Owner: Qatar Visitor URL:http://www.qatarvisitor.blogspot.com Join Date: Wed, 02 May 2007 03:07:52 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Provides tourist and resident information about Qatar, as well as photos, podcasts, YouTube videos, major events listings and news commentary. Site statistics:Click here
Flood in Al Nasser Street 2007-06-22 03:24:33 Cars navigate a flood in Al Nasser street, Doha. Despite the lack of rain, floods like these due to pipes that have burst or been broken by builders are common.Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about QatarTagsQatar Doha Middle East flood
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A thick murky fog hung over Doha yesterday, and at... 2007-06-28 00:52:53 A thick murky fog hung over Doha yesterday, and at times even the Doha Skyline was obscured.It was windy too, although a sandstorm never developed, and small waves broke upon the Corniche. The heat didn't let up either, reaching a humid 106 degrees farenheit (weather.com).Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about QatarTagsQatar Doha Middle East
Buildings going up, buildings going down. 2007-06-27 00:46:37 There's been no let up in the frenetic building that has now characterised Doha for several years - if anything, it has picked up in recent times. Buildings going up in West Bay seem to out-number those already up by a ratio of three to one - even though the majority of those are spanking new. While new buildings are going up, old ones are going down - Qatar is systematically destroying anything old, ugly or shabby.To many Doha residents, the sound pollution that this creates - often in the early hours of the morning - has become one of the two sounds of Qatar that is always with them. The other being, of course, that of traffic, beeping hours and ambulance sirens.Listen to the sound of building in DohaGoing UpGoing downListen to the sound of Adhan, the Muslim Prayer Call.TagsQatar Doha Middle East building sound podcast
Qatar to hold Asian Cup 2007-06-26 02:55:31 Qatar seems likely to hold the next Asian
Cup in 2011, after being the only country to get its act together enough to submit its bid prior to the deadline.The Asian Cup is usually held every four years. However, this year the Asian Cup is being held a year early due to a rather full sports calandar next year. Starting on July 7th, the current games are being co-hosted by Indonesian, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia. Qatar will meet Japan in the first round of the cup in Hanoi, Vietnam on the 9th July. Qatar have yet to win an Asian cup, although they hosted it in 1988, but they may be feeling confident after winning the Asian Games Football inside a packed out Al Sadd Stadium. (See this post for report and pictures.)Both the Asian Cup and the Qatar-Japan game next week will be covered in detail by our sister site Soccerphile.Also see: Qatar FootballFind the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about QatarTagsQatar Doha Middle East football Asian Cup
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Although Qatar has gone months without rain, build... 2007-07-02 00:31:00 Although Qatar
has gone months without rain, buildings sites like these soon fill up with ground-water.Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about QatarTagsQatar Doha Middle East ground-water
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New tennis event for Qatar 2007-06-30 01:23:43 Qatar is to hold the Sony Erricson WTA end of season championship after offering prize money of four and a half million dollars, the highest prize money ever offered in the history of women's tennis. The event
will start in November 2008 and will be held for three years. In preparation for the event a new tennis court will be built in the Khalifa squash and tennis stadium.Qatar was the first country in the Middle East to hold a women's tennis event with the Qatar Total Open . They also held a men's event, the Qatar Open, which this year saw Murray and Lubjic battling in the finals. Tennis is hardly a traditional desert sport - it certainly doesn't have the same appeal as camel and horse racing - but women's tennis does seem to be more popular than men's.Also see: Qatar Tennis.Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about QatarTagsQatar Doha Middle East tennis
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Dust Plume 2007-06-30 01:23:14 In this picture captured by a Nasa Satellite a dust plume hangs over the Persian Gulf before swirling back into Saudi Arabia. This original picture can be found on the Modis website and is in the public domain.Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about QatarTagsQatar Doha Middle East dust+plume
Qatar Street Racing 2007-06-29 02:33:42 As you lie safe and sound in bed at night in Qatar
