Mother of bueracracy

Try not to have an accident in Qatar!

Mother of bureaucracy

Piak! Something hit my car. And it was loud!

I looked around and could not see any damage. The next day, I saw a teeny scratch on my windscreen. One day after, it grew into a crack. And on the next, the crack grew to a good 10 inches and continue to grow. Time to change the windscreen. And welcome to bureaucracy land.

1. Call up insurance company - Sorry, please go make a Police report
2. Drove over to main Traffic Police station at Medinat Kalifa - Sorry, go to your municipal Police
3. Google for the nearest municipal office and visit the municipal Police - Sorry, go to the main traffic Police
   (XXX, didn't I just came from there?  A passerby said... try the traffic Police located at a side building)
4. Went over to the traffic Police building. Bingo... take a number
5. Took a number. Went over to the counter. Sorry, we don't speak English
6. Waited for an interpreter to come over to understand why I need to make a report
7. Okay, we'll make a report for you. But it'll take 5 days because we need to investigate the cause of the accident
   (XXX, are you going to catch the flying stone that caused the crack!)
8. I can't wait that long. My car is up for permit renewal? Can you expedite?
9. Sure, go see the Captain over there.
10. Went over to the Captain. Told me to wait while he entertained his friend one after another
11. Finally, it was my turn. Yah... pay QR100. We'll give you a letter straightaway.
    (XXX... A one minute task but I had to wait 20 mins for him to greet and kiss all his buddies)
12. Call insurance company. Call the car repair shop. We have no windscreen stock. Please wait 10 days.
13. Will insurance cover for substitute car?
14. Yes, insurance will pay for substitute car but you have to make your own arrangements
15. After 10 days, call up workshop. How many days will I need to have a rental car?
16. We don't know. We're still waiting for the windscreen to arrive
    (Wait a minute.... didn't some-one called me from the workshop to say it has arrived?)
17. Apparently no one knows for sure. Why don't you arrange the rental car as long as possible?
18. Workshop make a few calls and finally realised windscreen had indeed arrived but shipped to wrong workshop. 
19. Call up AA. Can you send the car for repair? Sure we can.
20. AA picked up the car. Send to workshop. Workshop called back. Where's your Police report?
21. Didn't AA have a copy? Yes, but we need the original.
22. Drove to workshop. Pass over the original Police report.
23. Workshop starts work. Bill estimate came. Call up insurance company.
24. Okay, insurance will pay half.
    (XXX... What do you mean... our insurance is comprehensive. Yes but this is Qatar, we only pay for half the part cost.)
25. Alright, alright, please start the replacement. How long does it take? I'm still on rental car.
26. 3 days but we need to call to confirm again.
27. Waited 3 days but no calls from the workshop. Call up workshop. Please come tomorrow.
28. Went to workshop and car is ready. 
29. Drove to return rental car. 
30. Call up insurance company. Can you reimburse the car rental? Sure, please go to XXX building in another part of town. Can't you do a bank transfer or cheque? Sorry, we can't.
31. Went to the building. Spend 1/2 hr to submit paperwork. Spend another 10 mins at the cashier to collect the cash
32. Finally, all done. Drove super cautiously. Don't want another round of bureaucracy!

Mother of all floods

Credit: DohaNews website

Raindrop keep falling on my head!

Residents in Qatar woke up to mass flooding across Doha on 25 November 2015. Qatar saw rain in one night what it typically received over one whole year. Although it was light rain over 4 hours, it was enough to put the country into a flooded gridlock.

Roads all over Doha were flooded and traffic came to a standstill. Schools closed and messaged parents to collect their children from school. There were reports of leakages and flooding in homes, petrol stations, road tunnels, schools, shopping malls, hotels and even the brand new Hamad International Airport.

Regular life came to a standstill. Everyone was affected. People could not go to work, students did not make it in time for examinations, parents were torn between going to work and rushing to pick up their kids, hotels lost their 5-star reputation with water leaking into guest rooms, swanky new condominiums had to put up with water rushing down their elevators in social media and worst of all, news of the brand new US$14 billion airport with leaking roof and wet floors were reported across international newspapers.

The after effect of the flood lingered for a few days. Roads remained muddy. Abandoned cars dotted the city. Some basement car parks remained water-logged.

Credit goes to the civil authorities as Police were out on the road full force to direct traffic, civil contractors with water pumps were out pumping water away and essential services such as hospitals and ambulance services were operating despite being affected by the flood as well.

Questions were immediately asked across social media, newspapers and coffee shops; what if the rain was more persistent? Of if rain occur again immediately before the roads were cleared? What if this happened during the Fifa World Cup in 2022 since the tournament has been shifted to the rainy December period as it is too hot for the Summer season?

Many questions. But at this point, no one has an answer.

No single men allowed

Pix credit: http://www.terrace22.com/

Are you a single man? Sorry, no entry!

The debate came up again. Should bachelors be banned from shopping malls on Friday?

All the shopping malls in Qatar has a family day policy on Friday. This simply means if you are a single man, you are not allowed into the mall. Doesn't matter if you have a marriage certificate at home, a wife and child waiting back in the car or sitting at home. You are still single if you are alone. Sorry, no entry.

Over the years, the policy has became lax and many malls close an eye as there were accusations of gender and racial discrimination since most of the blue-collar workers including construction, technical, domestic and drivers were mostly men without their family in Qatar and hence were unable to enter the malls on their only day off. A good proportion also happen to be darker skin South Asians and Africans. Stopping single man at the door and having arguments was also simply not good public relations.

There were also many arguments at the malls door as newcomers and visitors who were not familiar with Qatar end up arguing with security guards as no one has ever heard of such a rule anywhere else in the world.

Of late, there has been a resurgence among Qataris and Qatar municipal council members to enact this rule as a law; hence legally ensuring the malls has to strictly enforce the no-entry law. Apparently, a large number of female Qataris and their families are not comfortable with the large number of single men in the malls. Or maybe, the queue at checkout was getting too long...

The big debate is how is this no-entry for single man policy going to fit into Qatar's plan to host the 2022 Football World Cup when large number of visitors will simply ignore this no-entry rule since a large segment of football fans will simply be men without their families. What happens then?

We'll find out in 6 years.

There is no bluetooth technology in Qatar

Have you seen anyone using a bluetooth earpiece in Qatar?

I like to joke that there must be no bluetooth technology in Qatar. Why?

Because every driver I see on the road is holding a mobile phone. No one seems to be using the car's bluetooth or a mobile ear bluetooth device. Everyone holds a mobile phone while driving; even a policeman. No wonder no-one gets busted for using a mobile phone while on the road.

