood has grown to dozens and dozens of towers and by my rough estimate around 12,000+ people work in the office towers and hotels there, commuting in every weekday. And the road infrastructure to enter the neighborhood now consists of:

• the Corniche,
• the Al Bidda road (about 100 m back and parallel to the Corniche), and
• the road from Arch Roundabout.

Nine lanes of road for 12,000 commuters to enter the neighborhood. There are no additional roads being built to enter West Bay. There is no Metro or subway. Public transport to West Bay consists of two buses that run once every 20 minutes. If you work in West Bay you have little choice but to take a car.

Yet the building of office towers continues. I estimate another 6-8 office towers will open over the next 12 months adding 200+ floors of office space, and another 6-8 towers the following year (and I'm not even counting the opening of the QP district, that's around 10 towers). Why is the Government allowing more office towers to be built if the traffic infrastructure will not be able to handle the additional commuters?

The road system in West Bay is already at capacity, so even a slight increase to the number of cars has a significant impact on the commuting time (which is what I suspect is happening now). In two years time the increased traffic to West Bay will put such a strain on the system the entire thing will gridlock. People living on Al Waab Street will likely be facing commutes of around 1hr 45min. My 20-minute commute will become at least 45-50 minutes.

Immediate solutions are needed. I can only hope the Forum has developed some.

Villaggio Mall Reopens

Well the doctors have given me the all clear to go back to work tomorrow so I figured I’d leave my self-imposed quarantine for the day. While I was off sick I heard that Villaggio Mall had reopened since the disastrous fire in late May so going there was something to keep me occupied.

Most of the mall was open but some things were still closed:

Open:
 Carrefour
 Virgin Megastore
 Movie Theatre
 Amusement Park
 About 75% of the food court
 the ice rink didn't have anyone on it when I was there but it looked like it was ready
 many of the shops in the luxury-brand area
 most of the shops in the Carrefour area

Closed:
 the entire area between Go Sport and Zara, where the fire started, has been closed to the public.
 In the canal area most of the clothing shops on the side closest to the fire area and nursery are still closed
 Dean & Deluca
 Marks & Spencer
 some of the kiosks that were in the hallways have been removed.


After wandering around I had lunch at Paul before going to get some groceries. While I was sitting there having lunch the fire alarm went off! It only rang for 5 seconds and then stopped but when it went off everyone eating lunch, myself included, all started looking around a bit nervously, waiting to see if security or someone would tell everyone to leave. Had the alarm sounded a few seconds longer I was going to drop my food and head to the exit.

Turned out nothing was the matter but gone are the days when people in Doha easily ignore fire alarms.

500 posts!

It's my 500th post on this blog! Who'd a thought I would have been here over six years after that first post?

I figured I'd celebrate this milestone by looking back at some of my posts over the years, and the ones that have proven to be the most popular.

Looking at my first post, discussing why I started the blog, for the most part it has still held true. I will say that over the years the blog slowly moved away from critical thinking and went more into examining Islam and the culture of Qatar. As I got to know the country better and made some Qatari friends it became easier to discuss these kinds of topics. Hopefully they've been helpful to most of you who have come by looking for information about the region or Islam from a Westerner's perspective.

As an example, check out this post from my first Ramadan in 2006. Definitely a big change from how I cover Ramadan now. Over the years I've gone from “Ramadan is kind of odd” to doing the fast myself and trying to explore the holiday more in-depth.

Of course having Qatari friends has been great in helping to understand the region and they have never had a problem with helping me to understand things, even though they know it will likely appear on the blog. Whether it's weddings, falconry, or camping, that they have been willing to share aspects of their culture with me is truly appreciated. They also don't mind some of my more tongue-in-cheek interpretations of Qatar, such as the existence of a Secret Ministry.

I've even used my understanding of Islam to occasionally counter Internet misconceptions about it, usually by responding in forums but sometimes in a blog post. This one discussing whether Muslims can be good Americans or Canadians still gets a dozen or so hits every month, which means that original chain email is still being circulated around.

I'm also surprised sometimes by what gets noticed. Dohanews.co spotted my blog a couple of years ago and occasionally links to my posts, such as the tale of paying my cleaner, or places I walk around the city.

It's not just Qatar though, there was a brief flurry of activity from East Asia during my discussions of how Shanghai did in the recent PISA tests. It was even linked to in a Korean forum for some reason.

I still also get traffic for my post comparing London versus Paris (and its 2011 update, London versus Paris versus Rome). Looks like lots of people are interested in which city is better to visit. Sadly no one has ever left comments about whether they followed my advice or agreed with my opinions. I hope it proved useful.

Generally the posts I personally like the best are the more humorous ones. Whether it's warning the world about Speedos, soul-eating cats, the existence of the Secret Ministry, examining hip-hop videos, or listing things that annoy me, these are the types of posts that tend to put a smile on my face. To this day some friends of mine still quote my post about their cats (and the mysterious Qatsquatch).

