Great Milestone in Qatar's transportation history - the New airport had the first commercial flight

HIA's first commercial flight, Fly Dubai FZ015, touches down! #HIAQatar #Qatar pic.twitter.com/NWigIIWChY
— Doha Intl Airport (@DohaAirport) April 30, 2014

I was very much excited when reading the news - the first commercial plane Fly Dubai FZ015, touches down at the new airport .
Congrats Qatar !

  READ MORE ABOUT THE NEW FACILITY

Have you ever had Camel Burger ?

Have you ever had camel burger ? No/ And what about the camel kebab !
 You can taste them  at Doha  Mariot Saturday brunch . Sounds exciting  - but poor camels ...:(

I am much more interested in camel milk  - I heard it helps very much the weakened immune system .

Try your first Camel Burger & Camel Kebabs at our Saturday Weekend Brunch! RSVP 44298499 #doha #Qatar pic.twitter.com/AMKKhtlkuS
— Doha Marriott Hotel (@DohaMarriott) April 30, 2014

Futuristic Metro Station to be completed by 2018

see facts and the future of Doha's new transportation system with the most important station there Msheireb

Hamad international Airport opens today

A look inside Hamad International Airport, which opens today #Doha #Qatar http://t.co/CWcVNb3Vob pic.twitter.com/CMOInTQTMg
— PROJECT QATAR (@ProjectQatarPQ) April 30, 2014

Rescued baby and the grim reality -scenes from a war- torn Arab country

 It happened in Aleppo , Syria but it could have happened in any other  war -torn country .  After a fight the civilian survivors have to dig their own loved ones from the rubbles . Usually dead ones . This video shows a baby who survived . Who was able to give out sounds and was found conscious and well .Like a miracle .
This story is  horrible and beautiful at the same time . The beauty is the hard work and hope of those who were digging with  their bare hands - the solidarity - the  virtue that keeps mankind alive  in spite of all the horror that one must face in the world .
 I would say that it is a story  with happy end  but   buried  under their own house the baby's mum and sibling was lying dead .
 No -there is no happiness in the wars  - not even for the survivors !

Post by Thông Tin Hàn Quốc.

dirty secret of the local food industry

"dirty secret of the local food industry "

It is not the first time that I hear about this - many restaurants in Qatar try to sell the cheap Vietnamese white fish as local king fish or hamour - the difference in price is huge - the practice became so much widespread that the local authorities threaten the cheaters with jail terms and a million rial fine

until then - see what you eat - if you think that ordering fish is a good idea in this heat...
 this is my favourite fish restaurant in Doha

 source

Humor in Arabia - Drive thru camel at BK

Qatari comedian Hamad Al Amari  riding a camel while asking for a burger a the drive thru at Burger King .

Mr. Gyros restaurant review

Mr ,Gyros is an American Greek restaurant at Al-jazeera petrol station . I had  this strange idea the other day to try their gyros.  I managed to overcome my phobia of petrol station eateries after the deadly blast in February . And I put my prejudices aside about American cuisine as well.
What can go wrong with a gyros ?- I thought . The marinated slices of steaks are roasted on rotating spit and cut and served with salad and pita bread .It simply can't be spoilt ...

Well ,well - I was very naive . I love shawarma as well   but I wished to eat gyros  the way we used to have it in Hungary .Much better than the shawarma  around here . I remember a friend of mine who married a khaleeji guy then when in Hungary he found it very strange that a country like Hungary  have far better and more delicious shawarma /gyros than the  wealthy place where he grew up .
Money can't buy everything -it seems .

 Well - we bought our gyros meal   around 40 rials . We got a tray with the meat /some rice .dressing ,salad . Then I got the big surprise  - this American gyros tasted no gyros at all -but it had the taste of canned meat .
If you do not mind that then I can recommend the place  - it is the usual  American look - posters on the wall -nice wooden chairs -polite service ... even their banana milk shake was nice .... for 20 rial !

Otherwise I felt it was pure waste of money .

Qatar Airways smoking plane

 It must have been  very scary experience on Sunday .The flight to London from Doha  had to return after take -off -as there was a very strong smell of burning and the cabin was full of thick smoke .

It landed luckily and the fire was put out .It is believed to be caused by faulty electric wiring but it is not official yet .

 I found a very interesting opinion about what  might be behind the incident .

"The problem nowadays, not only with Qatar Airways, is that their route/ flight expansions require a heavy utilization of their fleets leading to shorter turn around times, this in turn leads to flippant checking/maintenance of the smaller details such as wearing out wiring insulation etc. and this can also lead to such events....there are many reported events involving smoke/burning smells in different parts of the aircraft from all over the world."


 source

Sweden is going to open embassy in Qatar

 Qatar 's blooming economy attracts more and more companies . Sweden is going to open embassy in Qatar soon .

 Telling the truth - I was surprised that this did not happen yet .

Ikea and H&M are the most popular Swedish companies in this country .