Many of these cars are top, premium brands which surely must be equipped with all the latest technology goodies including car bluetooth. But no one uses them leading to many close calls on the road because the drivers were too busy jabbering or texting while driving.

You also tend to see Qataris in the malls, at Starbucks or Chocolate Shoppe holding more than one mobile phone. You often see them juggling with one or more wired ear piece; but never a mobile bluetooth device. Again, I wonder why? Surely it cannot be due to cost?

Incidentally, a Qatari friend of mine says he holds 7 mobile phones. I wonder why does one need so many mobile phones? Or how does one manage to keep track of all the address books? I can't even cope with one.

A Arabic friend of mine gave the theory why the locals do not like using bluetooth technology in the car but prefer to struggle with the handset. He believes that using bluetooth technology in the car leaves a archive tail of calls made and received on the car console which means a suspicious spouse will be aware who their husband has been calling and talking to. This make things a bit touchy when he needs to be seen to be giving equal attention to all 4 wives...

If you have any theory why the locals do not seem to like to use Bluetooth technology on their phone, please let me know :-)

Impact of Ramadan for non-muslims

Pix credit: http://ramiismail.com

What do Non-Muslims do during Ramadan?

Ramadan comes about once a year and last for 29 or 30 days depending on the sighting of the moon. Muslims will fast in the day for the month and general social and economic activities will tend to slow down. Ramadan occur in the Summer month of June which is amongst the hottest month of the year.

A good proportion of the Qatar's population is non-Muslim. How does Ramadan impacts the rest of the population that do not need to observe the holy occasion? How much do they need to adjust their life to accommodate their Muslim's neighbours, colleagues and friends?

Meal time for non-Muslims during Ramadan

Muslims will fast during the day. Hence, all restaurants are closed and no food, drinks or smoking is allowed during the day for Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

This is not difficult for breakfast as most people can still carry on to have breakfast at home. Lunch is a little difficult as no public eating places are opened except for selected schools, companies and hotels. Where eating places are opened, they need to be cordoned and discreet so that casual passerby will not see any food nor people eating.

If your workplace does not have an operating eating place during Ramadan, most companies will designate certain pantry or corners for non-Muslims to take their packed lunch. Some places will not even have such discreet eating places and you may just have to fast along with your Muslim brother.

Drinks will no longer be served during meetings, there are no more water-cooler gossips, and coffee breaks need to take place behind closed doors.

Eating places will start to open for dinner after 6:30pm. There will be long queues outside popular eateries. Some eateries will start selling take-away food discreetly after 5pm.

Working hours and business tempo during Ramadan

The law dictate shorter working hours during the month of Ramadan. Hence, people who starts work at 7:30am find themselves on the way home at 1:30pm instead of the typical 3:30pm.

Civil authorities, banks, offices, worksites and schools will all have adjusted working hours. These allow Muslims to go home early to rest as most people who fast tend to be lethargic during the day. Non muslims certainly benefit from the shorter hours too.

You will find it difficult to make work progress especially if your work require you to liase with external bodies as you'll find your fasting counterparts lethargic during the day or not being available due to the shorter hours. Most business pitches, sales call, meetings, seminars will tend to go slow during this period. Conversely, you may see engineering, roadwork and infrastructure activities go up to take advantage of the lesser traffic and distractions.

Road behaviour during Ramadan

Qatar road is congested and difficult and most of us strategise what time and what route to take to avoid traffic congestion. All these strategies come to nought during Ramadan as traffic pattern change completely during Ramadan.

Roads are a lot quieter as generally Ramadan coincides with the Summer vacation when school is out and a lot of expats are away for Summer vacation. There is less social and business activities during the day which again lead to even lesser traffic. Hence, instead of always being late, you now find yourselves being early as a typical 30 mins journey may now only take 10 mins.

What you do need to watch out for is the witching hour just before the breaking of fast which is the 6:30-7:00pm period. This is when many fasting Muslims go for their first meal of the day and they are impatient after a day of fasting and woe to anyone who gets between them and their first meal! They drive fast, cut traffic and put up reckless manoeuvres; much more so than what they would do during normal months. Traffic is much lighter during this period and allow even more speeding and weaving in and out of traffic. Avoid driving during this period if you can.

Traffic congestion starts after 7:30pm and builds up very badly around shopping malls, restaurants and hotels with people and vehicle going in and out for dinner. This will continue up to 10pm as Iftar dinner give way to the Suhoor crowd.

Avoid the next peak traffic period which is typically 12-2am as the Subhoor crowd leave and go to another location to eat, socialise or relax.

Social occasions during Ramadan

Some restaurants and pubs in 5-star hotels in Qatar serve alcohol but all such activities stop during Ramadan. Restaurants will go dry and most pubs will stay close for this period.

Hence, drinking and entertaining activities slow down during this period.

On the other hand, you'll probably get invitations for Iftar or Suhoor meals from your workplace or business associates. Iftar is the first meal after the breaking of fast and Suhoor is the last meal before dawn for fasting to take place again.

Iftar and Suhoor has become very much a social occasion not unlike Christmas or New Year occasions. Many restaurants and hotels will light up and offer tents or ballrooms for hosting such dinners.

While Iftar is the first meal on breaking fast and is supposed to be a light meal consisting of dates, fruit juice, nuts and bread, it has now become a buffet galore with sushi, pasta, grilled lambs, curry and everything in between.

Suhoor is the last meal before dawn fasting starts and is supposed to be 3-4am but to befit it as a social occasion, Suhoor dinner in restaurants and hotels start as early as 8pm and last till midnight where an even more lavish buffet galore awaits.

You are likely to get multiple invitations from friends, colleagues and business associate for Iftar or Subhoor dinners. For the busy socialite, it is not uncommon to recieve a few invitations in one week alone. 

Cost of Living in Qatar

Cost of living depends on your lifestyle

Stay in a flashy place -
Pay for it or get your employer to do it

How much does it cost to live in Qatar?

When two expats in Qatar meet up, three subjects almost always come up on the table.
1. Challenges of driving in Qatar
2. Cost of living in Qatar
3. Where is the best place to eat

We have discussed driving in Qatar and where to eat in Qatar a couple of times. Let's talk about cost of living in Qatar.

It all depends on which part of the world you come from. And also what kind of salary that you draw. And what kind of lifestyle you lead.

