Qatari tourists top destinations

Ever wondered where the local  spend their summers when leaving the  richest country in the world ?
According to   travel agents  it is England , France , Spain , Morocco , Turkey   but if they choose to travel to the East  it is Malaysia and  Thailand .

 source 

VIllaggio Mall Fire - Five sentences

After nine months hearing the court sentenced  five people to jail .

 1 . The owner of the Gympanzy nursery
 2. The co-owner of that  nursery
 3. the owner of the mall
4.  the manager of the mall
5 . an employee of the Ministry

 here you can read more details
 I hope after this tragedy that  safe  day cares will be set up in Qatar  shopping  centers  next to the exits

The gathering of the Whale Shark

 If you love the sharks and marine biology then certainly  you will love this  film .

 Whale Sharks of Qatar

Cirque de Soleil is coming to Qatar

Dralion  is their  show 's name  - it is a fuse of Eastern and Western cultural inspiration



 When ?   September 19  to 21

Where ?  Aspire Arena  Doha , Qatar

Tickets are on sale at the City Center -first floor , W Hotel , and online ( you have to register with them on their  official page first )
 They are quite expensive . The cheapest one is 250 riyal  the most expensive is 11oo riyal

Would you  spend as much money for a circus show ? Have you ever spent so much money for entertainment?

New Leader of Qatar or Just a hoax

According to this British medium  Qatar has a succession plan .This very summer the leadership of Qatar will be shifted to the crown prince  Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad . This plan is not announced officially yet . I wonder if it will really happen so or this is just a hoax about the health problems of the ruler .Last year there  were news  spreading that  the Emir of Qatar was killed while meeting some Russian diplomats . That was a clear hoax as he appeared  soon personally on the Al -Jazeera Tv channel .

Update :  while being abroad I called my  husband just to learn that there was a national holiday and it was not a hoax  the power was shifted to younger generation in Qatar

Summer with kids in Qatar 2013

It will be hot that is sure .Ramadan makes  this summer  with kids  more challenging as many facilities will be closed at day time in the middle of the summer . After last year's day care tragedy   there are less facilities offering summer camps .Indian summer camps which used to accept non-Indians nowadays are open only for the Indians . And I find  only one camp organized for both English/Arabic speaking kids .Here is the ABC of the summer activities for kids who spend their vacations in Qatar. Browse  my list to find something  interesting . Come back weekly as  I am adding new ones .

A  for Art  camp for your kids ... 5 days  for different age  groups with lunch and a lots of fun  at the prestigIous  VCUQ  at the Education City . It is quite expensive .

B for Beaches in summer  - the  most attractive beach of Qatar is at the Katara . It has all the things that you expect from a beach and though dress code is strict  kids will certainly enjoy the sand  and the toys . However I must warn you about last years big jelly fish invasion all around the shores of Qatar


C -  for  computer  education  programs
for high-school students
      for  ceramic painting as well at the cafe ceramique  Doha at the Mall  - they expect kids from age five

D for  Disney on ice

E for  Exhibitions



F for

G - gymnastics  course at the Falcon taek wan do club


 I for Ice skating  at the City Center  daily
   for Indian Summer Camps   - there are several ones - the most famous is this one . They are a bit old fashioned but low cost camps .Apparently among Indians educators there are some idealist like me who think that these camps should be non-profit as they are for the benefit of the whole society . There was a time when it was open for non -Indian kids ,There were some expat Arab and Far-Eastern kids .My child was there as well - and though at that time she spoke  better in Arabic than in English  she enjoyed it very much .
 Birla public school also organising a low -cost camp  for six weeks . The age group is from KG1  to class VIII .