Sweden Flag Postcard by FlagAndMap
View other Sweden Postcards at Zazzle.com

Doha Souq Style - Fahad Al-Obaidly fashion designer

Qatar from window washer's view

Wonderful pic of window washers in #doha @GulfTimes_QATAR better than the usual press conference pics we usually see pic.twitter.com/5VERTjZGDW
— Rachel Morris (@rachelannmorris) April 14, 2014

Thank you for the twitter user above for sharing this photo

leaking pizza oven and the negligence

For Want of a Nail

For want of a nail, the shoe was lost;
For want of the shoe, the horse was lost;
For want of the horse, the rider was lost;
For want of the rider, the battle was lost;
For want of the battle, the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.


 This old poem comes to my mind when I read about the series of neglect  at the Hala istanbul restaurant.These neglects caused  the death of 11  and injured 35 about two months ago . It caused horror and panic to all residents living  here .
 There was a pizza oven under maintenance  -  there was a valve not closed . The gas company was not informed  and finally the gas tank at the top of the building was filled while the restaurant was closed .

Just a little common sense and attention paid to the work and it could have saved lives . Now four people charged with  negligence .

Read about the accident on 27 February 2014

Bali-Poster by longdistgramma
See additional Poster templates & designs online at Zazzle.com

a daily non-stop flight to Bali from Doha coming soon

No more touchdown at Singapore for those who travel from Doha to Bali. From June 21 2014 there will be direct flights from Doha . Ten hours flight  to arrive  in that distant and popular island .The Bali route will be operated with an Airbus A330   at first but later in October they plan to   fly Dreamliners .

Easter programs in Doha

Benjamin Bunny Afternoon Tea & dress up Friday 18th April. Egg hunting and storytelling. http://t.co/O8fofKH0JZ pic.twitter.com/kqjVzuKCs0
— The St. Regis Doha (@StRegisDoha) April 6, 2014

Easter Egg Decoration Class - Organizer: Arts and Crafts http://www.artsandcrafts-doha.com/
Easter Egg Hunting
Fun excisting activities full of coloring, music, painting Easter ceramics and much more. April 19, 2014 Time: 4:00P
Price: QR 100 per child

For more information: 44865201-55801627
Location - near Landmark

graphic Easter landscape no2 Personalized Invites by almawad
Look at other Party Invitations at zazzle.com

Easter Egg-Stravaganza

This Easter let your kids get creative at our exciting Easter egg workshop followed by an exciting Easter egg treasure hunt! Tasty chocolate eggs will be provided by Executive Pastry Chef Aurel Constantin Raduti for the children, who will be able to decorate and customize their eggs as they wish. Marshmallows, pop corns and much more will be on hand to let them become food artists for a day!
Where :  Quick Bites , Renaissance Hotel , City Center Doha 
Register your children for our exciting FREE

When: 3pm – 6pm, April 19

For more information call +974 4419 6100

See more : 

Thai New Year Celebrations at Grand Hyatt Doha 2014 April 13

Celebrate Thai New Year or Songkran @GrandHyattDoha with a buffet by Isaan, live music and more on April 13 from 7pm pic.twitter.com/vPkF2cyaFx
— Time Out Doha (@TimeOutDoha) April 10, 2014

Learning Arabic with Al Jazeera

 The famous TV channel launched a site for helping those who  wish to learn Arabic . They give some small daily and weekly learning material  based on their programs . Officially this is for the false beginners who can already read and write Arabic - but I think someone using Google translate can easily benefit from it  even if he does not know how to read and write . Nowadays you can copy paste the Arabic text  there/ see the transliterated version of the text then you can listen to it .

 You can socialize  and share your experiences with the others using the site - if you have difficulty in understanding some point  then you can  even ask a teacher on the site about   Arabic  language  .

Exciting new way to learn !

 Visit the site !

Luxurious cooking lesson and dinner in the Four season Hotel April 10

Enjoy, Taste and Learn at Il Teatro on April 10th for a #livecooking dinner with 4 course menu http://t.co/VYU36k3LCm pic.twitter.com/TEjkQEnxpD
— Four Seasons Doha (@FSDoha) April 8, 2014

cutting-edge therapies coming soon

 The most modern  therapies for diabetes, asthma, allergy, pain and inflammation will  be soon available in the Gulf countries as the firm MSD and Julphar signed an agreement on producing , selling and distributing innovative medicines for the above mentioned ailments .

 Julphar  got  exclusive rights from MSD .

 They are planning to sell those new drugs in  UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Iraq  as soon as they get  the approval of the local authorities .


 source


Julphar


MSD

40 people sentenced - numbers in Qatar

40  people sentenced to 1 -3 years prison for visa trading .

They include expats and Qataris as well. Record number crack down on corruption .

source

California Tortilla in Doha

It was during the latest food festival that  I noticed long line  in front of  California Tortilla's tent  so II decided then to visit this place one day  and try the food there .It is easy to find - it is nearly opposite the Chili's  restaurant which is near the Ramada junction -  it is next to the Korean Garden restaurant .
Easy to find the place but the parking is not so easy  though  behind the building there are some chances to find  a place to park  one's car .

