Numbers
According to Forbes Fat Index
Qatar ranks 36
Hungary ranks 84
Japan does not have a rank on the list of World's Fattest Countries
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Online shopping from Qatar can be very painful . Once I got an item after two months . It is worth reading this .
I got nearly a hundred orders but none of them from here .I still hope that Qatari the market would open in front of me !
I got nearly a hundred orders but none of them from here .I still hope that Qatari the market would open in front of me !
Saturday, May 23, 2009
People suffering from asthma find relief in the underground cave in my hometown Tapolca , Hungary . The high humidity and the 13C -18 C degree cures many respiratory problems .It is part of the town hospital - actually it is right under the hospital building . Does not it sound like a miracle ? A hospital is built then a cave with healing power is found beneath ?
Friday, May 22, 2009
caves in Qatar
Are there caves in Qatar ?
Look at this video where three young men are exploring one bat cave around here .
Look at this video where three young men are exploring one bat cave around here .
Thursday, May 21, 2009
A new park in Doha
A new park in Doha behind Hyatt plaza . It has got a pond which reminds me very much my hometown . Have a look at this photo .And to go further the pebbles are also much alike .
My hometown is famous for its cave lake and pond in the heart of the old town . I would not be surprised to see and know that there are caves under us as well here .
Monday, May 18, 2009
Four Seasons hotel got this award the other day . I have got only little experience on hotels in Qatar - but I must say that they deserve the award !
As we entered this place a group of intelligent looking people wondered if they could help us with anything . They were not humbling themselves just they were helpful and kind . I must add that we do not have any VIP look - and during the reception the waiters waitresses were behaving the same way . This is a basic thing - in the service industry that they care about the people they employ ...
But unfortunately this is not so evident around here . I heard complains about famous hotels in Doha where the "cheaper the better " is the main ideology when they are recruiting .
Result ? Difficulty in understanding each other , stupidity , behaving to the guest according to his decision whether you are someone important or not ...
I was at la Cigalle for example - I thought I would practice French - but when I asked the doorman about the reception hall then he was not able to answer in French .
I was at the Sharq village - I was amazed by the architecture and the out of this world atmosphere of their cafe - but when we entered an exhibition there - they were behaving as we were not existing . When some American tourists came - they made a big fuss around them - and which was the most annoying is that they were offering them some candy and my child started to scream for candies too - but they went on ignoring us and she got no one candy .... What a stupid way of treating customers !
No more that place for us !
As we entered this place a group of intelligent looking people wondered if they could help us with anything . They were not humbling themselves just they were helpful and kind . I must add that we do not have any VIP look - and during the reception the waiters waitresses were behaving the same way . This is a basic thing - in the service industry that they care about the people they employ ...
But unfortunately this is not so evident around here . I heard complains about famous hotels in Doha where the "cheaper the better " is the main ideology when they are recruiting .
Result ? Difficulty in understanding each other , stupidity , behaving to the guest according to his decision whether you are someone important or not ...
I was at la Cigalle for example - I thought I would practice French - but when I asked the doorman about the reception hall then he was not able to answer in French .
I was at the Sharq village - I was amazed by the architecture and the out of this world atmosphere of their cafe - but when we entered an exhibition there - they were behaving as we were not existing . When some American tourists came - they made a big fuss around them - and which was the most annoying is that they were offering them some candy and my child started to scream for candies too - but they went on ignoring us and she got no one candy .... What a stupid way of treating customers !
No more that place for us !
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Qatar Entertainment City
The multi-billion dollar Qatar Entertainment City is more than 70% complete . Wow !
Climate-controlled pedestrian walkways,theme parks ,snow dome ,water park ,rain forest and aquarium ! Full of wonders !
Yet I only wonder when will there be a decent ,affordable beach somewhere out of Doha ! The country with 700 km sandy seaside has got beaches belonging to five star hotels or luxury resorts .
Nothing for the middle class !
In a country where it is not tolerated for local or any other muslim women mixing with men - there is not a single beach preserved for ladies !
One can see brave local women swimming in abayas in Al wakra or Messaid !
I wish they cared about that rather than having a snow dome in the desert !
Climate-controlled pedestrian walkways,theme parks ,snow dome ,water park ,rain forest and aquarium ! Full of wonders !
