Mid-East Blog # 2
February 26, 2016
Doha, Qatar
A
Tauck agent greeted us at the airport "Arrival" door and escorted us
to a very special looking hotel - Sharq Village Ritz Carlton. Out of no where, we came to what looked like an Arabian or even a
crusader era-looking fort that we might have discovered years ago while riding
camels across a desert.
A hotel host greeted us with dates and traditional coffee (more like a tea) with spices tasting like cardamom and star anise. The exotic scent and flavor was quite refreshing - especially after a 16-hour flight.
The
early evening breeze was refreshing. Palm tree fronds swayed, large fountains gurgled and ethnic music in the background
quickly reinforced the fact that we were in a totally different country.
After
checking in, we were escorted to our villa by a butler - a young girl from
Macedonia, who later gave us a walking tour of the grounds. The hotel property
has a beach front looking out at a bay, a harbor in the distance and the Doha
cityscape. At nighttime, the dramatically lit buildings was an extraordinary
sight.
Being
friendly with reception often helps in getting a nice room and a good location.
Our "home" for almost a week was quite large.
The
shiny marble floors, ornate furniture and a great patio/garden area would be
very inviting to have our morning coffee and to listen to, as we would soon
find out, the morning cacophony of bird
calls - screeching, hooting, squawking, chirping, peeping as well as calling
out melodic melodies.
Jerry Is Enjoying Fresh Brewed Coffee
Atrium Outside Our Villa's Front Door
The
hotel, with all of the floral and cactus vegetation, seems like it is situated
in an oasis and is a safe haven for bird life.
* * * *
The
bed is actually over sized. We figured out why...
Supposedly, Moslem men can have
up to four wives unless, of course, the man is a king or prince. Then, perhaps,
there might be a harem situated somewhere in a palace. In any event, our bed can easily handle a
husband and three wives side by side and possibly, a smaller wife at the foot
of the bed. We guess this works if the hotel guest is a Moslem man.
We turned the TV on to check out examples of local programming:
Prince Reviewing Troops
Religious Holiday - Men Praying At Mecca
We Later Found Out That Showing Mecca On TV Brings Moslem Viewers Emotionally And Spiritually Closer To Islam
* * * *
Sleeping the first night was a little difficult. Our
bio-rhythms were off. Rather than push, we decided to relax. Besides, the Tauck
tour would not start for a few days.
* * * *
Breakfast
was expansive and representative of what the locals might eat on a regular
basis. Rich, thick yogurts with honey, a variety of salads, humus, different
types of olives and pickles, assorted meats (such as chopped lamb liver),
eggplant concoctions and many fruits and vegetables complemented the western
style food such as omelets, french toast and pancakes.
* * * *
The
hotel property has a variety of large pools and plenty of (very) attentive
staff to help us should we need anything.
A "Royal" (there are many)
is staying in one of the compounds that comes with its own large pool, many
rooms and support staff. At this point, he and his family have been residing at
the hotel for four months as his palace is being renovated.
Most
of the music played throughout the property is "ethnic" and quite
simple: There is usually some sort of wooden flute playing along with a drum
and, perhaps, some sort of string instrument. There isn't so much of a melody;
but, rather repeating beats. Perhaps, years ago, local people may have danced
to these simple, repetitive beats.
* * * *
There
are two airports - the Hamad International and a military base. For most of the
early mornings, fighter jets are either practicing maneuvers or they were on -
a mission. The local newspaper mentioned that the Qatar government is quietly
supporting USA, UK and France campaigns against ISIS while also secretly
financing some of the extremist groups.
Perhaps,
playing both sides is a good thing. Apparently, what the Qatar government is
doing works as it is trying to maintain a peaceful existence in this hotbed
area. FYI - We read that the locals are enthusiastic about Qatar being just
been recognized as the 70th out of 100 safest cities in the area. (Is being #
70 a good thing? Wouldn't be better if it was ranked within the top 10?)
* * * *
After
a day of relaxing and getting our batteries recharged, we decided to venture
out to the city center and check out the country's largest mall.
We were going
to search for an abaya store.
City Center's Huge, Multi-Level Mall
Some
of our readers may think we're "a little nuts." Having seen many
different styles of abayas during our many stays in Malaysia, we were curious
about how a woman selects her abaya wardrobe.
Success!
We found such a store in the mall.
Fancy Cuffs - Very Expensive!
Fancy (Expensive) Party Gowns Worn Under Abaya
The Unveiling! - Abayas Removed After Party Arrival
Want To Buy A Scarf For Everyday?
Guess Who?