Here's some basic guidelines:

Housing in Qatar (Estimated monthly rental including utilities)

Villa - A stand-alone house either occupying it's own land or in a common gated housing compound. Usually 2 levels of 3-5 rooms. Small to medium garden.
- US$3-8K
Apartment - An apartment in a building of 2-6 levels. Usually 1-3 rooms. May have common facilities such as security, a pool and gym.
- US$1-4K
Shared rooms - Occupying a room in a shared villa or apartment. Share a kitchen and common hall.
US$0.8-1.5K

As a general rule of thumb, you tend to see expats with family living in villas when housing is covered by employers, in apartments when they are individual or couples getting a housing allowance and single bachelor individuals sharing apartments or villa who pays out of their pocket.

Transportation choices in Qatar

Here's a rough guide to new car prices in Qatar.

Car - Honda Civic (@US$20K), Honda Accord (@US$28K), Honda CRV (@US$40K), Nissan Tida (@US$17K), Volvo XC60 (@US$50K), Audi Q5 (@US$65K)

You can deduct roughly 10% a year for used cars dependent on the brand and model. European and American brands depreciate the fastest with Japanese and Korean cars hold on to their value best.

Car rental is not advisable unless you are staying less than a year. In that case, estimate US$600 for a Honda Civic to US$1800 for a Audi Q5.

Buses: One can forget it. The bus service is almost non-existent as it serves only few roads and buses are far and few in-between. Waiting at bus-stops during Summer is simply not tolerable.

Train/Subway: Non-existent.

Taxi: Impossible to find one on the road. Found only in airports and major shopping malls. Expect to pay US$5 for a short trip to US$20 for a longer one. You can also book taxis on the phone but horror stories abound of bad experiences including no-show, delays, lost directions, overcharging and other bad incidences.

Private taxis: Most expats who do not drive depend on private 'taxis' arrangement. This is illegal but a common mode of transport which is much more reliable than taxi service. Expect to pay about US$5 to US$15 per trip. Some residents hire 'private taxi' on a long term on-call basis and this can cost US$800-1000 per month. The driver is not exclusively yours but you get immediate priority as the host owner.

There are also a few private chauffeured car hires when you can book private cars with a driver. The popular one is Fox Limousine and but there's probably another 100 smaller ones out there.

Uber is now available in Qatar and has risen fast in popularity due to it's reliability, friendly drivers and good quality cars. It can only go up in popularity despite being being more expensive than a taxi.

Eating out in Qatar

You can get a simple Chicken Bryani with a coke for US$4 at a simple roadside restaurant. The same meal will cost US$10 at a good Indian restaurant to US$20 at a hotel cafe. Use the same scale for quick takeaway food such as Sharwama or a Chinese noodle.

A 2-person complete meal in a restaurant will cost US$20-40 with a hotel being US$40-100. In my opinion, at this point in Qatar, even if you go to a fancy brand-name restaurant, the food and service just simply does not match up. I really see no point in spending top dollars on restaurant food in Qatar.

Groceries in Qatar

Grocery shopping in Qatar is estimated to be slightly more expensive than one's own home country for common goods like coffee, cooking oil, pasta, ice-cream, tooth-paste, shampoo, etc

Some supermarkets like Lulu and Careefour produces housebrands for common popular items and that may bring prices down to a level even cheaper than your own home country.

Exotic items like organic food, specialty goods and others are estimated to cost 20-100% more.

Petrol in Qatar

This is one area where Qatar shines above every other country in the world when it comes to cost of living. Octave 95 Petrol cost US$30c per liter or US$15 for a full tank for a regular saloon car.

Education in Qatar

Unless your native language is Arabic, you are unlikely to send your child to a local public school. This means sending your child to a private international school and this is likely to be an expensive affair ranging from US$20K a year for junior school to US$45K a year for tertiary education.

Obviously, this is an amount beyond most individuals and will require your employer pays for it. You may want to ensure this is covered in your employment contract especially if you have many children.

I have friends who realised belatedly that their employer does not fully cover education and they have no choice but to send family back to home country for education.

Healthcare in Qatar

Healthcare is next to free if you qualify for public healthcare insurance in Qatar. Anyone who has a residential ID in Qatar will qualify. You need to pay only a small token amount when you seek treatment at Hamad Hospital and it's subsidiaries.

Most employers will pay some form of private medical insurance that qualifies you to visit selected or all medical clinics and hospitals. Most private insurance will require that you co-pay a token or nothing when you seek treatment.

Make sure your employment covers insurance for your family too. Making a trip to a upmarket private hospital like the Al Ali will cost a bomb.

Airline ticket to and from Qatar

Qatar is not an attractive end destination airport and hence, has set itself up as a transit hub with Qatar Airways expanding quickly and serving many parts of the world. 

If you are flying direct from your home country to and from Qatar, one can generally estimate the flight to be 20-50% more than if you have an alternate airline on the same flight. 

Conversely, if you use Qatar as a transit and fly beyond Doha, you may find that with the additional leg, your ticket may cost the same or even cheaper than if your end destination is Qatar itself. So, if your lifestyle or your job allows you to plan your vacation easily, you may find this an attractive option to explore the world!

Alternatively, many people transit via another airport such as Dubai airport in order to qualify for transit flight with another airline. This also bring cost down substantially.

Like everywhere is the world, cost of living is on the rise all the time. At the same time, cost of living between yourself and another person in the same country is also different simply because of your way of life. You pay for the kind of lifestyle you want to lead and that is no different even in Qatar

Smart Elder Care Technology

How does a sandstorm feel like?

Pix credit: nricafe.com/

A lot of sand

Most people in the world has never experienced a sandstorm. Well, maybe in movies.

But all the high pixel resolution, surround sound and 3D effect will never ever replace the experience of a real sandstorm. So, how often do we get sandstorms in Qatar?

Well, maybe a few small ones a year and a biggie once a year. And then, there is the mother of all sandstorm in 1 April 2015, this year. All old-timers in Qatar will tell you this is the worst sandstorm in living memory.

You get local sandstorm all the time because Qatar is low lying, is windy and there is plenty of sand. The wind is blowing all the time and you see tumbleweeds and small swirling sand storm right outside your door or in the next empty lot. These are local 'storms', harmless and usually die down after a few minutes.

The bigger ones typically originate from a desert in a neighbouring country and travel across borders to reach you. Of course you are on low land and do not see it but satellite or airborne photos will show a sandstorm moving across the land; just as any decent Hollywood movie will depict a sandstorm.

Start of a sandstorm

You feel the sandstorm presence by increased wind velocity, the howling of wind and decreasing visibility. If you are home, you are likely to stay home. If you are already outside, you'll notice a decrease a traffic, more cars turning on their hazard lights, decrease in visibility and basically, sand flying everywhere.