, you may be suddenly woken by the roar of cars and bikes racing illegally outside your window. The same nutters that pose on the Corniche of a Friday afternoon are implementing their population control strategy of latent birth control by racing up and down Doha’s streets.Actually, I really don’t mind if these people want to kill themselves - although I have a traffic-policeman friend who feels differently. I have learned to stop asking him how his weekends were. He always replies morosely that he has been picking up bodies again.No, these people know the risk and the danger. One Egyptian mother complained to me that her son said he only felt alive when he was in danger. Obviously, if you are stupid and insensitive enough to say something like that to your mother you need something extreme to penetrate your thick skull.What worries me is the obvious danger to other innocent drivers and passengers that these people cause. It’s not Read more:Street
, Racing
Death and Funerals in Qatar 2007-07-06 03:10:30 Yesterday I went with some friends to pay respects to the family of an acquaintance who died this week.In Qatar
and other Gulf countries it is very important to pay a visit to the family of deceased people you know. Whereas in the West a person may be given space and privacy, grief in Qatar is a more communal affair.When we arrived, my acquaintance had already been buried. Muslims should be buried as soon as possible, and this is normally means on the same day. Before being buried, their bodies are washed. Prayer (D’ah) takes place, but this is not the sholat, where people bow and prostrate themselves. Prayer instead takes the form of chanting verses from the Qu’ran.After a person dies, their eyes will be closed and their body covered with a shroud. Before being taken to the burial ground, their body will be washed. Only men may accompany the body to the burial ground.When we arrived at my acquaintance’s house, we greeted his relatives. An introduction was muttered before we shoo Read more:Funerals
70 percent of youth deaths caused by road accidents 2007-07-03 03:06:22 According to the Peninsula today a massive seventy percent of the youth
's deaths
in this country are caused by road accidents. It also takes a chunk out of the overall population, accounting for sixteen percent of all deaths.The point was really brought home to me, as I came across the story when I was searching for news of an acquaintance. I heard today that he had been killed while crossing Al Sadd street in front of Royal Plaza.I have no details of the accident, which was why I was looking in the paper. I don't know whether it was caused by reckless driving, or by carelessness on the part of my acquaintance.Whether or not it was the driver's fault, blood money will have to be paid to my acquaintance's family. And traffic accidents aren't always the driver's fault - some pedestrians in Qatar are as much in need of training in crossing the road as some of the worst drivers are in need of driving lessons.I saw one man struggling to cross the road with a large bill-board. The bill
Qatar in draw with Japan 2007-07-09 10:49:39 Qatar held defending champion Japan
to a surprise draw in their opening match of the Asian Cup today.Japan were favourites to win, but Bosnian coach Dzemaludin Musovic's strategy of concentrating on defence held them off for much of the game.However, the Japanese took the lead in the 61st minute with a goal by Naohiro Takahara. The Japanese must have been feeling sure of their victory when, with only two minutes to go, Qatar's Sebastian Quintana equalised with a twenty metre free-kick.Although the draw is an excellent result for Qatar, it was marred at the end of the game when Hussein Yasser was sent of with a red card during injury time for a tackle on Hideo Hashimoto. Even worse, Musovic was sent to the dressing room for protesting this decision.Still, it's a great result for Qatar, and their chances must have been improved still further after Vietnam's surprise victory over Qatar's great rivals and Gulf Cup champions, the UAE.We'll be posting a more in-depth report of the matc Read more:Qatar
Exit Visas 2007-07-09 04:56:40 If you are heading off on your holidays, remember that you cannot get your exit visa stamped at the Airport any more. Instead you need to go Al Gharaffa immigration, opposite the traffic police where you get your licence.You need to go into the compound to the side of the building, in through Gate 3 and up the stairs to the first floor. Leave the stairs and walk straight ahead to get to the Exit Visas
section.If you are a man join a queue and hand over your form. (Women can breeze past the queue and get it done behind the counter.) A minute or so later you will be given a new form, which you must hand over when you leave the country. As before, the exit visa is valid for seven days.This may not be necessary if your employer has a Smart Card. According to this article on e-government your employer should be able to obtain an exit visa for you in seconds. An multiple exit visa is also available, though at a cost of QR500 (the standard exit visa is free).You can print the on-line applicat
Qatar draws again 2007-07-13 08:24:36 Once again Uruguayan-born striker Sebastian Quintana saved Qatar
