Le Park Hotel Doha

... this has not been the case.

I borrowed a co-workers at lunch and drove to the nearest IBQ branch about 15 minutes away. Just inside the entrance is the ticket machine that spits out numbers so that everyone in served in turn. Beside the machine is a greeter/receptionist much like the banks back home - or at least like the CIBC branches I used to go to. I explain to her that I would like to open a new account ...

... outside the doors and they directed me to a trailer beside the building. When I entered and presented my papers, ID and photos the officer told me I needed to take driving lessons. I assured him that according to my employer and the Marhaba (sort of the official guide to Qatar), Canadians do not need to take driving lessons as long as they have a valid Canadian license but he would not budge. There happened to be a British girl there trying to a copy of her ...

... or "Good time for a white wedding." Now I saw a family in which the man wore a Von Dutch t-shirt tucked into ratty jeans. The kids, three beautiful girls, were wearing puffy almost tutu like dresses with stockings. Their mother had nothing showing but her two eyes. They walked near a Victoria's Secret store. There was a store for the high end fashionable Muslim robes worn by so many of the women called My Fair Lady. I took a picture of the robes ...

... get the inside tips on life on the peninsula. Building works are in full swing, so the skyline is densifying constantly, while access roads to all these developments follow slowly. The locals are full of enthusiasm and ambition, but need some practice to deliver full five-star service. All in all, a cultural experience that opened my eyes on a little-known part of the globe, which you constantly hear about.

... setup of red and gold fabrics. In there sit a couple men dressed in their traditional Islamic wear. There are no women in the "tent" they are scattered throughout the lobby in various chairs. All of them in abayahs, some with veils on, some not. All of them were beautiful and though all their outfits black, all jeweled different. Lunch was great. Middle Eastern and Mediterranean foods with a toss of American as well. We down a Heineken with ...

... lot more than just lay by the pool and the beach and enjoyed the resort facilities. I did manage to go out on one of the afternoons to the sand dunes in the deserts which was lovely. Did some 4WDing in the sand dunes where there was a huge supply of cars everywhere. The views and the changing horizon was great. Going sideways along a sand dune was also great - felt like a roller coaster ride of sorts. At one point we were ...

... I walked out of the airport expecting to be pounced on by taxi drivers. But I put on my "I know where I'm going" face and just marched out of the airport - right past the twenty dollar taxis into town and got on a local bus (called a "dalla dalla" here) and made the ride into town in a rickety old van stuffed full of friendly locals for only 30 cents. The bus dropped me off a short walk from the guesthouse I had selected (The Garden Lodge on Kaunda Road). When I checked in ...

... trpi, ker ne more jesti kar sredi letalisca, mogoce pa bo sel kar na WC jest :) Zenske so tukaj vse pokrite od glave do pet, sicer so pa ljudje prijazni, edino Majo so cuden gledal k je prisla v majcki z naramnicami. vec kasneje, aja telefoni ne delajo. papa anze in maja

... woman can not. So then the women who work get to spend their money on shopping and travel...sounds good to me. It does sound like the Muslim women have to keep their traditional rolls as well (cooking/cleaning/etc). But so many have hired help to do it for them as well. So to sum it up...I think anyone from any country could come to Qatar and not feel threatened. Just make sure you know how to drive in roundabouts-they are the scariest things here.

... down one of the Peace Towers and flew more than 100 meters at insane speeds on a flying fox from the building's apex to down near the stage. It was to be a grand spectacle. However, mere hours before the show began a storm blew up over Doha that brought gale-force winds and torrential rain. It whipped the bay up into a sea of froth and pushed onto the corniche with middle-eastern fury, testing all the temporary ...