Yet I only wonder when will there be a decent ,affordable beach somewhere out of Doha ! The country with 700 km sandy seaside has got beaches belonging to five star hotels or luxury resorts .
Nothing for the middle class !
In a country where it is not tolerated for local or any other muslim women mixing with men - there is not a single beach preserved for ladies !
One can see brave local women swimming in abayas in Al wakra or Messaid !
I wish they cared about that rather than having a snow dome in the desert !
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Why we like henna
I love henna. Why? I have several reasons. It is beautiful, it has so many variations that I am never bored with it, and the most important for me is that it lasts only for a short time. So for those who are scared by the thought of having permanent tattoos (like me), henna offers an attractive and easy opportunity. Another advantage of henna is that it is an inexpensive way of decorating one’s body and feeling beautiful.
I saw henna paintings first when I visited Qatar in 2000. I was amazed and I wanted it immediately. Now, that I live in Qatar, it is so natural for me that I almost always have henna paintings on my hands and legs.
The beginnings of henna painting can be traced back thousands of years to ancient Egypt. It always had a special meaning, symbolized female beauty, helped people, gave blessings and protection to them. Patterns always come down from one generation to another. Mankind made symbols representative of each culture and these appear in henna paintings too. In the Middle East, henna is connected to happiness, good wishes, good luck and a beautiful future. In other parts of the world, henna is so popular because it is unique and a kind of mystical. The meaning of the word henna can be different in every continent, but all of them have positive meanings wherever they appear in the world. It means luck, protection, purity, strength, wealth and health; as well as mercy, maturity and honour.
However, henna has been around for a long time and has been used for its colouring and nourishing properties, it is only over the past decade or so that henna paintings have emerged as the coolest accessories in the West. A long time ago henna paintings were made only for women during special ceremonies, while today men discovered henna for themselves too and use it as temporary tattoos. Traditional paintings cover the hands and legs, however we can sometimes see that the shoulders, the face, the navel as well as the whole body can serve as a ground for a unique artefact.
Read more about henna in English:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henna
http://www.hennapage.com/
written by CS. O. Alma 's Hungarian friend living in Qatar
Henna Painting on Feet of Young Girl
Friday, May 08, 2009
Woman walking towards car on sand dune ridge, Khor al-Adaid, Qatar
Woman walking towards car on sand dune ridge, Khor al-Adaid, Qatar
Woman walking towards car on sand dune ridge, Khor al-Adaid, Qatar
My mother is not a world traveler, she never was. Once she visited Germany when she was a teenager but that was all, as I thought for her lifetime. Not like my father, who took every opportunity to visit as many countries as he could, but always on his own, he could never persuade my mother to accompany him.
After the first year my family had spent in Qatar, my parents decided to visit us. First I thought it was a joke. I could not imagine that my mother who had not had a passport for more than 40 years would take a ride on an airplane. And she did! Without being airsick or tired of the long journey, they arrived. I think the burning desire to see her grandsons would even make her able to walk through half of the world.
While they were in Qatar with us, we tried to arrange as many interesting programs as we could for them. One of these was a desert safari. It sounded like an everyday trip, just a full time fun. The drivers arrived on time, everything was perfect. For a European traveler timeliness is a kind of base for a long-term relationship and we liked these guys from the first moment because they were not late. They may had heard the wise saying, “Time is money” and being good businessmen, they kept to this.
Then we started the journey. Naturally the first thing that the driver asked was to fasten our seatbelts. Before we entered the desert, the driver reduced the pressure in the oversize tires of our vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser. Just like an amusement park, the large vehicle was waving among sand dunes, racing up and down the hills, a white sand cloud following us. It was very interesting and really fun, but when the driver continued to gain speed and our stomachs approached our throats, my younger son started to cry, “Let’s go home! I don’t like this! This is not fun!”. Not my mother. She was laughing and maybe the first time in my life I could see that she was enjoying herself free from distressing thoughts. For a short period of time I was thinking, “Did I really want it? Now my son is so scared, I can hardly calm him down. Oh, my God! Am I crazy?” But as my little son calmed down, I got back the feeling of adventure, and I could enjoy the ride again. Honestly, it is not something that one can do every day (except when you are a driver of such a company that amuses – or maybe frightens – unsuspicious tourists in the desert).