* * * *
Throughout
the day, we hear loud speakers blaring away - calling people to prayer. The
prayer announcement actually starts out as if there is a beginning of an air
raid siren. There is that drown sound that builds up into a crescendo and
continues for about five to ten minutes. This "sound" has that same
sort of audible feeling.
Hurry Up! Stop Eating! It's Time To Pray!
Start Them At A Young Age!
* * * *
The
cityscape from our hotel looked amazing.
We had no idea how fantastic it was until we got closer to the buildings.
Some of these edifices are architectural wonders. At this point, Singapore and Shanghai are neck and neck with Qatar as to which city has the # 1 "WOW" factor.
We had no idea how fantastic it was until we got closer to the buildings.
Some of these edifices are architectural wonders. At this point, Singapore and Shanghai are neck and neck with Qatar as to which city has the # 1 "WOW" factor.
Great Looking Buildings!
* * * *
Many
boats - sort of looking like Chinese junks, are all lit up at night with pretty
neon lights. Quite a sight!
* * * *
From
our lounging location at one of the
hotel's pool, we have a great vantage point to see all of the planes taking off
from Qatar's airport. Planes do frequently take off. However, the quantity of
planes taking off from Qatar is no where near what flies in and out of Dubai.
Jerry has an "App" that looks at all of the planes in the skies. It's
amazing to see(on his cell phone) the steady stream of planes taking off from Dubai
as well as over the entire European/Mid-East skies.
Helicopters
regularly fly over the hotel and head to the city center. We thought that
tourists were getting a "birds-eye tour" of the area. This is not the case.
Businessmen actually fly into Qatar on private jets and then take a helicopter to a
meeting in town. Why drive for 30 minutes when you can fly in five? Not too shabby!
* * * *
We
noticed that some Moslem women tend to put on too much perfume.
Moslem men smoke.
Many
Moslem families come to this hotel for some R&R - many of which come with
nannies. If there is more than one child, each child could have its own nanny.
Often, we will see quite a procession of people: the parents and then there are
the caretakers following behind holding
a child's hand or pushing a stroller.
Moslem
mothers (and nannies) seem to be less attentive to their children as compared
to American mothers. The nannies do not engage with the children; rather, the parents just ensure that the nannies gets their charge to the right place on time. In fact, we have
seen small children get too close to a pool's edge. Why are we freaking out?
It's not our responsibility!
* * * *
We
have two butlers - one that supports our villa complex which has about 15
rooms. Then, there is our Macedonia "Vicke" who has befriended us.
She wrapped some towels into sort of a sharpie dog-looking thing and also
brought in some roses to help decorate the place.
* * * *
On
our way back to our room one evening, we noticed that room service was
delivering fruit plates and some other amenities to some of the guests. We
learned that this food was ordered for a "romantic evening." Jerry
quickly proclaimed to the room service person:
"We're
romantic!"
Thirty
minutes later our doorbell rang and an entourage of men brought into our room a
bouquet of roses, a large bag of rose pestles to sprinkle on the bed and...
two glasses of watermelon juice and two highly choleric deserts that were - Yummy!
two glasses of watermelon juice and two highly choleric deserts that were - Yummy!
* * * *
We
are quickly learning that there are very few real Qatari (or whatever they
are called) and of those, many actually have passports from other countries.
The total Qatari population may be about 270,000 people. However, there are
"millions" of immigrants who are here to work.
For
instance, there are 500,000 Nepalese. We discovered that most Qatari do not
work. Their paid a stipend by the government. They play at night - they sleep
during the day. What a life! Also, this
is supposed to be the most expensive city in the world to live.
* * * *
As
ambassadors of "goodwill," we had a lengthy and insightful conversation with the hotel's
concierge (A young woman) who happened to be Iranian. We were able to
encourage her to tell us her life's (very) interesting story.
Her name is Yeganeh Seifi. She started out in Iran's hotel management
program. There was an opportunity to expand her training in Malaysia. At the
last moment, an opportunity surfaced with the opening of an Iranian restaurant in
this hotel. Since it was close to her home country, and there was an opportunity for upward
mobility, she thought that this would be a better choice.
There
was a nasty break-up with her boy friend. At 38, she's probably lonely. She feels that there is hope for the Iranian
people with the lifting of the embargos. However, there has been a significant
deterioration of Iran's infrastructure
over the last four years. Iranian people are primarily Zoroastrian. She finds
it depressing to see the Moslem leadership show a distain for Persian culture
and historical edifices which are being torn apart.
She
didn't want to talk too openly about the Qatar government. Immigrants are paid
lowly wages ($200-$300/month) and most do not have medical insurance. Still,
there are jobs here where there would be no jobs in their home country. The
"worker-bees" are "stuck" with two-year contracts.
Yeganeh Modeling at The Hotel