K  -  Karate

L-language learning

M  -  for  Media  programs  for high-school students at the Northwestern University in Qatar - great for those who are interested in films , journalism ,broadcasting

N-for  nursery camps  Star Fish Camp has quite a good reputation - they are a child centered facility and they  let kids playing in the sand and water ... what a nice activity for summer !  Call  4411 0355 / 5553 9798

O - for Oxford Learning Centre  summer learning

P for pizza making  at the Pizza Xpress at various locations  or Park House School  summer camp for kids aged 4 -10

Q  -  QMOTION summer camps are short programs filled with fun not only sports  - for kids aged 4-12

R - renting and  riding a bike  at the MIA park  - you have to walk all along the sea promenade to find this facility which  closes around  five  good bikes for kids of all age group  - rent 25 rial/hour

S  for Soccer Camp -they accept 5 -14 year old boys and girls
    for  Science Camp  for a month   for 6 - 16 years old   kids  - they offer  mad science   more info at :5543 2330

T   for Trampoline  it is 25 rial in the MIA park  - daily  except Tuesday



W  for Watersports

Y for Yachts  and sailing
Z  for Zoo  that is closed for facelift

http://www.zazzle.com/slice_of_lemon_print_poster-228486910197459532?CMPN=addthis&lang=en

Slice of Lemon Print by MDKgraphics
Look at other Slice of lemon Posters at zazzle.com

http://www.zazzle.com/bacon_and_eggs_place_mats-193997772578797143?CMPN=addthis&lang=en

Bacon and Eggs Place Mats by MDKgraphics
See more Cartoon bacon and eggs Placemats

Do you like having breakfast out ? Do you like reading reviews ? I found a page that has a lots of breakfast reviews .Two of them are rating the places where they ate in Qatar . This can be something very simple fast food outlet or some posh place from the Pearl .

week day lunch for less than a 100 rial

some restaurants are way more expensive at weekends and for dinner
so why not to explore them rather on week days at lunch time ?

1.Red Lobster
from Sunday to Thursday
from 11 am to 4 pm
LUNCH OFFER for 35 QR= starter ,main course ,dessert
dine in only
Suhaim bin Hamad street
Tel 974 44441066


2.  Chopsticks restaurant at the Wyndham Grand Regency Hotel
Business Lunch = three courses /daily changing set menu with modern Asian dishes= 59 riyals
Daily except Monday from 12 to 15
Tel : 4434 3203


3. The Cellar  ,Oryx  Rotana Hotel

  XpressLunch =three course set menu =QR 89
Daily
call   4402 3333

Did you know ?

Did you know ?  There is a free  bus service  between the Museum of Islamic Art and the Mathaf Modern Arab art museum .It is a nice bright pink bus and can take people  every hour between 11am and 5pm nearly every day .(Monday ,Tuesday NO )

For Art Lovers - Win a Luxury Dinner for two

Art and luxury dinner ?  Yes,you can win .All the thing you have to do is : visit two exhibitions out of four .Collect the stamps -fill in a form and wait for your luck .

Places to visit :
1. MIA Ferozkoh  http://mia.org.qa/exhibitions/ferozkoh/en
2.Alriwaq Doha  Olympics past and present http://www.qma.com.qa/exhibitions/opp/index.php/en/visit 
3.QMA Gallery (Katara) Heyyahttp://www.qma.com.qa/en/slide-show/731-heyya-arab-women-in-sports
4.Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art Forever now http://50.28.37.244/mathaf/index.php/en/selections-from-the-collection

The lucky ones are going to have dinner at Idam at Alain Ducasse restaurant

New budget airline from Qatar to Europe

Pegasus is a private Turkish airline with excellent safety records  which has been operating for more than twenty years .It will start flights from Doha to Europe via Istanbul in mid June .I checked the prices for various European cities and I found the average price was around 2000 Qatari riyal .They do not fly to Budapest but to Vienna from where there are a lots of cheap buses to Budapest .( only two hours ride )
I found  round trip tickets as cheap as 1400 riyal online .
What are the disadvantages ? No direct flights -one must change the plane in Istanbul .It flies to a smaller airport to Istanbul not to the big international one .Luggage included in the ticket price is only 20 kg .You must buy your own meals in flight or in advance .It costs around 10 -15 USD /meal .

