Around Doha

So right before we left Doha we went around and took in the sights while capturing some pictures.

 These are some of the many fishing, Dhow and other boats along the Corniche. 

  Look at the school of fish.

 

 Xavier and I next to the Pearl on the Corniche

 Zach and Xavier on the Corniche

A view of an area on the Corniche. 

The Corniche a long walking area on the harbor and it is lined with tons of palm trees and greenery. 

 A view of the Islamic Cultural Center / Fanar. 

This located right near the Souq Waquif and near the area called the Fabric Souq

I always got a kick out of the little characters around town that were traffic warnings or reminders. 

 I took the following pictures as we were driving along the Corniche.

 It is a really pretty drive and easy when it is the weekend. 

 Doha Skyline

 One of the few parks in Doha, Qatar located on the Corniche 

 This is the Amir's Offices 

 Here is Ric's Kitchen and this was the one place where we could go and get an American style Breakfast and other yummys. It was a great place to go on the weekend and you could go there during Ramadan but it felt like we were trying to sneak in to a secret society - We had to knock on the door and be let in to the building while they locked us inside. All food was for take-out only but it was still tasty!

I thought this was interesting - These were our water tanks for the apartment complex. 

Booze and Baby, Sharq and Friends

So in December Qatar made a decision to revoke the liquor license to a man made island/port, The Pearl. It has caused a lot of debate on forums and on blogs. Yes, we are in a Muslim country and that means that alcohol is against their religion and so one can respect that. I think what sucks is a lot of the businesses were brought under the promise to be able to sell alcohol and now their business is suffering. It really sucks especially since the area was already hurting from low occupancy in the flats that were built there. The Pearl is a gorgeous place to walk around, get some dinner and enjoy some drinks (if that is your thing) with friends. Here are some shots of The Pearl when we went when Mom Renee came out to visit us!

The view of the other side of the Pearl

One of the many yachts that are docked at the Pearl..

Pampano's our favorite restaurant on The Pearl. It is an Upscale Mexican Restaurant

Mom Renee out with us to enjoy an Iftar Meal during Ramadan when she came to help after Xavier was born! 

Alright so I told you that story to tell you this story. We went out on Thursday with some of our friends to one of the few places where you can go get a drink; The Sharq, it is one of the hotels around town. We sat outside the Cigar Lounge since it was such a nice night outside and to not have Xavier near the smoke inside. Well after the waitress came by about the fourth time or so she was smiling and laughing and trying to tell me that Xavier and I couldn't stay. Due to language issues here you pickup on things a lot later than normal and I was confused since she was laughing. I told the guys what she had said to me and they were confused and told her that we had been there before which we had with no problem. She said if they came by to check he couldn't be there. I know he is under age and everything but really?? Plus I couldn't have a drink either which it was going to be the first time I ordered something, oh well. So we worked it out I could stay with him until 7 but it made me on edge because they could have kicked me out at anytime so it ruined the night for me. It was annoying since we weren't in the bar, they serve food and it took them a while to say something.

 These are some pictures from our visit before this one. It was our send off of our great friend Amir and a chance for people to see Xavier.

The fountain inside the Sharq

Sleepy Xavier and Denise

Amir, Jennifer and Zach

Tareq and Xavier

Zach, Amir and Paul

Amir and Xavier - Boys in Blue

Xavier and Mom

It has ARRIVED!!!

So after reading several Qatar blogs and hearing its all over Twitter I assumed it to be true.... 

...Pork has come to Qatar!!!!!

This is a very exciting day. I know its just some bacon and sausage but it will be nice to make some meals.
First on the menu - Mac and Cheese Squared. Then we will have to work out making some homemade beans.

I thought it was hilarious that when I got to the QDC (which is where we get our alcohol) they had a small refrigerated room where they had three types of bacon (un-smoked, smoked and double wide type) and three flavors of sausages. When you go to check out your pork purchases in a black bag. It made me chuckle I know its forbidden here but its hilrious to have that feeling like you are buying naughty movies. HAHA

So yes today after once again having a taxi driver have no idea where we were going and I had to pay the extra travel costs we are stocked up on sausage, bacon and beer!



Update: I also just found out that they are working on bringing more choices in slowly: chops, belly pork, salami and ham. They are going to build a bigger building to house it and they will build a small shop on the Pearl. Yes, folks this is the top news story of the Expats! 

Note to Self

Note to Self....Do not close the trunk after you drop the car keys inside. 

Reasons why this makes for a frustrating time: 

• You only have one set because it is a rental
• You are in a foreign country with no service like AAA
• No one seems to know how to read a map 
• People will ask for the number of the building and the address but there are no address (there are but they usually are two lines long and it really doesn't help you to tell someone where you are 
• You call the rental company and they say they are sending someone out, call back after an hour they are confused why you are calling and are sending someone out 
• It takes four other people to tell this person where you are located so they can bring the other set to get you back in the car 
• Car company tells you to wait near by so the driver can spot you and you go. They spot you and you tell them what is going on (language barrier in place, as usual) and takes you back to where you need them but then they take off - Wrong Guy 
• Car comes into compound and the security guards come over and the story is relayed and the guy has no clue what is going on and can't help - Wrong Guy #2

Long story short - Almost two hours after all of that we finally had someone come with the extra set of keys. At that point we had been stuck stuck at the Distributor Center (aka QDC, aka Liquor Store), the security guards thought it was comical we had been locked out but more importantly they just couldn't believe the person couldn't find the place.