from defeat against Vietnam in their second game of the Asian Cup. Prior to the start of the games Vietnam were widely regarded as a pushover and Japan and UAE seen as the challenge to Qatar. However, buoyed by home support, Vietnam inflicted a surprise 2-0 defeat on the UAE.Qatar went into the game today without two of their best players: Khalfan Ibrahim, the first Qatari to win the Asian Football Confederation player of the year award, is off due to injury while striker Hussein Yasser was enduring a one match ban after being red carded. Despite this Qatar dominated much of the game and was unlucky to concede an unlikely goal to Phan Than Binh. Luckily, the Asian Games champions equalised 11 minutes before time with a header from their South American striker. Their fate now hinges upon their performance against old rivals the UAE on Monday.Also see: Qatar FootballQatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)
Asian Cup Soccer Qatar 1 Vietnam 1 2007-07-13 08:23:56 Despite going a goal down in the first half, Qatar
were unlucky not to come away with more than a 1-1 draw with co-hosts Vietnam
in My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi.Uruguayan-born striker Sebastián Soria Quintana was on target for the second match running after his last-gasp equalizer in Qatar's opening game with defending Asian
Cup champions Japan.Quintana scored in a second-half that Qatar largely bossed. The press in Doha lamented their team's inability to put away the game but are hopeful that Qatar will progress to the second round with a victory over local rivals UAE.Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about QatarTagsQatar Doha Middle East Asian Cup
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Qatar News: Housing 2007-07-12 05:56:24 Could the housing boom be drawing to a close in Qatar
? Qatar Journal reports today that over 2000 apartments are sitting empty in this city of sky-high rates. The owners, sucked into paying (and no doubt borrowing) large amounts of money, refuse to accept rents below their lofty expectations. They may be better advised to take what they can get now. With more high rise apartment blocks seemingly going up than are already up, and property coming on-line in the Pearl, this could be one bubble that is about to pop.Certainly one major company has bailed out, according to a report by Arabian Business today. Bavaria City Suites, which we previously reviewed here, is an enormous apartment block in the centre of Qatar, providing more than 2000 suites and studios. Yet, and although letting has already started, the company has pulled out of the project stating scheduling and quality concerns.Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)Find the best deal, compare prices and read what Read more:Housing
Qatar Visitor Website 2007-07-17 14:01:23 Ten months after we have started this project, our website is finally up. It’s a bit of a relief, as keeping the blog going at the same time as developing the website has been a bit of a strain!In terms of the quantity and quality of the information provided on a travel guide website we hope to break new ground. Our aim has always been to provide all the information that people need to:- visit Qatar
- decide whether to move to Qatar- to settle in to QatarWe have also provided information about the history and culture of Qatar, as well as images, sounds and movies.We’ll be adding more to the website in the future, including a flash map (when it’s finished!)Just like the blog, the website is totally free, and advertising will (hopefully) pay for all hosting and other costs.So have a browse around – we’ll welcome any comments!Qatar Visitor
e-store (U.S.)Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about QatarTagsQatar D
Qatar Exit Asian Cup 2007-07-17 05:31:44 Qatar may have exited the 2007 Asian
Cup with their last-gasp defeat to Gulf rivals the UAE but the team and coach Dzemaludin Musovic can leave Vietnam with their heads held high.A stoppage time goal by Faisal Khalil gave UAE a 2-1 win over Qatar in Ho Chi Minh city.Uruguay-born striker Sebastian Quintana netted his third goal in three Asian Cup games from a re-taken penalty kick just before half-time. UAE had the better of the second period with Saeed Alkas equalizing on the hour mark before Faisal Khalil's late, late goal sank the young Qatari team.Both Qatar and UAE failed to make the second round as Japan and hosts Vietnam progressed from Group B. Amid wild scenes in the Vietnamese capital, the home team reached the knockout stages despite a 4-1 hammering from the defending champions, Japan.Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about QatarTagsQatar Doha Middle East
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Summer heat 2007-07-23 04:22:01 When you walk out of the door on a hot summer day in Qatar the heat doesn’t just hit you, it slams into you like a Nissan pick up truck on a Doha roundabout.It sucks the moisture out of you, and drains your energy – and melted the rubber off my car windows. You can hide in your air-conditioned house, but the air-conditioner can’t defeat the heat, just hold it off.Not that we who can hide in air-conditioned houses can complain. You still see workers on the road, moving as slowly as they can, but any exertion in this sun and heat is hell. Some of the better companies train their employees how to deal with heat stress, but there is only so much you can do.At least we have air-conditioners now. My former boss related how, in his village school, the children would move their chairs across the classroom as the day progressed to stay in the shade. At night they would sleep on the roofs of their houses – something that many immigrant workers still do.It’s not surprising, then, that i Read more:Summer