It's not always fun and games though. Aside from upteen posts about whatever health trouble I've been having at the time I always wondered what happened to Mr. Kamal, my first Arabic teacher. I wish his remaining family well and hope they made it through the war okay.


So, what have been the most popular posts?

Bizarrely the most popular post is due to a Google error. My post on Beaches included a picture of a beach in Bermuda for comparison. Unfortunately Google Image Search keeps using that picture as a representation of a beach in Qatar, which inevitably leads to about 250+ people a month Googling something like “Qatar beach”, seeing a picture of beautiful sand and palm trees, and clicking on it to find out more about this really nice beach. I’ve put a warning in the post so thankfully I haven't received any nasty comments about the ruse. Who knew that one innocent picture would cause such a problem? For a better discussion about beaches and the nearby sand dunes I suggest going to this post instead.

Aside from that “technical glitch” the most popular post has been my discussion of where to eat in Doha, which also gets tons of hits from people interested in good restaurants in Qatar. I'm curious if anyone's tried the more adventurous places I recommended (please leave a comment in that post if you have).

While individually they are popular combined they would be the most popular post in the blog -- my pictures of various Qatari weddings. If you Google image search “Qatari wedding” a lot of the pictures on the first page are mine. I guess Qataris don't like to post pictures of their weddings on the Internet. Anyway go here, here, or here for the posts, or click the “Qatari Wedding” category on the right side.

A recent post that's climbing the charts was my post on the dark robe sometimes worn by Arabs known as a “bisht”. The post has a high ranking on the Google search engine because, to my surprise, there aren’t many English-language websites that actually discuss bishts and how to wear them.

Another popular post is an oldie but a goodie -- how does Al Ahli Hospital compare to Doha Clinic. This post is from three years ago but still gets a lot of hits. Some of the comments are from staff! Thankfully I have never been admitted to hospital since so I haven't been able to do an update.

In the same vein my post on how to renew an e-gate card gets a lot of hits from people in Qatar. It's a confusing process and there isn't a lot of information online on exactly what to do. Glad to have helped.

My taste-test of five varieties of dates is also popular especially for people searching “ajwa dates”, which turned out to be my favorite variety of the five.

And finally, a post with a brief history of Qur’anic calligraphy gets a pretty consistent amount of views. I have to give credit to the Museum of Islamic Art for having such a great collection so I could take pictures of examples, and for hosting the seminar that inspired me to write about it.


So here's to 500 posts! Thanks to everyone who stopped by, I hope the blog was informative and interesting. With any luck I'll be around Qatar long enough for another 500.

Reflections on Turkey - Part 3, Ephesus

One of the side trips I did was a three-hour bus ride to the ruins of Ephesus, one of Turkey's best Greek/Roman ruins.

Not surprisingly there were a ton of buses all going from Bodrum to Ephesus. I'd been warned by friends that most of my pictures would likely consist of a sea of heads and cameras because of the thousands of tourists that would be there. That said the Turkish Government, or perhaps a Tourism Ministry, had put facilities in place for such a migration. Whatever stops we did for meals, even if it was in a small village, was set up to handle hundreds of people, including toilet facilities. The food was never great, typically a mediocre buffet, but it was efficient and it sure beat hundreds of us being crammed into some small restaurant that wouldn't be able to handle busloads of people.

So we got to Ephesus around 11ish, and stocked up on water at a nearby store. We were told that there were no restaurants or stalls in Ephesus so you needed to buy water ahead of time -- it was going to be a hot day.

The ruins were crowded but perhaps because it was summer it was not as bad as I expected. The city is easy to navigate, essentially one long area so as long as you kept moving downhill you were headed to the other end. Despite its size there is still plenty of the city to excavate, apparently during Roman times it may have had as many as 200,000 people.

It had some impressive ruins. The main shopping street was relatively intact.

The Library of Celsus, the most majestic building of the ruins.

And a colossal amphitheater.

One of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Temple of Artemis, was in Ephesus but unfortunately it was destroyed over 2000 years ago so there's really nothing of it to see.

Afterward we did a quick trip to the House of the Virgin Mary, an area on a mountainside where it is believed that the Virgin Mary lived after leaving Jerusalem. It's a major Catholic pilgrimage site and Popes visit it whenever they come to Turkey (including Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI).

It's pretty straightforward, you go up to the house and enter it (inside is a small shrine as well as the gifts left by the Popes during their visits). No pictures allowed inside I'm afraid but it's a fairly small space, at most two dozen people could fit in there.

After leaving there is an area for you to light a candle.

Then you go down to the nearby springs, maybe 50 feet away from the house, to drink the water (many people also brought bottles to collect water). I assume the water is considered holy.

Then you pass the Wishing Wall, where pilgrims write down wishes or prayers and attach them to the wall.

