Retaj Residence Doha

... where the animals are when another man approached and said we could have a look inside the visitors center. It is only open from 9-11 and then 2-5 so he was gracious to open it for us at noon and then take us into each room to see the exhibits.
The visitors enter had one of the most poorly preserved set of stuffed animals I've ever seen. Most of the mammals were moth eaten and had a lot of fur missing, the ...

... which was outrageous but by now I am thinking I have very limited options for anything else. This was Shamnas from Southern India. Qatar apparently has private limousine services in abundance, possibly more abundant that taxis. And such is Shamnas. He had probably seen me looking for a taxi and saw a golden opportunity. He actually takes me to a different mall because he didn't know Centerpoint but that's ok ...

... cheques, and was offered a credit card. However, the credit card requires another letter from my employer stating that they would deposit my pay directly to my Qatari account which is impossible for me. I don't particularly need a credit card but I was hoping to get one because interact is not common here and I find it a hassle to always pay by cash. The elite account also comes with additional benefits such as preferred ...

Today I received my Qatar Residence Permit (RP). An RP is required for all foreigners coming to live and work in Qatar and, while fairly easy to obtian, requires applicants to jump through a few hoops. Namely, a chest x-ray, blood sample, blood typing, and fingerprinting. UCQ staff are guided through the process by an Arabic speaking "fixer" named Mr. Mohammed. Mohammed is his first name but it is common here to address men in ...

... of the sudden she popped little roller balls out of her sneakers and started gliding along the floor, not a care in the world. Would she soon be covered too? A little boy sat driving the fake blue car attached to the front of his mother's shopping cart, like any little kid in any supermarket in the States. Only his mother's face was covered by a black veil. How does he feel about the fact he cannot look into his mother's eyes in public? We saw a number ...

A long journey to leave Africa on our way to India, sees us stopped in Doha airport for 14 hours!! Luckily we have been allowed to leave the airport for only 20 of your British pounds, fairly reasonable except Victoria then dragged me (Ian and Nobby) around a shopping mall ;) Lots of ...

... in the morning. Then, around noon, everything closes down (shops, banks, government agencies, etc.) and the local rush hour occurs (we were initially baffled by the fact that the traffic is worst at 1-2 pm and rather light at 5 pm). After that, at about 4-5 pm everything comes to life again and after dark the real life begins. Not that the heat is much better but at least one deals better with the Ramadan fasting this way (during Ramadan, Muslims eat no ...

... fast is that doha was extreamly HOT ! we landed at 7 in the morning and it was already 35 dergrees .. after a 5 hour wait ..the weirdest cheese burger ..meeting a guy from sudan with the same nick name is me ( big jo ) ..admiring there money the rea ..and there fasion the new aged bibel look : P It was 1 oclock and 45 degrees outside ..as i made my way to my plane going to London . not knowing what to expect and loving it

... had been in town already for a few days attending meetings for a Canadian government aid organization, so she was able to help me find one of the more famous restaurants in town, "Mercury's", named after the late Freddy Mercury of the band Queen, who was born in Zanzibar. At the restaurant, we shared a tolerable, if small and overpriced pizza - and a very bland dish of pasta. I have the feeling that getting food is going to be an issue in Zanzibar. Sharon and I also spoke ...

... people from the subcontinent. I guessed that they are workers from the nearby factories from their attire. Anyway, we arrived at the Umm-said Market and I got off the bus. I was looking for a Taxi to go to Qasco. To my astonishment, I found that the road is almost deserted. There is no motorized vehicle visible after the bus has left. I went to a nearby shop and asked for direction. One of the fellow recognized ...