I think we should have taken Zach's advice when we were waiting to get in to just go home and try another day. Like must weekends we will go out and do multiple errands but I realized I didn't have the cards to be mailed (we were going to the post office) and the grocery list (we were going to the store). Plus we were trying to get my vaccines before our trip to Bali but we found out the Dr wasn't in and I would have to speak to them before they would do anything plus that clinic didn't have two of the recommend ones.

Yes folks that is a line that formed to get into the QDC,before they opened.  It's inside a gated complex

Like desert view and being a way from everything? It's right outside the QDC complex.

Shopping in Doha

Over our time here I have learned that shopping here is an experience. You can get pretty much anything in the stores over here. There is the struggle to find fabric softener that has a decent smell and there is the other problem of finding one that doesn't look like a science experiment inside. Another difficulty is finding soft bathroom tissue, but going to Megamart you can get something that doesn't remind you of sand paper.

Those were some of my first challenges here but grocery shopping is always a challenge. So here are some things I have learned along the way.

• Don’t expect to get everything in one store. This is probably the biggest pain for expats. If you go around a store with a list of ingredients, the chances are that you won’t get everything. It’s incredibly frustrating, and nearly drove me to tears one week as Zach and I wondered around with a list in our hands, and didn’t manage to get all the ingredients for one of the meals I wanted to make. It took us three stores to get everything to make Mexican Bean Lasagna; I was on a mission to make a meal from the recipes I made us bring over here. I was told to try to adapt my cooking to be local, but the reality is that there is no such thing as ‘local food’ over here and the grocery stores (hypermarts) try really hard to appeal to all of the expats here.. 
•  Look at the prices. I know I was used to doing this back home to make sure we stayed within our budget, but you really have to be careful. The grocery stores do their best to import goods from all over the world, to satisfy the various expats, and the prices vary a lot. For example, if you are looking at the frozen bagels you will see different prices on the bags. Also you will see labels listed on the side of the compartment and you have to figure out which one applies to which package. I have a hard time trying to figure out how much something is per kg so I can find the best value. First I have to figure out what the kg to pound ratio then do math on how much it is in dollars. I ask Zach a lot when we are walking around how much something is in dollars. (I am sure he is annoyed by that). In Megamart, I stumbled across a bag of Peanut M&Ms and did the math and it was nearly $20 for the bag, you can get the same one back home for at most $6. Also you can treat yourself to a small bottle of Dr Pepper is $3. Also the prices aren’t always shown on some products so you have to take a gamble on what you’re paying. Megamart is a great place to find a lot of the imported things you are wanting and craving, it maybe a little more expensive but it might help you find a piece of home.
• Don’t forget to get your fruits and veggies weighed! This is such a stupid system - You have to wait at counter to get your items weighed and priced before going to the checkouts. 't quite understand why they do not have self service weighing points. Well actually it is probably because the locals don’t like to have to do anything themselves. Or I think they could just weigh it at the checkout as they do in the states.
• If you see something you like - buy a lot of it! Because the stores are focused on importing items to please the diverse customers they have, their stock can be somewhat erratic. So if you see something you like or something you haven't seen in awhile, it is a great idea to stock up. Plus seeing something you haven't seen since you were back home can get you to do a happy dance in the store and have your husband look at you funny.

Iftar Dinner on the Pearl

We just got back from enjoying another Iftar meal here in Doha. Tonight we went with our good friend, Amir, and we dined at the yummy Pampano Restaurant on the Pearl. It was a tasty set meal where you shared the appetizers and sides and you got to choose between grilled meat or fish for your entree and then you got to choose a tasty dessert.

For those that do not know an Iftar Meal is the evening meal when the Muslims break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan. It is to start at sundown and it usually is a buffet or shared meal style and shared as a community. Traditionally you start the meal with a date. There are special Ramadan juices as well, I tried the Apricot.

It was a wonderful evening getting to have Amir meet Xavier for the first time. He was so good with him and it always brings a smile to my face to watch someone get a smile from being near Xavier. Xavier took to Amir and was a great little boy in the restaurant. We are very lucky for such an easy going baby when we are out and about here. I hope this trend keeps up as he grows up. He was also a hit with all the ladies in the restaurant, I thought it was interesting that they all thought he was huge for being six weeks old. I don't know if that is true but he is a cutie.

Thanks for coming out with us Amir and we look forward to many more times out together!

On a small side note, one of the many things I miss about being away from home are changing tables. I have only found two attached to the wall here (one in Toy-R-Us and the Marriott Hotel) and then one of the restrooms at the City Centre Mall has a small counter that just looks like a large place by a sink. But for the most part I am changing our little monkey on the floor or on top of the toilets since they almost always have lids.