Ephesus is well worth visiting (yes, even with a three-hour bus ride each way), though you might be better off renting a car and staying overnight nearby, that way you can visit the ruins either in the morning or later in the day when all the tour buses aren't there.

Do Muslims Hate America?

Today in the Washington Post I came across an opinion column that I think is worth reading, on why Muslims hate America.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/why-muslims-hate-america/2012/09/21/520dd22e-043f-11e2-8102-ebee9c66e190_blog.html

Mr. Rashid makes some good points and the main ideas are things that I too have stated in this blog:

1) Rabid anti-American sentiment is only from a minority of Muslims
2) That the West is seen by many as hypocritical in its views on freedom, telling the Islamic world that it should embrace democracy and freedom yet at the same time supporting dictators or enacting legislation that impinges upon freedom (ex. French anti-veil laws)

In terms of these recent “anti-Islam film” protests I still think the Islamists are going overboard here as many seem to be of the misguided view that the US Government is somehow directly or tacitly behind everything that goes on in America. Why the US Government is getting blamed because some bigot made some amateur film and posted it on YouTube is beyond me and betrays a lack of understanding by many in the Islamic world of how media works in the West. Such violent reactions are counterproductive, and in fact could even encourage other bigots or trolls to make more films simply to promote further outrage and continue the division between the West and the Islamic world.

I'm not sure what the solution is. If there are massive protests and violence every single time someone releases anything deemed anti-Islamic, or some random preacher in small-town USA decides to burn a Qur’an, I could it see a reaching a point where people will have to protest every single day as more and more Westerners turn to amateur theatrics just to provoke outrage. Then what?

Freedom of speech is not all-encompassing, Western nations have various laws that put limits to it and many have “hate crime” legislations that prevent promoting hatred against a particular group. As long as those are applied fairly regardless of the group being targeted there is little more that can be done legislatively.

So what's the solution?

More Evil Eye

Slowly improving. My eye is almost completely open now and I'm definitely feeling a lot better. Not 100%, but better. Light doesn’t bother me as much as it did before either.

Went out for a short walk this evening, first time I've done any kind of exercise in about two weeks. It is still hot out and unfortunately I have to be careful about over-exerting myself -- can't risk sweating and making things worse. I'm hoping by the middle of next week I'll be able to go out for longer walks.

Prognosis from the doctors has been upbeat but I might be on some of the medications for a couple of months. There is also still a chance I could develop eye damage so I need to be careful. I will find out how things are progressing next week at my next appointment.

The Evil Eye

Still sick but feeling a bit better than I have in previous days. My eye is partially open and I'm hopeful things will improve over the next couple of days. Visited the eye doctor yesterday and apparently there is no damage to the cornea so far, which was good to hear.
The doctor was still not 100% happy and has changed one of my medications to see if that improves things.

Sitting at home is not all that relaxing. Light still annoys me so I cannot watch TV or computer screen for very long (not that it was easy to do with one eye anyway). A lot of time is spent sitting on the couch listening to my music player.

I go back tomorrow to visit two doctors so we'll see how things go from there.

Eye Update

Things started getting worse so I went to another doctor for a second opinion. I won't get into the specifics of what's going on but I walked into the ophthalmology department of the hospital and asked to see a doctor. The lady at the desk apologized and said there were no appointments available today.

So I lowered my sunglasses.

There was a brief pause.

And without saying a word she picked up the phone, "Are there any doctors who can see a walk-in patient now?"

So I got to see a doctor. In the end I got to see four.

I now have a complete change of diagnosis, was told to stop taking my previous five medications, start taking these new four medications, and was given sick leave for another week -- though it might turn out to be for longer than that. I now have two follow-up appointments scheduled. I'm confident that this time the diagnosis is right so it's now a matter of seeing this through. (And it's not like the first doctor was way off base apparently in the early stages this disease is typically diagnosed as conjunctivitis)

Resting at home now but man this sucks.

Pink Eye!

Yesterday my right eye was itching a little and slightly swollen. Figured I was just tired but when I woke up this morning it was slightly worse. Wasn't a big deal, just a little irritating, so I went to work but by the afternoon it got a bit worse so I decided to go to the doctor in case it was an infection or something.

A few tests later confirmed:

-- My vision is great (no glasses for me!)
-- And I have infectious blepharoconjunctivitis (one of the many conditions we commonly call "pink eye"

The doctor then gave me a note for two days off work. I said I felt okay so might not need it but the doctor told me that it is infectious so I need to stay home. Oh, okay then.

So I'm now sitting at home with five medications (two eyedrops, one ointment, and two oral antibiotics). Looks like I'm essentially going to be in quarantine for a couple of days. I suppose it's for the best -- my eye has swollen even more now but at least I've started the medications.

I tried to take a picture of my eye for the blog but unfortunately it kept coming out blurry (or maybe that's just my vision) :-p