California Tortilla  - as its name suggests it is about  Mexican cuisine  with American twist .

I was in a hurry when I ordered  Quesadilla so I asked the  Filipino cashier to suggest me one - and without paying attention to what she told me I took it . What can go wrong with a  quesadilla   - I thought ? Well it was sweet ! It was a  BBQ sauce type ! Oh nooo ! I will never ask a Filipino to recommend me a dish again , They are into sweet sauces on stews -it is something that I can not bear .
 The grilled chicken salad was good . The chicken breast was tender and generous size .The avocado  dip was fantastic  but the salad itself was not very original - some lettuce and tomatoes .It came in a fun eatable bowl .
 The same went for the grilled beefsteak salad . My kids loved the nachos and the kids meal  burrito .

 Prices were less than in the Chilies   but   quesadillas   are more expensive than in the DQ . I must admit that I prefer that  one .

I am not an expert of Mexican food but some 20 years ago I   remember visiting one Mexican restaurant  in Heidelberg , Germany  - it was an open buffet then . It surprised me then how much the dishes  tasted like our Hungarian dishes .
 Here I did not have this experience at all . I would call it not Mexican but " healthy version of American fast food with Mexican inspiration " . Why was there a long queue  at the Food festival at their stall ? The only explanation I found is that there are so many Californians are living among us in Doha . They  must have been homesick .

 Service was  nice and polite / the restaurant was spacious  and clean  and they had even a play area for kids .

 Visit their page 
 See their menu

In mood for French cuisine in Doha

Feel like tasting French flavors in Doha ? You can do  it  in many cafes and restaurants .Here is the list .

Yum Yum – K108 Hotel Doha, Al Ghanim Street | 4433 3000
 read reviews

Paul, Al Waab St. and Landmark Mall | 4413 5507

 read my review
 another review by me
Le Relais de L’Entrecote, Porto Arabia, The Pearl-Qatar | 4495 3876

Fauchon Cafe, Salwa Road and Souq Najd | 4432 4888

Eli France Cafe, Old Ramada Signal; Salwa Road and City Center Mall | 4435 7111, 4435 7222

La Varenne, Level 28, Tornado Tower, Westbay | 4499 0680
read reviews

Lenotre, Suhaim Hamad Street, Al Sadd and Sports City, Villaggio | 4455 2666
 read my review

Hediard, Salwa Road | 4444 1312

IDAM an Alain Ducasse Restaurant, Museum of Islamic Art, Corniche | 4422 4488
 read reviews

Dalloyau, Waterfront, Porto Arabia, The Pearl-Qatar

The World of Goopi and Bagha - free screening

 when :Fri, Apr 11, 04:00 PM,

 where :The Katara Drama Theatre (located within the Katara Opera House) (Building 16) 

Director : Shilpa Ranade

Post by Doha Film Institute.

Contrasts in the Gulf

CAUTION - Camel Crossing.. #UAE #AbuDhabi #Dubai #Doha #Qatar #MiddleEast 🐪 pic.twitter.com/XMW1jWVUtQ
— The Expat Chap (@TheExpatChap) March 28, 2014

Two camels are standing by a luxury sport car on the desert road . This image tells everything about the changes that had happened in the Arabian Gulf during the last 40 -50 years

Numbers in Qatar -17 .000 babies

17 -18 .000 babies are born in Qatar each year  . Most of them are born at the WomenHospital in Doha .
  Qatar has a population of two million people. To understand how big or small  this number is we should know the number of women at child bearing age  around here  . But that is a  thing that they do not like to advertise as it would show the proportion of women and men in this country .
I guess that there are  half million or less women are living here . But that is only my guess . Population is quite young .
Last year even Anna Gedes came to shoot at the hospital .

3 marvelous things came from India

At MIA Doha, inscription: "3 marvelous things came from India: the book Khalila wa Dimna, game of chess, 9 numerals" pic.twitter.com/tVWAlwPDUi
— Tanvi Madan (@tanvi_madan) April 2, 2014

1 . the book Khalila wa Dimna -  animal stories /fables = Panchatantra in Sanskrit =Ibn al-Muqaffa in Persian

2. game of chess

3 9 numerals 

19 MARCH TO 21 JUNE 2014
King and Pawns
Exhibition on board games at the MIA

Summer is here Aqua Park reopened

 What else could prove the fact that summer has arrived  in Qatar than the fact that Aqua Park reopened . Even they are having today  their first Ladies Only Day of the year . .Only female visitors are allowed .Little boys can  enter  with the height limit of 120 cm with their female relatives .Every Tuesday from 2 to10 pm .

Neon pink abstraction sandals by almawad
Shop for more Flip Flop Footwear at Zazzle

Find out how to get cheaper tickets to the park