Later we stopped by the sea and my mother could enjoy some kind of bathing in the “big water” for the first time in her life. We could take even a camel ride and collected hundreds of seashells.
We had to get back to the city before sunset, so we could not enjoy the sparkling of the stars at night. I heard from friends that it is something that you can never forget, seeing the stars close enough to touch. I am sure that this was the greatest day of my mother’s life and she could never forget it. I would like to show her the stars at night in desert, but don’t worry, we have something for next year’s visit too.
post by CS.O . Alma's Hungarian friend
After the first year my family had spent in Qatar, my parents decided to visit us. First I thought it was a joke. I could not imagine that my mother who had not had a passport for more than 40 years would take a ride on an airplane. And she did! Without being airsick or tired of the long journey, they arrived. I think the burning desire to see her grandsons would even make her able to walk through half of the world.
While they were in Qatar with us, we tried to arrange as many interesting programs as we could for them. One of these was a desert safari. It sounded like an everyday trip, just a full time fun. The drivers arrived on time, everything was perfect. For a European traveler timeliness is a kind of base for a long-term relationship and we liked these guys from the first moment because they were not late. They may had heard the wise saying, “Time is money” and being good businessmen, they kept to this.
Then we started the journey. Naturally the first thing that the driver asked was to fasten our seatbelts. Before we entered the desert, the driver reduced the pressure in the oversize tires of our vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser. Just like an amusement park, the large vehicle was waving among sand dunes, racing up and down the hills, a white sand cloud following us. It was very interesting and really fun, but when the driver continued to gain speed and our stomachs approached our throats, my younger son started to cry, “Let’s go home! I don’t like this! This is not fun!”. Not my mother. She was laughing and maybe the first time in my life I could see that she was enjoying herself free from distressing thoughts. For a short period of time I was thinking, “Did I really want it? Now my son is so scared, I can hardly calm him down. Oh, my God! Am I crazy?” But as my little son calmed down, I got back the feeling of adventure, and I could enjoy the ride again. Honestly, it is not something that one can do every day (except when you are a driver of such a company that amuses – or maybe frightens – unsuspicious tourists in the desert).
Later we stopped by the sea and my mother could enjoy some kind of bathing in the “big water” for the first time in her life. We could take even a camel ride and collected hundreds of seashells.
We had to get back to the city before sunset, so we could not enjoy the sparkling of the stars at night. I heard from friends that it is something that you can never forget, seeing the stars close enough to touch. I am sure that this was the greatest day of my mother’s life and she could never forget it. I would like to show her the stars at night in desert, but don’t worry, we have something for next year’s visit too.
post by CS.O . Alma's Hungarian friend
Monday, May 04, 2009
Aliens in Doha ?
Aliens in Doha ?
We all knew and felt deep in our soul that it must be like that . After the huge economic boom here and the opening of the Science and Technology park it was the next step . The aliens came to Qatar .
It happened near the Oryx statue on the Corniche . It\he\she was spotted by an Arab woman and several other witnesses .It \she \he looked like someone who needs help . Then it\he\ she vanished into the
thin air .
here you can see the photo was taken of him \her\it
here you can read what the residents of Qatar think about the whole matter ...
Happy Alien/ET by artberry
Make promotional buttons at www.zazzle.com
See other Aliens Alien Worlds Buttons
We all knew and felt deep in our soul that it must be like that . After the huge economic boom here and the opening of the Science and Technology park it was the next step . The aliens came to Qatar .
It happened near the Oryx statue on the Corniche . It\he\she was spotted by an Arab woman and several other witnesses .It \she \he looked like someone who needs help . Then it\he\ she vanished into the
thin air .
here you can see the photo was taken of him \her\it
here you can read what the residents of Qatar think about the whole matter ...
Happy Alien/ET by artberry
Make promotional buttons at www.zazzle.com
See other Aliens Alien Worlds Buttons
Friday, May 01, 2009
West Bay and Sheraton Doha Hotel, Doha, Qatar
The breathtaking work of travel photographer Walter Bibikow encompasses grandeur and delicacy. Journeying worldwide for 30 years, Bibikow has photographed numerous locales including Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. He often returns to a location several times to capture its unique nuances of season and light.
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