Qatar airways is around the  double in price .It has direct flights in more  convenient  times with gourmet meals .

Turkish Airways is a bit more expensive than Pegasus .Its safety records are not the best .The flight between Doha -Istanbul   was very uncomfortable for me with so little leg room  . Istanbul Budapest was much better .Their meals are OK  a bit better than a  canteen style meal . One must change plane in the big international airport in Istanbul . They are flying in less convenient  hours .

All in all -if money does not  matter then QA seems to be the best choice going home .But it does matter and for me Pegasus seems to be a hope of  being able to go home more often . Have a nice Journey !

A year after the Villaggio fire

A year  after the Villaggio fire we still do not understand what had happened on that terrible day .
It was a nightmare just to hear that 13 little kids died trapped in a mall's day care .How many times I saw nightmares after this tragedy ."My kids were on the other side of the wall and I could not reach them "
I hope  that the families of the victims  managed to restart their lives .I hope that the truth will turn out one day .
I hope that Doha Mums Club will apologize at least once for heavily advertising a dangerous  facility for little kids .
 So few people attended the remembrance   - it was a Doha Mum Club event rather than a real nationwide  thing .

the safety of our kids in Qatar

 This country is work in progress  -   everywhere  constructions  Half -ready buildings  , buildings to be destroyed or being destroyed . I have been reading the news for more than ten  years and I remember many accidents where the victims were kids .
 More than ten years ago a Pakistani boy was going to the grocery  when  a four wheeler  hit him while walking at the sidewalk .He died . A three years old little girl died some 8 years ago while walking in the Corniche  with his parents and touched an uncovered lamp post  .Lamp posts in the street with naked wires and no cover are  not a rare thing to see around here  !  Even nowadays after that tragedy !

I just wonder who takes those covers off  and why nobody cares at the municipality !  Then the uncovered manholes  ! They took the life of a little child  last year -  not in a poorly lit suburb but in  front of a Hotel's main entrance    in the center of the city !Similar  horror happened  in  Wakra as well .

 The little Sudani girl survived  when she   fell into the lift shaft   at the hospital   while her mum was waiting at the pharmacy ...

 This country is safe . If you leave your belongings in the car  then most probably  nobody will   steal it . Burglary is not common . But on the other hand  negligence  can cause a lots of tragedy .I forgot to mention that  workers   tend just  to throw  unwanted things out of the building  including   bags full of cement .

 Living in a small town in Hungary  I  could send my ten year old to  school alone / shopping in the supermarket  or to visit  grandma . Here I do not dare . Sometimes I  think I should give her more freedom .   Then my motherly instinct does not allow me to do so .  This is the city   full of single males /constructions and unpredictable  dangers which can happen   due to the transitional state of this country .Unfortunately   it s very difficult to let them have life experience .

The First Qatari at the top of Mount Everest

He is a lover of mountains previously climbed up  the Mont Blanc , Kilimanjaro and other peaks around the world . He is Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Thani  coming from the upper ten  of the local society  . He  was promoting  the  charity organization Rota .  He climbed with Raed Zidan , Masoud Mohammad, Raha Muharrak ,Elia Saikaly .

Congratulations  !

My  cousin    conquered  in March a nearly 5000 meter peak  ...She has never been so high before and she was over fifty when it happened .I was very happy for her success  .
Much of this victory is due to the Serpas . They fix the ropes , they carry the luggage , they go to rescue, they know the mountains , they take care of every step of the strangers .They eventually die during all this .Their names  rarely make headlines but they are a must for  hikers .   Some  Hungarian hikers just disappeared  some days before  the  Qatari victory  while coming  down the Everest .Above 8 000 meters . That day 11 people reached the peak and five of them died .It is a dangerous sport indeed . But even more dangerous when climbers  want to save money and  leave the Serpas out of their climb . This is what happened to the Hungarians .

