Driving in Qatar

Read any expatriate discussion forums about working and living in Qatar and you'll find two hotly discussed topics.

1. The rapid rising cost of living in Qatar
2. The hazards of driving in Qatar.

It really depends on which part of the world you come from. If you're from mainland China or India sub-continent, you're likely to find Qatar to be a 'driving haven'.

If you come from USA, Europe, Australia, Singapore or Japan, you'll be horrified, terrified and petrified by the driving here.

There is little or no public transport system here. There is no subway and taxi and buses are few and far and certainly are way below capacity for it's rapidly growing population. Almost everyone drive.

Roundabout galore

Like most countries ruled by Great Britain once upon a time, there are an abundance of round-about instead of traffic junctions that divide traffic. Many newly arrived people are not used to roundabouts and they get nervous whenever approaching one.

Adding to the confusion for new comers is that some roundabouts are straight roundabouts, some has normal traffic lights, some have flashing traffic lights and some are controlled by traffic police.

Impatient drivers

It also certainly does not help that most divers in Qatar drive large fuel-guzzling big capacity 4WD SUV. Most people in Qatar are nice and patient people but the moment they get behind their steering wheels, they turn into another character altogether.

Horning and flashing at you at 140km/h on 80km/h speed-limit roads are daily affairs. If you happen to drive a 800cc or other small fuel-efficient car and fail to get out of the way in 1 second flat, expect these gigantic 4WD to come up to almost your bumper, fill your rear-mirror with their high-beam lights, and tail-gate you till you scramble out of the way.

Or you get drivers of pick-ups, trucks and buses that weave in and out of traffic at high speed thinking they are F1 wannabees.

Accident statistics

It is no wonder that it is acknowledged that Qatar has one of the highest accident rate in the world. Do a survey with your neighbour, work colleagues or countrymen. Do not be surprise that 2 out of 3 has minor or major accident experiences within a year of drivng here.

The roads in Qatar tend to be well paved. However, construction are everywhere in Qatar and it is not unusual for roads to have large pot-holes or not having signboards. Coupled with poor street lighting away from the main roads, it is no wonder that it can be stressful driving in Qatar.

Many people who are not confident of driving on Qatar roads end up hiring drivers instead of driving themselves even if it cost a good proportion of their salaries or allowance. I guess it's far better to spend the money and keep your safety and sanity...

Despite popular belief, there are no camels on Qatar public roads.
These camels are found only on racing tracks or the desert.

The Qatari Desert

You cannot come to Qatar and not see the desert.

Doha is the administrative capital of Qatar. Doha is a relatively modern city of about 800,000 population with all the amenities and facilities you can expect from a modern city. Once you are out of Doha, it's desert land.

Qatar is a relatively flat peninsula jutting out into the Arabian Gulf. The land is generally flat and mostly rocky desert. The entire country is well-served by highways and dotted with smaller towns but you can expect nothing but desert once you move away from the towns and highways.

Most days, the sun is strong and because of the flat terrain, you'll be able to see far into the horizon as you have never seen before. The sky is mostly a nice blue and you will find little or no cloud.

The desert is not all quiet though. It has it's own life too. There are wandering Bedouins, cattle and camel herds, desert shrubs and wildlife.

The desert is also the key industrial lifeline for Qatar's economy because of the various oil and gas plants dotted all over.

On weekend, the desert becomes the playground of Qataris and expatriates with it's myriad of social activities. Just remember to bring a hat, sunglasses, sun-tan lotion and lots of water...

4WD line up for some sand dune bashing fun

Falcon racing anyone?

Watch yourself riding a camel on large video screen

Getting a job in Qatar

The whole world is undergoing a recession today including even certain countries in the Middle East. Not Qatar... it is the one of the few countries that is still going strong and is expected to come out of the current economic gloom stronger than ever.

Some of you may even be considering getting a job in Qatar. Feel free to do so; afterall, almost 80% of the workforce are migrant workers from outside of Qatar and ranges from the top professional manager to the middle engineer to the lowest laborer.

There is likely to be a suitable position for you whatever background you come from because every kind of Qatari organisation, foreign or local, at every level of position will require migrant workers.

You can get a job by referring to the many on-line jobsites, international job agencies, Qatar newspapers on-line classifieds, industry discussion forums and professional magazines. The vacancies are there... just make the effort to hunt it down.

One word of advice; the immigration and labor laws in Qatar are pretty unique and may be quite different from the country that you come from. Be sure to research on your prospective employer and the applicable Qatari immigration and labor regulations before you sign on the dotted line.

While there are many happy stories of migrant workers and expatriates who have found good employers, there are also many who have suffered under bad employers. Do your research well...

Anyone wants to be an ice skating instructor in a shopping mall?

Spring is coming.

Unlike popular perceptions, it is not always hot in Qatar.

The last couple of winter months in Qatar has been relatively cool - with temperatures of about 18C in the day and dropping to as low as 8C at night.

People love winter in Qatar. Out come the fashion parade of sweaters, jackets, scarfs and even gloves to break the summer monotony. The low temperature also mean more BBQ parties in the courtyard, sand dune bashing in cool weather, long walks in the parks, occasional refreshing rain and blooming flowers.

Homes and offices in Qatar often have powerful air-conditioners but rarely have winter heating. Hence, when winter temperature drops a bit too low, gas and electric heaters become hot selling items in shops and supermarkets throughout Qatar.

Yes... you read correctly. It's true that gas and electric heaters can be a top-selling item in Qatar. So, manufacturers of heaters do take heed...

Even the birds know that spring is coming soon
(Migrating birds in formation seen over Al Corniche)