Qatar Hotel Rating System 2007-07-25 23:48:36 The Qatar
Tourism Authority has completed the first stage of its hotel rating procedure, Ame Info reported today. All the hotels in Qatar have been rated on factors such as service, room size and hygiene, and will receive their rating by the end of the summer.The second stage of the hotel rating will see hotels rewarded with points for additional services rendered. The hotel rating procedure will be repeated on annual basis – and with 7000 hotel rooms currently under development, they are going to be kept busy.Qatar Tourism Authority has stated that it wishes to avoid following Dubai’s route of over-hyping its hotel with six and seven star ratings, sticking instead to the standard five star rating.Hopefully this will improve the standards of Qatar’s hotels, which can vary considerably – see our Hotel
Guide for more information.Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about QatarTagsQata Read more:Rating
, System
Another Uruguayan Football Player? 2007-07-25 03:29:22 Qatar has, it seems, become rather fond of Uruguayan football players.Sebastian Quintana has not only played in the Q-league for several years, he also now competes at a national level with the Qatar National Football
Team.He’s also one of their top scorers, playing a large role in Qatar’s victory over Iran in the finals of the Asian Olympics, in which he scored a total of four goals. He also saved Qatar from disgrace in the Asian Cup this month after Qatar’s star player Khalfan Ibrahim was injured: scoring a goal against each of the three countries that they played: Vietnam, Japan and the UAE.Now it seems Qatar’s love affair with Uruguayan players may be extended According to Goal.com Al Sadd are hoping to snag Alvaro Recoba . Al Sadd, the richest club in Qatar (not surprising as they are sponsored by the members of the Emir’s family) and the recent winner of the Emir’s cup have offered a reported 3.1 million Euro a season pay check for the 31 year old “El Chino”, a
Qatar Sheik holds up British Airways plane 2007-07-28 06:59:17 According to this MSNBC article, an Al Thani Sheik
(the Al Thani family are the royal family in Qatar
) held up a BritishAirways
plane for several hours when he realised several female members of his family were seated next to men.When other business class passengers in the plane refused to change places, he stormed into the pilot's cabin to complain.Eventually, he, his family and his servants had to leave the plane. However, by this time three hours had passed and fifty furious passengers missed their connecting flights in London.This story must sound strange to someone who has never lived in Qatar. However, many Qataris believe very strongly that women should not be exposed to strange men. This belief is so strong that many women cover their faces with black veils.A common misconception is that is covering their face is part of their religion. In fact, when women undertake the pilgrimage to Mecca they are obliged to uncover both their hands and their face.Families are also very conc Read more:holds
, British Airways
Qatar To Host Asian Cup 2011 2007-07-29 08:42:45 Qatar will be the host nation for the 2011 Asian
Cup, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced today.Qatar was the only country from West Asia to submit a bid to host the competition and was duly awarded the event by the AFC ahead of today's Asian Cup final between Iraq and Saudi Arabia in Jakarta.AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam, himself a Qatari, said of the decision:"I think it will be a great tournament. The Asian Cup from now on will be different from what we've seen in the past, in terms of organisation, in terms of popularity and in terms of standard. This is my promise to you."Qatar previously hosted the Asian Cup in 1988 and along with Iran (1968 and 1976) is now the only country to host the event more than once.The tournament will most likely be staged in January, as the weather in a July tournament would be too hot for the players in the Gulf state.Qatar successfully hosted the Asian Games in 2006.Qatar soccerWeather in QatarQatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)Qatar Visito Read more:Qatar
Inflation falls in Qatar 2007-08-01 23:52:42 Inflation has fallen slightly in Qatar