Raha Muharrak  the first Saudi woman to reach the highest peak of the world .

Water melon Carving

Watermelon carving is the hobby of many Indians around here . This fruit is available at low /moderate price during six months .This carved watermelons make a wonderful centerpiece on the diner table . Usually mandalas ,birds ,faces are carved into the fruit but oh my even they had Che Guevara on the surface of a carved watermelon !These pictures were taken at Qafco vegetables and flower show on March29 , Messaid ,Qatar. Happy carvings !

watermelon mandala - add text medium gift bag

by almawad

Longer maternity leave planned for more breastfed babies

I am always shocked to see how short the maternity leave is in Qatar . In Hungary mothers can stay at home for years and they get some kind of allocations  during those years .Now  some experts think Qatari working women should have a longer leave .

 It's the norm to stay at home in Hungary with little kids for three years . Here it is just some weeks - I guess - the American model is followed .

 The percentage of breastfeeding mothers is very low here .

 People in my home think the opposite about Arab mothers .They think Arab mothers are more traditional and they certainly   breastfeed . Unfortunately it is not the case .

 The hospital staff is poorly trained as well when it comes about teaching new moms how to breastfeed . My personal experience was that they  just throw the baby into the arm of the exhausted  mother . Just six hours after the C -section  came a nurse  and threw my baby into my weak arms and gave the order ; Feed your Baby !  She was talking to me as to a criminal who must be reminded to the law . I was horrified . I was still very weak after / suffering from motion sickness  / needles in my arm . I was screaming " Take away the baby - I can not even hold him "  Then they took  the baby angrily and came a doctor with serious face  reminding me to my duty of breastfeeding.

 This is not the way . Friendly approach needed from experienced and well trained female staff .Not orders but sisterly advice .

Eat Local / Breastfeeding / Nursing Icon Poster by TerryBain
Make custom prints online at zazzle.com

Hungary and Qatar for stronger trade

Coming soon ! Hopefully . More cooperation in tourism, farming, and communications between Hungary and Qatar . Officials met and expressed their intention for stronger  trade ties .Let it be . There is already daily flights between the two countries and cargos are coming as  well . Hungarian expats in Qatar can't wait to see Hungarian food products on the shelves of Doha supermarkets .

Source 

Harbor Fish Market - take-away restaurant

Harbor  - take-away  restaurant  . It is a small new place at Badriya signal at a new half-ready shopping corner in Bin Mahmoud . It  has retro interior design -very nice old photos /graphics /metal sail boat  and the  available fishes displayed .Even the staff is wearing sailor suit .Though it has  a few chairs if you wish to eat there but basically it is a take-away place .

After all this pleasant look the staff is not very professional . Their menu is coming with selected fish from the Mediterranean / from Local fish  market  with rice and salad .  They forgot the salad twice out of three orders . How unprofessional they are !Once they  started to  fight with each other over how to cut a fish . It happened in front of my husband who understood very well their Egyptian dialect .

After all - the menu  meal was excellent . The fish came out tender and firm and with spices going very well with the fish and with the spicy brown rice and the green salad . It tastes   good  like a home-style Egyptian dish  though I must admit I do not know well  the Egyptian cuisine .

I can suggest this place if you are bored with the usual  copy-cat restaurants in Doha . It is affordable and healthy .  When taking the meal -  double check the paper bags  to see that nothing is missing .

Summary : Interior design/decoration    five stars
                  the Food quality                   five stars
                  service                                  two stars

 You can visit their facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harbor-Fish-Market/439124816143138?sk=info

Post by Harbor Fish Market.

Post by Harbor Fish Market.

Indian actress , Shobana will perform in Doha May 23

Event : Shobana Musical  Show with Dance (The music is in Hindi and the dialogues in English)
when    :May 23
Where   :  Regency Hall ( near Mall roundabout )

 I read it here  unfortunately I found no more details