Most of us sit out a sandstorm at home or in the office. Most sandstorms die within a few hours and you step out to find sand everywhere, debris from your neighbours dumped on your doorstep, everything looks sandy or brown and your car coated in dust and fine sand.

The once a year biggie or the mother of all sandstorm we had in 1 April can be quite frightening even if you are at home. 

Mother of all sandstorm

This mother of all sandstorm originated in Saudi Arabia and reached Qatar near midnight. You can hear the howling wind through double-glazed windows and feel the rattle throughout the night. You wake up to find a fine layer of sand within your home, look out of the window to see visibility down to almost five meters and almost unable to open the door past the howling wind and 6 inches of sand dumped against the door.

Many of us received messages that schools and a number of offices are closed. Visibility is almost zero on the road, schools are closed and many flights were diverted. The entire Qatar was almost in a shutdown mode.

Social media went into a frenzy and you read news and watch pictures of a massive sandstorm rolling across the land captured off aerial cameras, of houses and basement carparks dumped with a layer of sand, of zero visibility on the roads, of fire alarms going off mistaking sand for smoke, of aircrafts grounded or diverted at the airport, of massive cleaning up of roads, shops and offices.

This sandstorm was so massive that it travelled all the way to India's West coast and dumped sand there. Qatar was lucky that the storm gathered in the late night and there were no reports of major accidents nor casualties caused by the storm. Had the storm started during the day, it is likely to cause major accidents on the road.

Like earthquake, there are apparently after-sandstorm as well. We continue to have sandstorms for a couple of weeks after that massive sandstorm although they were all of a much smaller scale.

Why am I writing this blog a couple of months after 1 April? Well, we had a small sandstorm these couple of days and the sand outside my door reminded me of that massive storm again.

Welcome to the world of sandstorm.

Top 8 activities to do in Qatar

Relax at the hotel

Relax at the beach

What does one do for entertainment in Qatar? 

Ask a different person and each will have a different story to tell you.

I guess what one sees as entertainment is largely dependent on whether you're a swinging single, an aspiring artiste, a family person, a sporting person, a sociable person or a dead bore.

Here's a list of popular social/entertainment activities; not necessary in any particular order.

#1 Visiting a shopping mall

As much as I say this list is not in any particular order, I think shopping safely takes the No 1 spot by any mean of measure.

Going to the mall seems to be Qatar's residents' favorite activity. At last count, there are 4 large malls that seems to take in half of Qatars' residents every weekend. They are Villagio, CityCentre, Landmark and Hyatt Plaza. In the last 1 year, Ikea and Ezdan Mall join the list of malls.

Shopping malls are where everyone goes to do grocery and household shopping, to watch a movie, to eat at a restaurant, to people-watch, to window shop or simply to kill time. Most malls typically has an anchor supermarket and some has cinemas, bowling alleys and ice skating rinks to bring in the crowd.

Try not to go to a mall after 1 pm on a weekend; it's impossible to find a parking lot. One goes to a mall to relax; not to fight with the next person over parking lots.

#2 Visiting a Hotel

I find it strange but hotels are packed on weekends; both with local residents on staycation and day visitors. There are hardly any tourist and business visitors would likely to have left Qatar on weekends.

Many hotels; especially the 5-star ones offer sport clubs, private beach access, restaurants, spas, boutique shops, hairdressers, swimming pools and many other amenities. Hence, they tend to pack in the Qataris and well-to-do expatriates.

Dress codes are a little loose, so you get to see Bikinis at the pools. Alcohol is served and the weekend brunch and buffets pack the crowds in at US$100 or more per person. Jazz bars, pubs and spas attract alike their niche clients who cannot enjoy them anywhere else in Qatar.

#3 Going to the desert

Going to the desert appeals to certain segment of Qataris and expatriates and you do not fail to see them heading to the desert every weekend especially during the cooler months. They bash the dunes with large 4 wheel drive SUVs, noisy off-road bikes and carts and set up large tents; complete with electrical generators, air-conditioners, water tanks, electric BBQ grills and water mister out in the desert.

#4 Going to the beach

Qatar has some very nice beach complete with clear, unpolluted turquoise sea. You need to drive an hour or so from Doha and some beaches can only be accessed using a 4x4 SUV.

The beaches are packed once the cooler months start with colourful tents lining the popular beaches.

#5 Brunch and dinner buffets

Every restaurant, from the economical to the high-end, is offering some kind of buffet ranging from US$15 to US$150 over the weekends and it never fails to bring in the crowds. Food offering tend not to change nor vary very much but still is adequate for some residents to make it a point to restaurant-hop to add some variety to their weekends.

#6 Parks and playgrounds

Qatar encourages family outings and there are surprisingly a good choice of parks and playgrounds. Some like the Corniche has been around for some time and is popular with families, cyclists, joggers, single men and tourists and is packed even till the late hours.

Newer and larger grounds like the Aspire park, Katara Cultural Centre and the Islamic Museum park come with water features, performance area and even restaurants and never fail to attract families and visitors.

There are also many smaller parks all over Doha city and are always popular especially with families as these parks always tend to have children playgrounds and refreshment kiosks.

#7 Hanging out at a coffee cafe, fruit bar and shisha lounge

There are coffee cafes everywhere and popular in Qatar are Starbucks, Costa Coffee, Coffee Bean, Coffee Culture and a whole host of other similar cafes. Whenever you meet someone for a chat, the appointment is likely to be in a coffee cafe. They open late and are likely to have wifi, sports channels and basic food offering.

I heard about fruit bar when I first came to Qatar. Fruit juice cafes are popular in Qatar and they serve nothing but mixes of fruits; often with exotic cocktail names. I guess the combination of fancy cocktail names and where youngsters can hang out gave rise to the term fruit bar.

Shiha lounge is the other popular outlet for people to hang out especially the expats of Arabic origin. Some Shisha lounge simply serve tea and Shisha, while others are restaurants cum Shisha lounge. The outdoor lounges are particularly popular during the cooler months while the popular indoor lounge seems to pack in the crowd regardless the hour of the day.

#8 Staying at home

You may be surprised but staying at home is popular with a large segment of the population especially during the hot Summer months when temperature goes up to 50C.

You can get everything at home.

Air-conditioning. Satellite TV. 4G internet. Grocery home delivery. Laundry home delivery. Food home delivery. Car wash; home delivered. Why even bother to go out and fight the traffic and crowd?

Who lives in Qatar?

Friday afternoons - Residents of South Asia origin flood the streets on their day off

What is the population breakdown in Qatar?