according to Qatar’s central bank, although at 12.5% it is still well above Qatar’s interest rates. The fall in inflation seems to be mainly due to a slowing in the price of renting and buying property, which rose at a mere 27% in the three months to the end of June (compared to 35% to the end of March).Qatar claims that inflation is due to the booming economy. While this is undoubtedly a factor, Qatar’s crazy policy of low interest rates and pegging the riyal to the dollar is also a major factor. Meanwhile, people are seeing the value of the wages stripped away. Some long term Doha residents are starting to leave – sometimes very reluctantly. Some Qataris are also suffering, with young people putting off their inordinately expensive weddings to later in life, and spending longer in the family home.If you are considering to Qatar, remember to factor inflation into your calculations. Try also to find a contract where accommodation is inclu Read more:Inflation
Qatar Airways: Five Star? 2007-08-05 02:00:46 Qatar Airways
, the "five star airline" has won three new skytrax awards: best airline in the Middle East, best Cabin Crew and best first class in the world.I have to admit I am getting tired of Qatar Airways five star claims. I was especially annoyed during a recent flight with them. While flying we had to watch their advertisement, which included their interactive entertainment system. We didn't have any choice over to whether to watch it or not, because this was one of the flights where they didn't have an interactive entertainment system.Normally I wouldn't complain - I am lucky to be able to travel by plane. But it's not five star.Worse, however, was the fact there was no soap in the toilets. I particularly felt this because my one year old had diarrhoea. This wasn't due to the baby meal, because they had forgotten it. The time before they had forgotten the child meal.Although they remembered the child meal, the container was so hot we burnt our fingers on it. There was a bag Read more:Qatar
Qatar on You Tube 2007-08-08 16:41:33 An interesting video about Qatar
on You Tube - including an interview with Sheikh Hamad.Qatar Sounds and MoviesQatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about QatarTagsQatar Doha Middle East video
New Traffic Regulations 2007-08-08 03:12:22 Qatar is getting tougher again with its chaotic drivers with the implementation of a new traffic law. Driving in Qatar has been compared to an extreme sport by an American report, and fines, despite the huge number that have been paid, have proved ineffective. Now offenders will get points as well as pay fines, and can eventually lose their license. (See this post on Ame.info for more details of the complicated system.) In addition, other penalties have been made tougher, and will include fines of up to QR50,000 and prison sentences.While this is a positive step in a country where seventy percent of youth’s deaths are caused by traffic accidents, there are concerns about fair implementation. After all, this is the country where a senior policeman blamed the state of the roads on Indian drivers. While it is true to say there are many dangerous expat drivers, Qataris have to take some of the blame. There is, after all, a big difference between being a skilled driver and being a safe dr Read more:Regulations
Predicted increase in rents 2007-08-15 01:58:56 A real estate firm has predicted that the price of rents in Qatar will increase. Reg Barichievy, general manager of a real estate firm in Qatar, believes that there will two years of rent rises before there is any fall. Qatar Journal mentions that many Qatar Living readers are sceptical.These things are notoriously difficult to predict, and I am certainly not brave enough to guess what's going to happen. It is interesting, though, that a recent article reported that some landlords were holding on to empty apartments rather than accepting lower rents, which suggests rents are already too high.Huge building has been continuing in Doha suggesting that the supply of property is going to increase. Silmutaneously, there seems a distinct possibility of a global slow-down with the sub-prime morgage crisis in America and a shortage of credit around the world. Perhaps Reg believes that the huge predicted growth in Qatar's gas output will innure Qatar to these factors. If he has right, we could Read more:Predicted
Qatar Sponsorship: New Law Under Consideration 2007-08-17 12:27:27 A new sponsorship law for Qatar
, which will allow employees to change jobs, is under consideration according to the outgoing US ambassador. The law, which was reported in Business Intelligence Middle East, may be a response to the US state department's annual trafficking report which heavily criticised Qatar as a country which was a destination for human trafficking for the purposes of involuntary servitude.Currently an employee arriving in Qatar may not change job without his or her employers permission - or leave the country, take out a loan or enjoy other rights taken for granted in other parts of the world. While the Government have made noises about removing the system of sponsorship in the past (see the End of Sponsorship?), there has been some resistance by local businesses.Ultimately, allowing employees to change jobs should benefit the country as a whole, as skilled workers will remain in the country. It will also mean Qatar will be coming more into line with international s Read more:Consideration
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