World Cup gets ahead with head gear
The smiling police officer stopped the H. “Let me help you, Sir.” And he did. He fixed my bemused hubby’s Arabic headgear, his fan attire for the FIFA 2022 World Cup matches in Qatar. This small, unsolicited gesture randomly repeated time and again by strangers throughout Doha, not just to us, but across the East-West […]
What to see and do in Qatar?
Let’s go or linadhhab, as they say in Arabic, and make the most of our limited time and finances to see and do what we can during our stay in Doha, Qatar. For us, as ex-pat residents, it’s a year or three, but as a visitor, it will be far shorter. And, possibly, if you […]
Eclectic Arabic heritage museum treat
A thousand Arabian oryx, 700 handwoven carpets, 600 classic cars, hundreds of pieces of furniture, a dozen or so dhows, dinosaur teeth and toes … etcetera, all amassed over five decades by one wealthy, passionate collector. And, it’s all available for us to view at the Sheik Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum, about 30km […]
What to expect in Doha for the world’s football feast
If you’re coming to Doha, Qatar, for the FIFA 2022 World Cup, be prepared for so much more than a marvellous football feast. As a super-rich, tiny peninsula country in the Gulf, the complexion and culture of this event is going to be very different from previous tournaments for the anticipated 1.5 million visitors. Expect […]
All aboard for Doha’s underground – the Metro
Qatar’s Metro is a super-efficient light rail underground system, criss-crossing Doha with thousands of passengers daily. And I’m their number 1 cheerleader. Why? Because the Metro is economical (even in South African terms) reliable easy to use quick safe, and clean. It also means I can still move about this modern Middle Eastern city of […]
Living in Doha – my new neighbourhood
Constant construction, vast contrasts and cats. Throw in a couple of classic cars and an embassy or ten and you have my new neighbourhood in Doha, Qatar. It’s called Onaiza. Onaiza in Zone 66, outside the main central business district, probably won’t mean anything to you. It didn’t mean much to me either as a […]
Arabic flavour for 2022 World Cup football feast
From a distance, Doha’s impressive city centre skyline is like a mini-Manhattan. Up close, however, it has a distinctive Arabic flavour, especially with the growing FIFA 2022 World Cup branding. A visual football feast awaits. The prolific presence of Arabic writing, calligraphy, decorative motifs, geometric shapes, rich Middle Eastern colours and design references to the […]
Doha, dry? Don’t believe a word of it …
Doha, Qatar, is in a desert, but there’s water everywhere. It is also a conservative Muslim country, but there’s alcohol too. It’s just not everywhere. Questions about water and access to one’s favourite tipple in this tiny peninsula county abound. And, with the FIFA 2022 World Cup around the corner, the thirst for such information […]
Doha takes art to the people
The giant yellow teddy at Doha’s Hamad International Airport is an apt introduction to the importance Qatar places on public art. Lumpy, old Lamp Bear sits there, larger than life, a photographic magnet for locals and visitors alike, offering just a hint of the many surprising art treats that await in Doha. From illuminated streetlights […]
Shopping pleasures in Doha
Shopping in Doha is akin to shopping on steroids. Everything is bigger-better-faster and more convenient in the many malls of Qatar’s capital. In fact, shopping here is pretty much a visual smorgasbord of the sumptuous first-world life on offer in Doha. Every nation (there are residents from least 115 different countries living here), every brand […]