Most of us know that local Qataris only make up 10-15% of the 2.5 million population. Who are the rest of the residents then?

I'm sure there are many official population census that gives you accurate breakdown. But, what's the street breakdown? In other words, other than official figures, who does one actually sees or meet on the streets, in the offices and in the malls?

This is my street estimate of the population breakdown of Qatar:

Indian Subcontinent (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri-Lankans, Nepalese, etc): 35%
Arabic Origin (Syrians, Egyptians, Jordanians, Yemenis, Lebanese, etc): 25%
Filipinos: 20%
First world (Americans, Europeans, Japanese, Koreans, etc): 10%
African origin: 5%
Others: 5%

These percentages are street estimate but I suspect should be close to official figures. These nationalities keep to a very broad band of the services and professions they work in. However, you can make some general assumptions, it is likely that:

Your Bus/Taxi/Limousine driver is likely to be from Bangladesh. 

It's funny but every Taxi driver I meet in Dubai is from Pakistan while every driver I used to meet in Qatar seems to be from Bangladesh. The nationalities has widen so they may come from India, Pakistan or Africa nowadays.

Your supermarket cashier is likely to be from Philippines. 

Every supermarket or shops seems to employ Filipinos for cashiering duties. Even large Hypermarket like Lulu, which is Indian owned, and employs Indians for every other supermarket role seems to only employ Filipinos for their cashiers. Is it because Filipinos are honest or quick on the count?

When you visit a 5-star hotel, the concierge or restaurant manager is likely to be Jordanians or Lebanese. 

In many supervisory, retail or F&B positions where there is a need to be fluent in English and Arabic, the Jordanians and Lebanese come forth with their language skills that allow them to easily mix and converse with their Arabic and English speaking clients directly.

If your child is in an International school, his/her teacher is likely to be from USA or Europe. 

You can bet that when you visit International schools that charge US$20,000 or more a year or Gordan Ramsey's fancy restaurant at the Pearl, the person receiving you is likely to be a white person from USA or Europe.

Qataris? 

Unless you work in the civil service sector or in a Qatari owned company, your chances of working or liaising with a Qatari is extremely small. I can count with one hand the number of times I had to speak to a Qatari on official matters. Even the traffic police or civil service officials whom you meet are not Qataris but Arabs working in Qatar.

Other nationalities are also beginning to make a presence in this country. It is not strange to find Turkish, Greek, Chinese and Korean construction companies participating in large construction projects all over Qatar.

The percentage and roles each nationality play is obviously a generalisation in this article. Of course, each nationality is represented in all jobs and roles and cuts across all sectors and profession and you are likely to come across some or all of them in your work and day to day living in Qatar.

As Qatar marches towards modernistion and World Cup 2022, we'll still continue to see large numbers of foreigners coming into Qatar. How these percentages will play out, we'll find out as it happens.

Medical Care in Qatar

Hamad General Hospital

Can you get good quality medical care in Qatar?

I arrived in Qatar in late 2008 when it was estimated that the total population, Qataris and expatriates, was just touching 1 million. It was recently estimated in late 2013 that the population is now about 2 million.

If the numbers are to be believed, then, Qatar has seen an explosive 1 million population growth in a short five years. This is nothing short of amazing and it is obvious that the public infrastructure and amenities, including healthcare, to support this rapid growth must be creaking under the strain.

Medical care is one of the main concern of new and existing residents to this country. Many expatriates from developed countries coming here would expect a high level of medical care for themselves and family while the sheer numbers of expatriates from developing countries would also surely cause a heavy strain on basic healthcare services.

Health screening for all newcomers to Qatar

Most people coming to work and stay in Qatar are generally healthy. Anyone applying for resident permits in Qatar need to produce clean health certificates from their home country doctors and are subjected to further health screening in Qatar that include blood and urine tests, x-rays and medical examinations in a common in-processing medical centre upon their arrival into Qatar. I know of several cases of would-be residents having their resident permits denied because these health checks picked up existing or new ailments.

These two tier health checks effectively ensure everyone coming in are basically healthy. Residents who received their resident permits can then apply to Hamad Hospital for a public health care card which is issued free to all qualified residents. 

The Hamad health card ensure all residents can receive very low cost health treatment at Hamad hospitals and it's subsidiary clinics and polytechnics. The public healthcare in Qatar is good and very comprehensive and some of the very best doctors in Qatar are found with Hamad Hospital.

Unfortunately, like all public amenities in Qatar, it is simply overwhelmed by demand for it's services. The out-patient clinics and pharmacies are packed, medical appointments take months and even getting parking is a big difficulty.

The government is acutely aware of this and there is constant upgrade of the current amenities at the current Hamad hospital while a new and much larger Hamad hospital is being built concurrently. As much as the public hospital is overwhelmed, the common understanding by all expatriates is that if you need emergency medical attention, Hamad hospital is still the best choice as it has the best trauma centre in the country as well as being the only hospital with full medical specialties.

Hamad hospital also has an excellent ambulatory service and you can see ambulances dotted around the country and civil defence posts so that they offer quicker reactionary timing. It is amazing to see Qataris road users who are usually not known to be courteous or patient drivers, spreading a clear path whenever they hear sirens, especially for ambulances.

Private healthcare in Qatar

For expatriates who cannot put up with the wait at public health system, many would seek private medical treatment either through their companies' healthcare benefits or on their own personal expense. Private clinics and hospitals are available throughout the country and charges and service quality varies according to the level of service provided.

The biggest and best private hospital in Qatar is the Al-Ali hospital and even then, it is not a comprehensive hospital and they will refer patients to go to Hamad hospital if they do not have the necessary expertise. Treatment at Al-Ali hospital is definitely not a cheap affair but one never fail to see an unending line of visitors.

There are a number of smaller private hospitals such as Doha clinic, American hospital, German clinic and others around the country.

There are also a number of small dental and polyclinics all over Doha. Pharmacies and prescriptions are easily fulfilled in retail pharmacies which are everywhere around the country.

New Hospitals in Qatar

Qatar is also building the Sidra Medical and Research Centre; which will raise the bar on advanced health and medical treatments, research and teaching. The Sidra Medical Hospital will specialise in female and children medical care.

In addition, Hamad hospital is constant renovating and upgrading their existing buildings and is building a much bigger and modern new hospital.

Both public and private healthcare in Qatar still fall short by World standards today. However, this is one area of public service where you can see the urgency and clear planning by the government to deliver adequate modern healthcare to it's people and expatriates alike.

