International People, International Plugs

I have one of those World Traveler plug sets from Samsonite that I got in 2002. I never thought I would actually use it, but it was on clearance.

Then I moved to Qatar, and I've used every plug already. That is, all of them except for the North America/Japan one. I still remember using the British 3-pin in the Intercon, but switching to a two-pin at the airport.

Electronics here, for the most part, all come with the same plugs--either British 3-pin or a two-pin. If you have a two-pin, you have to either plug your item into a universal fuse box (middle), or a two-pin cover, which then can go into an extension cord.

The universal fuse boxes are great, because you can put plugs of all sizes into them. Even North American plugs will go into the bottom. They're cheap, at only 3 riyals or so at the Carrefour. You can plug two or three things into one, so the Samsonite set comes in handy. I'm definitely picking up some more before I relocate to another British plug-style country.

Acceptable Qatari Parking Practices, Part I

In Japan, we used to laugh about how in the rural parts you could park your car anywhere you felt like, including the middle of the road. If you had a kei car, you could leave your car there permanently. As Queenie in the Bahamas is fond of saying, 'There ain't no sign.'

The Qatari World--Outside Doha

Camel caution sign south of Doha. I didn't see any camels on my first drive, when I had my camera. Tthis morning, however, when going diving, while my camera was safely stored at Cornell Towers, I saw a whole herd next to the road. It's like John from the diving club said last weekend-- when you don't have your camera, that's when you see all the good stuff.

Anyway. During Eid, and this weekend too, I got out of Doha to see what some more of Qatar looked like. It's quite a different world once you leave Doha too.

My first time out, I went to Mesaaid, an industrial area 30 km south of Doha. The big claims to fame in Mesaaid, besides all the chemical factories, are the Sealine Resort and the dune bashing. There is an artificial reef at Mesaaid called Old Club Reef, which is constructed of old boats, buses, cars, tires, and other miscellaneous castoff items.

Last weekend, I also went to Al Khor, another community 50 km or so north of Doha. From there, we went diving offshore in the Arabian Gulf. There are two wrecks which sit side-by-side that you can see.

Views of the desert south of Doha, toward Mesaaid. The drive north to Al Khor looks quite similar. I am sure, too, that when I go west to Dukham, I will see similar countryside.

Eid Mubarak

T'is the Eid Season

I can personally attest that Eid shopping is just like Christmas shopping, only without the repetitive, sickly cheerful music playing for a month and a half straight (how many country music versions of Santa Claus is Coming to Town does one need anyway?)
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Last-minute Eid shoppers throng malls for best buys

Published: Thursday, 11 October, 2007, 01:50 AM Doha Time

Eid shopping in full swing

Staff Reporter
ELEVENTH hour rush was seen at all major shopping outlets in Doha as the holy month of Ramadan draws to a close and Eid al-Fitr is expected to be celebrated tomorrow or the day after.
From supermarkets to hypermarkets, traditional souqs to glitzy shopping malls, people are thronging the places to buy new apparels and gift items for their loved ones and the holiday season.
Major hypermarkets like Carrefour, LuLu, Safeer, Dasman, Family Food Centre, Food Palace and others have set up specially designated areas offering confectionery and candies. Retailers have followed suit by coming out with tempting bargains and deals on clothing, electronic and other gift items.
“People tend to wait during the weekdays and wrap up their usual work, before stepping out for Eid shopping,” said Ahmad, who owns a kiosk at the City Center Doha.
“From Thursday, you will start to see the frenzy,” added Ahmad, who hoped the slow Ramadan sales period will come to break-even with higher Eid sales.
Estelle Pace, a salesgirl offering perfumes at a shop located in another mall, agreed with Ahmad, but explained why this year’s Eid shopping was slow in taking off: “This year’s Ramadan started right after the summer vacations, and the returning expatriates had to clear the back-log of rents, children’s school fees and then spend whatever was left on commodities which have become dearer.”
Expressing no surprise at less number of shoppers, Pace added: “Traffic snarls and rent-driven inflation could be the other reasons why shoppers are a bit hesitant in coming out and spending money this year.” For the last-minute shoppers ‘all roads lead to malls’, no matter how chaotic the traffic or how tight their pockets are, another shopkeeper said.
“It took me 35 minutes just to find parking near the LuLu Centre in Al Sadd area last evening, and to make it worst, the place was swamped, “ said an exhausted Waleed, who was shopping with his family.
“It is pretty much the same with the souq areas as well, since I had to wait another 45 minutes to pass the road parallel to Souq Ahmad,” Waleed said.
Surprisingly, there was no traffic police manning the roads during my three hours of ‘shopping stint’, Waleed said.
Ismail, an Egyptian, who was coming out of a popular shopping plaza near the bank street, had a satisfied look on his face. “The place inside was crowded, but I can not think of celebrating Eid without buying gifts and clothes for the near and dear ones, barring all the talk of high living costs.”
But to some, traffic was a lesser evil compared to high inflation, resulting in low purchasing power during this Eid.
Voicing her concern, a lady teacher of an expatriate school said: “Just last week, we bought four litres of a popular cooking oil for QR27, which jumped to QR32 the very next day. “Fruits, yoghurt and other items have also become costlier.”
“With unaffordable house rents, three hours of travel time and commodities and clothes getting costlier, what do you want me to buy for Eid. No thanks, I’ll pass,” she added.

Missing: New Moon

I couldn't help but laugh at this small blurb on the front page of this morning's Gulf Times appealing to Muslims to look for the moon, and to report if they found it.

It reads somewhat like a missing cat poster to me.
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Appeal to look for new moon

Published: Wednesday, 10 October, 2007, 02:33 AM Doha Time

THE new Moon Sighting Committee at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has urged all Muslims in Qatar to look for the new moon of the Islamic month of Shawwal tomorrow.
In a statement issued yesterday, the committee said anyone sighting the new moon should report to it at the ministry in Al Sadd. The committee will meet after Maghrib (sunset) prayers.
The sighting of the Shawwal moon marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid al-Fitr. – QNA

Towers, Holes and Cranes

It isn't often that someone can say they're living in a city which is literally being built around them, but that's what's happening in Doha. When I look out my windows at the West Bay and beyond, I see a lot of half-constructed high-rises, holes for new ones, and cranes.

I am not sure what many of the buildings are to become.

In the first photo, though, off the City Centre, I do know that is to become a Shangra-la hotel. Then, in the third photo, you can see the bottom of what will become the Marriot/Courtyard Marriot off the other side of City Centre.

In the second photo, much of this is reclaimed land.

Delib Reading Room

This is the Reading Room at WCMC-Q, where I spend my workday. As the Delib's main intent is to be an electronic library, we don't have a lot of print materials. It's the general policy to only buy print items only when an electronic version can't be found.

As students don't really have anywhere else to congregate in the building (the student lounge isn't the most inviting, in my humble opinion), many end up here. Due to the room design, sound travels. This is causing problems with the noise level and quiet hours for those who want to study.