Le Grand Hotel Doha

... on loans and term deposits, access to some sort of lounge in several of the branches, some free wire transfers and invites to IBQ sponsored events. It's the IBQ events that are most intriguing to me and I'm interested to find out what that includes.

The whole process with all the signatures and such took less than 20 minutes so I still had time to run to the mall and grab something to bring back to the office for lunch.

... tea while I wait and there’s a selection of Arabic sweets but I decline both. A little rude, yes, but I just want to be done there.

Apparently it was a waste of money getting fresh photos taken. I ended up with the same tired-looking, jet-lagged photo from my RP. It seems some government offices are connected and they simply used the photo on file. Why they even needed two additional photos is beyond me. I guess bureaucracy exists everywhere!

... covered but no face covering. That's another thing, the diversity is striking. There are women with simply a hijab and the rest of their clothing is Western. There are women in full robes with the hijab, but the robes reveal jeans underneath and the headscarf does not fully cover the hair. There are women in full robes with the hijab covering everything. There are women in full robes with only two eyeslits. Finally there are women with everything ...

... It was on the waterfront and clinic for seamen. Now, I don't think I looked like much of a seaman arriving in a BMW with a driver from the Four Seasons. But they "let" me get vaccinated. Most of you know how much I hate shots, or anything sticking me. Oh joy. No, I didn't pass out, but I now have a curious vaccination booklet in Turkish as a souvenir. It was nice flying Singapore Airlines again. This ...

... the parks over the weekend to explore a bit more. As the sun slowly re-emerges I am also hoping that some of the photos that I will be sending through will have a bit more vibrancy for all to see. Last night I ventured out for dinner at a Japanese restuarant - they had a massive menu, starting from what you would have expected with Japanese food....but they also had their mix of Lebanese, Chinese and Italian food....an ...

... the concept of giving charity to Africans - a topic about which my opinion is already well known to those of you who have read my previous Africa trip blogs. Aside from the damage that free money does to the motivation of Africans to work for a living, the presence of western aid workers drives up the price of food and accommodation, thereby damaging tourism as well. But, as we know by now, aid giving is as much for the benefit of the givers (who stay in fancy hotels ...

... moving on the roads, but the frequency was very low for an industrial area. Like all other places in Qatar, the roads of Umm-said are also newly rebuilt. I walked for almost one hour and finally reached the gate of industrial area #1. There I met the guards. The security is tight here. The guards told me that the Qasco is at Industrial area #2, which is another five KM from the place. By the time the sun is going ...

... mall did loads of last minute shopping; yet I don't know how and when I will be able to pack it in my suitcase. Around 2 o clock we left for Washington to see the Washington National Cathedral and ended up at the Diplomatic neighborhood for our last supper. Most of my holiday the weather forecasts for Washington and Baltimore was heavy rain, but so far nothing happened, until today. We finished ...

Doha, Qatar, on the Arabian Peninsula. TE Lawrence was so accurate in his descriptions of the desert, of this bleak and interesting landscape. The sun hits like a hammer hits an anvil and every ray of heat batters into your very being, truly the intensity of the heat here is overpowering. I have been travelling now for almost twenty hours and am still only two thirds of the way to my destination by the roof of the world. Our flight had been delayed by four hours in this tiny little ...

I have added some photos of snow in Washington. My trousers are not meant to withstand snow and wind as I walk to work, shops, eateries etc. I like DC. It was very easy to get around as all street were numbers - North to South and letters - east to West. Diagonal Streets were ...