Qatar for World Cup 2022

Poster supporting Qatar bid for World Cup 2011
(Pix credit:neptunenext.wordpress.com)

By now, most people would be aware of Qatar successful bid to host the 2022 World cup. What does it feel like to see Qatar successful World cup bid from the point of a local resident?

Most residents or expatriates like myself are proud that this small nation has been successful in it's World Cup bid. It is nothing short of amazement that this small nation has shot itself to prominence on the world's sporting platform.

Of course, the Qataris are extremely proud of their successful bid as well. Jubilant celebrations burst out spontaneously in the streets - honking cars, shrill whistles, flying flags, claps and singing, etc

Celebrations on the streets upon news of Qatar's successful bid for World Cup 2011

(Pix credit:http://sonyaandtravis.com)

Once the euphoria died down, reality sets in. Will tiny Qatar be able to successfully shoulder such a monumental task of hosting the FIFA world cup?

The newspapers give a emphatic yes. The officials interviewed give an emphatic yes. Qataris give an extremely confident yes. Residents who have been around for a while give a mixed reply. My opinion? - Mostly yes...

Money can and does conquer many difficulties. 

Qatar definitely has the financial muscle to shoulder the herculean task of building the infrastructure and the hosting of a FIFA world cup.

Growing country. 

As a small and growing country, it is so much easier for the various agencies to work together to produce a successful plan to work towards 2022. The world cup is also a good opportunity for the Qataris to forge a proud national identity that can bind the nation together.

Good Experience. 

Many people are not aware that Qatar has been working towards being a good sporting host nation. This small country had successfully hosted the Asian Games 2006 , Asian Football Cup 2010, annual ExxonMobile Tennis tournament, F1 powerboat tournament, Motorcyle Grand Prix and a host of other small and large sporting tournaments.

Time. 

There is still 10 years to go before 2022. There is time for the various infrastructure, transportation, accommodation and other plans to come into place.

Expertise. 

The country may lack some of the successful human expertise locally but it has never shown a lack to source the world and hire the best consultants or personnel that are required to both plan and carry out the plans for 2022.

So, if all indications show that Qatar will be able to host a successful 2022 World Cup Tournament, what is my personal plans?

I would like to come back to Qatar as a spectator to the world's most beautiful game. But not to reside in Qatar during this period especially in the 4 years prior to 2022. Why?

Because all residents know that Qatar will become one large construction site! Qatar is a fast growing country and it's infrastructure growth can hardly keep up with it's quick growth even as it is now. Roads are packed, shopping malls are crowded, there is long queues at government agencies, airports, gas stations, supermarkets. Parents have problem enrolling their children into good schools and children has to wake up super early just to avoid the morning school road jam.

Updated: November 2013

My prediction came true. Qatar has become one massive traffic jam as the population grew to beyond 2 million people in a short few years. There is massive road and building construction everywhere and people are complaining to the press and social media about the jams.

Just two days ago, I had to drive to the airport at 6:00am and there were already massive jams even on the highway as parents drive their children to schools and company bus send their workers to work.

There are anecdotal evidence that some long time residents has given up and went off the country as patience wear thin with the traffic. However, these small numbers does not counter the hordes of people arriving to take up residence as more and more job opportunities become available.

It will be some 10 years before the world cup. Construction projects can only increase and roads will continue be be chopped and changed as the city evolve to greet the world cup.

You have been warned. You are welcomed to Qatar if you can put up with the heat, traffic and construction chaos - not always necessary in that order!

Qatar FAQ

Credit: Unknown source

What do you want to ask about Qatar but felt it may be too trivial?

Every time I return home or meet someone on a overseas trip, people are always curious about Qatar. Gosh, you're working in the Middle-East... what is it like? So, to the curious visitors who has never been to Qatar or the Middle East, here's the answers to the most common questions I always get asked.

Q: Are there riots? You know, isn't there much revolution going on in the Middle East?
A: No, there are no riots. All is calm and quiet in Qatar.

Q: Are there terrorists?
A: Absolutely none!

Q: Is it desert everywhere?
A: No, the capital city of Qatar, Doha, is a modern city of more than a million people. Yes, it is mostly desert outside of Doha.

Q: Are the people very rich?
A: Like everywhere else, there are rich and poor people.

Q: Is it safe in the streets?
A: Absolutely safe. There are almost no crime in Qatar. Just don't get me started on safe driving...

Q: What food do you eat? I hear there are no pork.
A: Whatever I like; except pork of course.

Q: Are there only Arabic restaurants whenever you eat out?
A: No. There are as many Western, Chinese, Indian and Fastfood restaurants as there are Arabic ones.

Q: Must foreign women cover up? Can they wear what they like?
A: There is no need for foreign women to cover up. They can wear whatever they want as long as they are modest in their dressing.

Q: Are you fluent in Arabic?
A: Unfortunately not. English is used everywhere and my basic Arabic had become hopeless as I do not get a chance to practise.

Q: It it tough working in Qatar?
A: It can be tough or easy, depending on your job, just like anywhere else in the world.

Q: Do people understand each other at work
A: Most of the time, yes. English is widely used in the commercial world. The level of English vary in government and civil service sectors.

Q: Does everyone drive fancy cars?
A: Not true. I do not see many Ferrari, Porches, Maserati on the street. I do see a lot of SUV especially Toyota LandCruisers. I'm not sure they qualify as fancy cars.

Q: Is the weather bearable? Isn't it too hot?
A: The weather is quite acceptable for about 8 months of the year. It only becomes unacceptably hot during the summer months of June to November.

Q: Is my xxxx academic qualifications accepted?
A: There is a wide spectrum of companies in Qatar from all over the world. The companies from your home country is likely to accept your qualifications. If you are working in a foreign company, it is best to check with the HR department prior.

Q: You mean there are summer and winter in Qatar as well?
A: Yes, there are distinct summer and winter months in Qatar. It can go down to 12C during Winter and up to 48C during Summer.

Q: Is Dubai and Qatar the same place?
A: No. Dubai is part of UAE and they are separate sovereign countries. They are one hour away by flight from one another.

Q: Have you seen a transformer?
A: Although in the movie, Transformer 1, the first transformers were discovered in Qatar, I have yet to see one so far... :-) I have seen a few transformers in the toy stores though...

Review: Good Asian food in Qatar

Chinese chef at work. Pix credit

In a land where there are not too many social and recreational activities, the opportunity to enjoy good food becomes an obsession for many people. In the last couple of years, Qatar has seen more and more new restaurants serving cuisine from all over the world as more hotels and shopping malls come on-line.

There has always been a good choice of restaurants from Arabic and Western countries; Turkish, Lebanese, Iranian for the former and French, Italian, American for the latter. You can also easily find Filipino and Indian cuisine because most of the foreign workers are from these countries and some of these migrant workers has branched into opening small restaurants.

What has always been difficult to find is Asian food; especially those from the Far East. True, you can find many restaurants advertising Chinese food but once you find out that the cooks are Nepalese or Filipinos, you can imagine how 'authentic' these restaurants are.

If you are into Far Eastern food, here's my personal choice of the more authentic places:

Chinese restaurants

1. Beijing restaurant (Opposite Megamart)
Whenever one ask for recommendations for Chinese food, almost all will recommend Beijing restaurant. Unfortunately, Beijing restaurant serves Northern Chinese food, which I consider oily and less creative/varied than Southern Chinese food.

Fortunately, prices are reasonable and I visit it occasionally to add variety to my food choice.

Other Chinese restaurants serving the same genre of Northern Chinese food include Great Wall (Behind Megamart), Shanghai Garden (City Centre) and Wok of Fame (Villagio). I stopped visiting these restaurants the moment Chopstix and Tse Yang arrived.

2. Chopstix at Holiday Villa Hotel
Chopstix is as close as you can get to Singapore/Malaysia style of Chinese food which is reasonably close to Cantonese/Hong Kong style. The chefs are from Malaysia and Dim Sum is served as well.

This is a popular restaurant with Malaysians and Singaporeans and their Peking Duck, a perennial favorite with Western expats, is the closest you can get to the real stuff from Peking itself. In addition to Chinese food, you can get a good choice of Malaysian/Singapore cuisine of Curry Fish head, Claypot Mutton, Fishball noodle and Fried rice.

3. Tse Yang at The Pearl
This is the latest Chinese restaurant to reach Qatar. Located at The Pearl, it boast Hong Kong chefs and waiting staff from China.

They are so new as of this writing that they are yet to offer a full menu as they still have problems getting the full range of ingredients and spices locally. Prices are a bit steep, waiting staff are inexperienced and the dining experience still feel incomplete despite their swanking decor.

By the way, if you need a bit of wine or beer with Chinese food, this is your best choice.

Korean restaurants

1. Moon Palace
Located at Nassr street, this is my favorite Korean restaurant. The restaurant ambiance is very close to what you can find in South Korea, down to the restaurant decoration, the BBQ pit at each table and the pretty authentic Korean signature dishes of Bul-Go-Gi, Kimchi and Bean paste soup.

This is the restaurant that the Korean expat community come to for some home comfort. You almost feel that you're in Korea when you're here until you realise that the waiters are from Nepal!

2. Korean Garden
This is the other Korean restaurant that is located at Al Sadd Street. The restaurant is popular with the Western expat community but I do not see as many Korean expats as in Moon Palace. Perhaps that the food here is a tad of a lower standard than Moon Place could be a good reason.

When it comes to food, always follow this wise advice - Go where the native go.

Japanese restaurants

1. Oishi at Royal Plaza Mall
My first experience when they just opened was a bit disappointing but quality seems to improve with each subsequent visit. Their Bento set, Teppanyaki and Sushi has been reasonably good and close to what you can get for the money in Qatar.

Service tend to be a bit slow, prices are a bit steep and I can't believe that there is no free flow of Green Tea.

2. Shushi Minto at Salwa Road
I visited Shushi Minto once and was shocked at the prices. I ended up with a promotional Bento set which was very good. I visited it again for it's Friday brunch but ended up disappointed by the poor choice of Japanese food. (Who will visit a Japanese buffet with pasta on it's selection!).

Sushi and Sashimi choices was poor and not good. Maybe it's just the brunch crowd that caused the drop in standard but it's definitely not my place for sushi or sashimi.

Thai restaurants

1. Thai Snack at Al Nasr Street
This is the perennial expat favorite eating place in Qatar. They have been around for a while and every expat seem to know this restaurant. It's popularity seems to make the small restaurant even more busy and getting a table at peak time can be difficult.

Food is reasonable, prices so-so and service seems to be a bit slow. Not exactly my favorite place because I always associate Thai restaurants with fantastic food, service and price and I don't seem to find the complete combination here.

2. Isaan at Hyatt hotel
This is a high-end Northern Thai restaurant complete with open-concept kitchens located in a 5-star hotel. Dining ambiance is good, food is above average and Singha beer is served.

Unfortunately, prices are steep and portions are extremely small. Be prepared to order at least 4-5 dishes instead of the usual 2-3 dishes for 2 persons. Complete your meal with the very authentic sticky rice and mango dessert.

3. Jasmine at the Souk
Latest Thai restaurant to arrive in Qatar. 99% authentic Thai as the chefs, waiting staff, food ingredients, furniture, cutlery are shipped entirely from Thailand. If you are a Thai, you'll feel completely at home here.

Food is authentic Thai, prices a tad pricey and service is good. The restaurant offer two menu; Thai and Chinese. My suggestion is to skip the Chinese menu and stick to the Thai menu. Only con about this restaurant is that it is a little off the main route and can be difficult to locate. Also, they need to fix their weak air-conditioner!

Malaysian/Indonesian restaurants

1. Central Restaurant at Umm Ghuwailina
This is a popular restaurant with Indonesian, Malaysian and Singapore expats. A rather difficult to locate small restaurant that sells delicious Indonesian favorites.

Like typical Indonesian restaurants, you queue to select your dishes that goes with your rice. The rendang, sambal chilli and telor is almost as good as what you can get in Indonesia. This restaurant tends to get crowded during meal time and getting a table can be difficult.

2. Sri Kebaya at the Souk
Many of us had high expectations as this restaurant advertise itself as an authentic Malaysian restaurant.

Many of us had also came away disappointed as the Nasi Lemak (a signature Malaysian dish) falls completely flat. Even the beef or chicken rendang simply does not have the 'oommp' that you would expect from a Malaysian restaurant. On the other hand, the sambal prawn was pretty authentic as was the Nasi goreng.

Prices was on the high side when I last visit. However, have heard that prices has been adjusted downwards but am unable to confirm this.

Food in Qatar

Once you settle down into your accommodation and job in Qatar, the next big hurdle or challenge is invariably food.

If you cook, you'll find that many familiar foodstuff you get in your home supermarket is not available here. It does not matter where you are from in the world. I hear the same familiar complaints from Lebanese, American and British colleagues.

For those who regularly have pork as part of their diet, you may suffer from 'pork-withdrawal symptom'; if there is ever such a symptom. Sufferers of such symptoms are known to take flight over the weekend to Dubai or Bahrain to satisfy the withdrawal crave.

Some will sneak some pork back and hide-and-seek stories with airport custom officers are well regaled adventures.

Of course we know that pork is not available in this strict Muslim country but familiar vegetables such as Kailan, Bak Choi, Bean sprout, Kang Kong are also not available too or only at a high price.

Americans will complain that their favorite snacks are not available, Lebanese the quality of Yogurt, Italians the selection of olive oils, Englishmen the availability of sausages, Singaporeans the choice of vegetables, etc. As large as the supermarkets here are, they can never satisfy the varied needs of the number of nationalities who congregate in this small country.

Food is a challenge for those who do not cook as well.

You'll find restaurants and food courts only at the malls and hotels. There are also a sprinkling of restaurants along some roads and petrol kiosks. However, it does not matter where you find them; your choice are always limited to:

1. American Fast Food (They are everywhere!)
2. Middle Eastern Fast Food (Almost everywhere!)
3. Indian Food

Fast Food - Invented in the Middle-East?

Middle Eastern Fast Food - Sharwama

Indian Bryani

For those who abhor fast food, and there are indeed many such people, you are in tough trouble. Your next best bet are the Shawama (if you do not get sick of it) or the Indian Bryani (if you do not mind getting clogged arteries).

Once you want to move past these 3 choices, you will now face the challenge of:

1. Finding parking spots
2. Pay the high price

What has that to do with eating your favorite food?

Well, the better restaurants, be it Italian, American, Chinese, Thai or Japanese are inevitably located in malls or hotels where parking is almost always a hassle and food prices are always 50% or more what you'll need to pay back in their native land for the exact same food.

You either live without your favorite food or you can go through the hassle of finding parking lots and/or paying through your nose for the privilege of indulging in some comfort food.

For some, the indulgence of their favorite food in hotels come with the added benefit of having alcohol, for the only place in Qatar where you can have food with alcohol outside of your home, is only in hotels.

For the rest of us, where money does not fall from the sky or spurt from underground, I hear that Instant Noodles, Pasta and sandwiches are perennial favorites.

Pix-Courtesy of their various owners

Pumping petrol in oil-rich Qatar

Qatar modern skyline

Qatar is sometimes a strange country. This is a country that produces one of the world's largest supply of oil and gas and prides itself on it's infrastructure modernisation program with sleek and spanky buildings and malls.

Many of the world's largest petroleum companies are here; think Chevron, Mobil, QatarGas, Shell etc either as an original entity or in some form of joint-venture.

This is also a country where almost every one drives. If you're a keen reader of automobile magazines, you might as well throw away your magazine and just check out the latest cars on the road. You'll easily find the latest sleek Porsche race car alongside luxurious Lexus SUV to workhorses like Honda Civics and Nissan Tidas.

For a country with all these conditions in place, you'll expect that Petrol(Gas) stations here will be classy showcases for the various big gas companies aptly suitable for the country's Porsche, Lexus, Mercedes, Audi and Cadillacs...

Old petrol stations

Nothing can be further from the truth. Gas stations in Qatar tend to be old, run-down, pot-holed and without convenience stores or auto facilities like workshops and tyre-shops. Most of them are gas station dealers that has been around for a decade or two and has not seen any upgrades for as long.

Most of the time, you do not even know what brand of gas you are pumping. Is it Shell, Mobil, Chevron or something else? You are more likely to see the individual station owner's name than the brand of gas - Abu Nakhla Petrol Station, Al Muntazah Petrol Station, Doha Petrol Centre, Rayyan Petrol Station, Umm Said Petrol Station etc

And instead of convenience shops, you're likely to find kebab shops, barbers, tailors, children toy shops, electronic shops and the occasional fast-food shop.

Gas stations are mostly old and run-down

Most of these stations look like they have freeze in time from the 70s and 80s... especially with their old looking petrol pumps, bi-directional pumping lanes, pot-holes in the lanes, petrol attendants and cash-only transactions.

European expatriates are amazed to have some-one pump the petrol for them, Americans complain about not being able to pick up drinks at the convenience store and Asians wonder why they can't fix their tyre at the same time...

Of course, things are changing and new petrol stations coming up seems to be following conventional worldwide trends; sleek pumping stations, large convenience store, auto car-wash stations, auto-repair shops etc

Until then, we'll just have to horn at each other as we meet head-to-head at the older petrol stations.

Land Cruiser Country

The Toyota Landcruiser is by far the most popular vehicle in Qatar. Almost every Qatari drives one. So do many expatriates who believe in bigger is safer; especially on Qatari roads.

Next in popularity are the Nissan Pathfinders. And Mitsubishi Pajero. And Hummers. And FJ Cruisers. And Tahoes. All the big, mean machines. Nothing under 4 liters will do.

Your first introduction to these vehicles is inevitably a set of flashing headlights in your rear mirror if you are driving. Especially if you drive a 1 to 2 litre puny sedan car. Especially if you're driving under 100km/h. Doesn't matter if it's a 80km/h speed limit road.

Get out of my way.

These vehicles have loud horns too. You'll find out exactly 0.1 second later at the traffic light if you do not move off after the lights turn green. That's how fast you'll get horned at for holding up traffic. Especially these big, mean machines.

Get out of my way.

Most of the roundabouts in Qatar are 3-lane. There is a 'lane protocol' here; outer lane for a 3/4 turn, middle lane for straight turn and inner lane for immediate turn. However, Landcruisers and Pathfinders do not usually care for protocols... it is not uncommon for them to cut from the inner to outer lane or vice-versa; right in the middle of a turning roundabout. This is where you'll hear screeching tires and smell burnt tire marks... simply because Landcruisers and Pathfinders are in a hurry.

Get out of my way.

The parking lots in Qatar are slightly bigger than most other countries. It needs to be bigger to accommodate these large vehicles. Yet, it is not unusual for these vehicles to take up a lot at such an angle that you can't park beside it. Does not matter if it is the last available lot in the whole carpark.

Get out of my way.

It is not uncommon to be caught in a jam in Qatar. Sometime it's just heavy traffic. Sometime it's construction work. Sometime it's an accident. Most of us patiently wait and sit out the delay. Not the Cruisers and Pathfinders. They will go up and over the traffic island. Or the sidewalk. Or the grass verge. Go a few cars ahead and cut back to the line. And so on.

Get out of my way.

You need to get use to these large, mean vehicles if you want to keep your sanity on the road. Otherwise, do not drive. Better still, get one of these vehicle below.

This photo was not taken in Qatar.
However, a couple of these vehicles has been spotted in Qatar.

Photocredit: www.jacked-up-truck.com

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?